Even after winning his first national championship, Penn State wrestling star Josh Barr wasn’t satisfied.
“I‘ll kick myself for that for a while now,” Barr told reporters minutes after beating Oklahoma State’s Cody Merrill for his first national title at 197 pounds.
Even though Barr was never in danger and ended up winning 6-3, it was by far his closest match of the season.
Barr came into the bout with a perfect 23-0 record, with all 23 wins being via bonus point.
Reflecting on match No. 24, Barr was unsatisfied, and said it wasn’t because of losing the perfect bonus %.
“I think I probably didn’t open up in that match as much as I had in matches prior,” Barr told reporters, “and I’ll kick myself for that for a while. Not because of the bonus rate or anything. Just because I feel like I left a little bit out there, probably,” he said. “I’m not even breathing hard right now. So I’m not really happy about that. I’d rather be up there trying to catch my breath than talking normal.”
It’s this mentality that has made Barr not just a national champion, but one of the top contenders for wrestling’s most prestigious honor.
BARR ON THE HODGE
All four of Penn State’s national champions: Luke Lilledahl (125), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174) and Barr are finalists for the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is wrestling’s version of the Heisman.
But Barr said this isn’t something the four teammates talk about amongst themselves.
“Not really,” he said. “I think that we’re just focused on pushing each other to be better and better every day. Super grateful for all of my teammates, and it’s not really a conversation we have. I think we’re just focused on being the best we can be every single day and getting better from match to match, and really grateful that I get to be in that race with a couple of my best friends.”
With Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (141) losing his national title bout in a stunning upset to Oklahoma State’s Sergio Vega, the two frontrunners are thought to be Barr and Mesenbrink.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Both of them entered the NCAA Championships with a 100% bonus rate, and both of them lost that rate during the tournament.
Had Barr gotten a bonus point win over Merrill, it would have given him a leg up on Mesenbrink, and it remains to be seen how not having a perfect rate will affect the voting.
In any case, Barr didn’t always see himself as a 197-pound national champ, mainly because he didn’t plan to compete at the weight.
Before last season, Barr had been wrestling at 184 pounds. But when Penn State legend Carter Starocci decided to come back for a fifth national championship— and moved from 174 to 184— Barr’s options were to compete at 184 or be a reserve.
“I said, ‘You know what?‘ I’m going to just try it,” Barr remembered.
Barr credited his faith about all else for his accomplishments.
“I went up (in weight), and the Lord’s faithful,” he said. “Whether I went up in the starting lineup or I went up and had the success that I’ve had, the Lord’s faithful either way. So it was his plan, and back in high school, I probably would have told you that this was the furthest thing from the truth if you had told me this is what would have happened. But ever since I met Jesus, it all makes sense, because I see miracles happen that are way greater than this kind of stuff.”
MESENBRINK NOT WORRIED ABOUT HODGE
Similar to Barr, Mesenbrink said he wasn’t thinking too much about the Hodge.
Dust in the Wind: Penn State Wrestling Star Mitchell Mesenbrink not Worried About Hodge Trophy
“With the Hodge, it’s such an opinionated thing,” Mesenbrink told reporters after his national championship win. “At the end of the day, it’s such a futile kind of thing that people vote on. I’m not going to put my hope or well-being into something that people are going to vote (on) or think about. So it’s a cool thing. It’s the kind of thing that… It’s interesting because come Sunday night, Monday night, or even when they count the Hodge Trophy (votes), they’re going to be talking about who’s going to get it the next time. It’s just like, we’re talking about things that come in and go. It’s like dust.”
Mesenbrink ended the season 27-0 with 26 bonus point wins. Barr ended 24-0 with 23 bonus wins.
