Blue White Illustrated

W R E S T L I N G T hanks to the NCAA transfer portal, college wrestling's off-season has turned into a hot stove league. From big-name starters looking to switch loca- tions to guys simply looking to refresh and restart their careers, nearly 200 wrestlers entered the transfer portal between Octo- ber 2020 and mid-June of this year. Penn State was not unaffected. The Nit- tany Lions lost Bo Pipher (157 pounds), Adam Busiello (149), Austin Boone (157) and Jared Verkleeren (149) to the portal. As of this writing, only Ver- kleeren had decided on a new school, having announced plans to resume his career at Virginia. The Nittany Lions also went 1-for-2 on incoming transfers. Former Cornell NCAA runner-up Max Dean (184/197) decided to spend his two remaining years of eligibility in State College, while two- time Wisconsin All-American Evan Wick (165) opted to join his brother Luca at Cal Poly in their home state. What this might mean for the 2021-22 Nittany Lion lineup remains to be seen, but rest assured that lineup yet again will be a national championship contender. Here is a quick, off-season look at who might be in the team's 10-man lineup: 125 Incoming recruit Gary Steen, a flip from the University of Pittsburgh, and Robbie Howard are the contenders here. If Howard is unable to wrestle because of injury, Steen, a two-time PIAA cham- pion, gives this weight class more depth than it's had in years. 133 Roman Bravo-Young is the defend- ing NCAA champion. 141 Nick Lee is the defending NCAA champion. 149 Beau Bartlett and incoming recruit Shayne Van Ness are the contenders. This weight is strong no matter what unfolds. If Lee were to move up – and that's ques- tionable since his freestyle weight is 143 pounds (65 kilograms) – Bartlett would move to 141 and Van Ness likely would redshirt. How's that for depth? 157 This weight class is one of just a couple of question marks in the lineup. Terrell Barraclough is a strong possibility. Matt Lee is another possibility. Could Van Ness bulk up enough for this weight? 165 Another uncertain weight class, as returning starter Joe Lee likely will com- pete with incoming recruit Alex Facundo. Penn State could end up with three Lee brothers in its starting lineup. 174 Carter Starocci is the defending NCAA champion. 184 Aaron Brooks is the defending NCAA champion. 197 Michael Beard placed seventh at the 2021 NCAA tournament and would have owned this spot were it not for Dean's transfer. That will make for some inter- esting bouts in the wrestling room to de- termine a starter. 285 Greg Kerkvliet also placed seventh last March after recovering from a knee in- jury and starting his season on Feb. 22. Big things are expected from Kerkvliet, who will have four years of eligibility remaining. That is a championship-contending lineup. But because the NCAA granted athletes a free year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic, Iowa's returning lineup has even more battle-tested veter- ans. What fans want to know is whether the Big Ten schedule-maker will bring Iowa to PSU this year to make up for last season's canceled dual meet at Rec Hall, or if the Lions will head to Iowa City. ■ Newcomers could have early impact at Penn State | DEAN W R E S T L I N G N O T E S RECRUITING UPDATE In addition to incoming recruits Gary Steen, Shayne Van Ness and Alex Facundo, Penn State is welcoming Lucas Cochran (184), a three-time state champion in Utah, this coming season. And while rising high school seniors continue to commit to schools around the county, the Lions received a com- mitment from PIAA champion Levi Haines of Biglerville in District 3. Haines, whose father wrestled at Get- tysburg High and Lock Haven Univer- sity, projects at 165 pounds or higher. Still out there and still considering Penn State, according to FloWrestling, are top-ranked Jesse Mendez (141/149) of Indiana; No. 2- ranked Nic Bouzakis (141/149) of Wyoming Seminary in Forty Fort, Pa.; No. 5 Rylan Rogers (184/197) of Idaho; No. 30 T.J. Stewart (184) of Blair Academy in New Jersey; and No. 37 Kolby Franklin (197) of Wyoming Seminary. SCHEDULE NOTES The Lions' sched- ule typically isn't released until Sep- tember, but at times it can be pieced together as other teams release theirs. A case in point is this year's opener, which is unique in a number of ways. First, it's against Sacred Heart, which competes in the Eastern Inter- collegiate Wrestling Association and had two NCAA qualifiers last season for the first time since 2007. Also, the match is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., where last year's EIWA championships were held. With the Lions wrestling in Manheim on Friday, it appears likely they will com- pete in the Journeyman Classic the next day at the same site. That tourna- ment has hosted a number of ranked collegiate teams over the years. –J.C.

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