Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
7 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T eam records go out the window at this time of year in the NCAA wres- tling world. That's not to say that Penn State team- mates won't do everything they can to help each other at the Big Ten and na- tional tournaments. But what they've accomplished as a group during the past four months won't earn any individual a podium spot in March. With all that said, the Nittany Lions are the only team in InterMat's Division I rankings that survived the dual meet season unbeaten. And that really does say something. A lot, actually. It proves that head coach Cael Sand- erson's wrestlers can fight through ad- versity. After all, Penn State had many matches in which starters were out of action due to illness, injury or something else. Yet, when those wrestlers returned to the mat, regardless of whether it was as a defending NCAA champion or someone hoping to reach that stage this year, they performed as if the time off never occurred. The team's performance also proved an old truism that matters in wrestling as much as it does in any other sport: Iron sharpens iron. Between the noncollegiate members of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and the backups on the current roster, there aren't many starters across the country, if any, who are pushed day in and day out like the top 10 are pushed inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. The competition keeps everyone sharp ahead of big matches, and it means that the team is prepared when someone needs to fill in at a moment's notice. That will not lead everyone to the post- season, of course. But if you think junior 197-pounder Max Dean doesn't appreci- ate sophomore Michael Beard, or that senior 165-pounder Brady Berge isn't benefitting from the presence of junior Creighton Edsell, think again. So, yes, we will toss the team re- cord aside now that the regular season has concluded. It must also be noted, though, that the same forces that lifted Penn State to a perfect dual meet season will also help push it toward the top of the team race. The Lions will be the favorites when they head to Nebraska for the Big Ten Tournament, but it would be foolish to state that no other conference team has a chance of claiming the top spot. The depth in the Big Ten across all 10 weight classes is stunning. It means that Penn State will have to earn the title in Lincoln before being able to do so in Detroit. Iowa has won the past two Big Ten tournaments. The Hawkeyes are less menacing without the injured Spencer Lee able to defend his national cham- pionship at 125 pounds. But coach Tom Brands' team still packs a punch across the lineup and has a chance to impact the team race. Michigan, too, will make its presence known, as will Ohio State. That's true even if Penn State dispatched both of those opponents quite handily during the regular season. There are plenty of factors pointing in the Lions' favor, of course. Super se- nior Drew Hildebrandt has turned the 125-pound class into a scoring weight for Sanderson's side. It's fair to say that wasn't the case back in November. And the return of Berge gives Penn State a similar opportunity at 157 or 165, wher- ever he ends up. As for the questions, they are as fol- lows: Can Hildebrandt avenge a regular- season loss to Michigan's Nick Suriano if they meet again? How far can sopho- more Beau Bartlett go after an up-and- down season full of close calls at 149? What exactly will the scoring look like at 157 and 165? Will sophomore Carter Starocci be fully healthy after missing a few matches with an undisclosed injury at 174? And is Dean set to compete at the highest level after sitting out the Ne- braska match on Feb. 6 and gaining the benefits of some extra time off? The early portion of the Nittany Lions' Big Ten schedule was loaded, but the team will have wrestled just once since Feb. 7 when the conference tourney be- gins on March 5. That's surely an advan- tage, as well. "We definitely had some guys out with injuries and stuff," super senior 141-pounder Nick Lee said prior to Penn State's nonconference matchup against Rider on Feb. 20, the final dual meet of the regular season. "I think that we would probably keep [some wrestlers] out so they can heal up anyway. "So maybe [the break toward the end of the dual meet season] is coming at a good time. Either way, we'll make sure our guys are ready to go by the end of the year." With defending NCAA champs at 133 (senior Roman Bravo-Young), 141 (Lee), 174 (Starocci) and 184 (junior Aaron Brooks), Penn State has been tabbed as the favorite to win its first Big Ten Tour- nament title since 2019. But no one is looking to hand PSU the trophy before the event even begins. For all the chal- lenges they have overcome, and for all the talk about peaking in the postseason, the Lions still need to go out and earn it on the mat. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL gpic92@gmail.com Title-Hungry PSU Will Have To Earn It On The Mat THE LAST WORD Senior 125-pounder Drew Hildebrandt may have a chance to avenge his regular-season loss to Michigan's Nick Suriano in the postseason. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL