Most human beings don’t enjoy being tired but Penn State wrestling star Josh Barr isn’t most human beings.
Barr competed at 184 in the five matches he competed in as a true freshman last season. He’s not only held his own at 197, he’s crushed it.
Barr is 16-1 with more than 82% of those wins being of the bonus-point variety.
This success has earned Barr the No. 2 ranking in his weight class per InterMat
He attributes a lot of that success to his conditioning.
“Great,” Barr told reporters Tuesday when asked to assess his conditioning. “I mean, I train hard every day.
So why does Barr enjoy getting tired?
Because if he’s tired, the other guy, who probably isn’t as well-conditioned as him, is struggling worse.
“I think when I get tired in a match, the other guy is a lot more tired than I am,” he said. “So I’m looking to get tired pretty much every single time I wrestle. If that happens, good things usually happen.”
HE’S FOUGHT THE BEST
Barr has already fought the best in the country at his weight class. Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan is the favorite to win it all at 197 and proved that with a 5-1 win over Barr at the Bryce Jordan Center Jan. 30.
Seven nights later, Barr had another crack at an elite competitor in Michigan’s Jacob Cardenas, who was ranked No. 2 at the time.
He isn’t ranked No. 2 anymore, and that’s because Barr beat him in a tiebreaker 3-2.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.No. 4 Josh Barr gets the Bryce Jordan Center on its feet after picking up a reversal with 5 seconds remaining to upset No. 2 Jacob Cardenas! #WeAre #PSUwr pic.twitter.com/bWtYLwfXmW
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) February 8, 2025
With the Big Ten Championships coming up March 8-9 in Evanston, Illinois, followed not too long after by Nationals (March 20-22 in Philadelphia), there’s a good chance Barr sees at least one of those guys again.
For Barr, the experience he’s already received is invaluable.
“Well, I mean, the number one and number two guy in the country is just like nationals,” he said. “You have to beat those guys to win, so I think that my main perspective on it, kind of going into the season, once we got our schedule and everything, like kind of had those dates circled. Obviously, I’m focused on the next thing, but I knew those were two big ones for me. So just looking at it as a learning experience and just preparation for Big Tens and nationals. I’m really thankful I’m able to get those matches before it really counts.”
BOUNCING LIKE A BASKETBALL
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Aaron Brooks
Penn State wrestling has some of the best in the country currently competing and through the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, past greats are able to not only give advice to the current team but also beat them up.
This leads to Barr mixing it up with an Olympic Bronze Medalist, which Barr feels is more challenging than going against his current teammates.
“I’d probably say the former, just because, I mean, AB (Aaron Brooks) still bounces my head around like a basketball,” he said. So I would say probably the former.”
Bur Barr wanted something to be understood about the current Penn State team.
“Everyone in our room is freaking tough,” he said. “Even the guys that nobody knows.”
Most everybody knows of Barr now, and even more will know if he wins a national title, which he’s already capable of doing.
