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P
enn State heavyweight Anthony
Cassar is hoping that the rugged
competition he'll face this season,
and while defending his NCAA gold
medal in March, will set him up nicely to
pursue an even more coveted medal just
two weeks later – Olympic gold.
That is one of several reasons why Cas-
sar opted to accept a medical redshirt and
return to Penn State for the 2019-20 col-
lege wrestling season that transitions al-
most immediately into the 2020
Olympics year.
After talking it over with his coaches
and family, Cassar decided that spending
another season at PSU "was going to be
the best thing for my ultimate goal of be-
coming an Olympic champion in 2020.
"And it doesn't hurt to help a team win
another national title along the way," he
added. "But what it came down to is how
it's going to help me achieve my goal."
Steps toward that goal basically begin
Dec. 20-22 in Fort Worth, Texas, where
the U.S. Senior Nationals will take place.
The top five finishers at each weight class
qualify for the trials April 4-5 in Penn
State's Bryce Jordan Center.
That particular event likely won't cause
Cassar to miss a Nittany Lion dual meet,
W R E S T L I N G
GOING FOR THE GOLD
Another NCAA title is only the first item on Anthony Cassar's ambitious to-do list
TITLE WINNER
Cassar avenged his
only loss last season
when he defeated
Oklahoma State's
Derek White in the
NCAA heavyweight
final. Photo by Mark
Selders/Penn State
Athletics
