Penn State wrestling heavyweight Cole Mirasola waited more than two hours to take that mat at Saturday’s Big Ten Championships in University Park.
He only had to wait 25 seconds to have his hand raised.
Mirasola, seeded fourth, took on No. 13 Gabe Christenson of Northwestern.
25 seconds later, Mirasola pinned him to move onto the quarterfinals, where he’ll take on Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos.
Mirasola has been rolling for almost a month.
Against Ohio State Feb. 13, Mirasola, ranked No. 12, took on No. 3 Nick Feldman, and upset him 4-1 in sudden victory.
Sudden Victories: Penn State Wrestling Gets it Done in Crunch Time
The next week, Mirasola ended the dual meet season with a tech fall over Princeton’s Sebastian Garibaldi.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.After his win over Feldman, Mirasola made it clear what his goals were for the remainder of the season.
“I’m ready to win the national title,” Mirasola said. “Losses aren’t going to define me. I’m really excited to see what happens for me.”
Mirasola has a 14-4 record this season, and all four losses are against top 15 competition.
After the Ohio State dual meet, coach Cael Sanderson talked about what Mirasola does to impress Penn State.
“His ability to win scrambles and attack the legs as a big guy shows that he has a ton of potential,” Sanderson said. “He’s very offensive-minded and will shoot right away, and we love that about him.”
Sanderson and the coaching staff certainly love what Mirasola has done in the postseason so far.
Mirasola’s win also ensured that all 10 of Penn State’s starters would have a place in the quarterfinals. Eight of those ten already had byes into them, and Braeden Davis’ win along with Mirasola’s sealed the deal.
