Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Gaugler in a bout highlighted by his 6 takedowns in the opening three min- utes. "That was a pretty good feeling," Fa- cundo said after the match, adding that he thought Van Ness was the most im- pressive on opening night because of his fall. Van Ness said he was able to find out who he was outside of wrestling while rehabbing his knee injury last season. In a capsule, it was this: "I am a loving and caring individual. I'm a team player. I am a huge fan of music. I like to draw, I like reading. And I recently started de- veloping my faith with God." He's read David Goggins' book "Can't Hurt Me," which led him to his psychol- ogy major … and focusing on his mind- set and mental health. Wrestling, Van Ness said, is heart and mindset over technique. "I've noticed that the guys that are going to work harder are usually the guys that are going to win," he said. "The guys that are going to work harder in the weight room, the guys that are going to work harder outside on the re- covery. It's more about what you do as an individual outside of the room and less about kind of the technique that we're doing in the room." It's in the room — a room that houses Olympic, World and NCAA champions — where Facundo has learned that suc- cess is measured. "It's definitely good to have those days where I get humbled," he said. "I have to go back to the drawing board. I have to work on this or work on that. And it's also good to have days that you have some success." Sanderson knows consistent success isn't far away for his young middle- weight duo. "They have been a huge boost for the program," he said. "They go in and com- pete hard. "Obviously, we want to win these matches, but it's about getting bet- ter, making progress and getting them ready for the national tournament in March. I think they're on a good path right now." ■ THREE BEST WRESTLERS 1. Greg Kerkvliet | Jr. | HWT Penn State has the nation's top-ranked heavyweight in Kerkvliet. He is 6-0 on the year and also has an impressive exhibition win over Iowa's third-ranked Tony Cassioppi at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Kerkvliet tore through the opposition he faced in early December, defeating Rider's David Szuba by major decision, 11-1, before earning back- to-back wins by technical fall over Lehigh's 22nd-ranked Nathan Taylor (18-0 in 4:01) and Oregon State's J.J. Dixon (18-2 in 6:08). 2. Beau Bartlett | Jr. | 141 Bartlett holds the highest national rank- ing of his career, having risen to No. 5 in In- terMat's ratings. The weight drop from 149 to 141 has worked wonders for Bartlett's offensive abilities and overall confidence. Sporting an 11-0 record heading into the Big Ten dual meet season, he beat Rider's McKenzie Bell by fall in 6:08 and followed with decisions over Lehigh's Malkyle Hines (8-4) and Oregon State's Cleveland Belton (5-3). 3. Shayne Van Ness | R-Fr. | 149 Van Ness, or "SVN" as he's known by fans and those within the Lions' wrestling room, recorded two wins over ranked opponents in early December. He took out No. 23 Quinn Kider of Rider by decision, 11-6, be- fore beating No. 33 Manzona Bryant IV of Lehigh by fall in 2:28. Van Ness followed by topping Oregon State's Noah Tolantino 6-1. KEY MOMENT Let's focus on senior Max Dean, the defending NCAA champion at 197 pounds. Dean lost his first two bouts of December, falling to No. 8 Ethan Lair of Rider 3-1 in sudden victory before being clipped 11-9 by Lehigh's Michael Beard, a former Nittany Lion who is now ranked No. 4. Dean didn't let those setbacks lead to a third loss, however. He bounced back to convincingly beat Oregon State's 10th-ranked Tanner Harvey 6-3 at Rec Hall. It was a much-needed win for Dean with the Big Ten season fast ap- proaching. BEST HIGHLIGHT With defending 184-pound champ Aaron Brooks out of the lineup for two of the Lions' first three matches in early Decem- ber, junior Donovon Ball stepped in and made sure the team didn't miss a beat. He defeated Asa Terrell of Rider 9-3 before turning around and topping Oregon State's Jackson McKinney 3-1. Ball has been a vital member of the pro- gram, even if he doesn't have a starting job. He has long been a postseason training partner for other Lions and has stepped into dual matches and wrestled well on short notice throughout his career. BOLD PREDICTION The Lions appear to have been doing some load management, to steal a bas- ketball phrase, with regard to Brooks and graduate 133-pounder Roman Bravo-Young at the start of the season. However, both should be back in the lineup when the Big Ten campaign begins in January. Beyond that, we aren't expecting a change at 125 anytime soon, even if redshirt freshman Gary Steen has struggled to win consistently. — Greg Pickel PENN STATE WRESTLING SUPERLATIVES DEC. 2-20 Junior Beau Bartlett had won his first 11 matches of the season at 141 pounds and was up to No. 5 in the rankings heading into the start of Penn State's Big Ten dual meet campaign Jan. 6 at Wisconsin. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE