Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State made a massive splash in October when it landed Joe Sealey, the nation's No. 14 pound-for-pound recruit in the country, as rated by FloWrestling. A standout in the 2024 class, Sealey wrestles at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., but is origi- nally from North Carolina. He picked the Nittany Lions over his two home-state ACC schools, North Carolina and NC State, as well as Iowa and others. Sealey is the third-ranked 160-pound wrestler in the country according to Flo and is one of three prospects who have announced for Penn State in the 2024 cycle. The others are Mason Gibson of Bishop McCort in Johnstown, Pa., the nation's ninth-ranked wrestler at 126 pounds, and Zack Ry- der, a 182-pounder from Minisink Valley, N.Y., who is No. 9 in Flo's overall pound-for-pound rankings. Ryder announced for Penn State in September, while Gibson joined the class in November. Sealey told BWI that he knew from the start of his recruitment that the Nittany Lions were going to be strong contenders. "I watched them for a long time, and it always kind of appealed to me, mainly the style, and the way they wrestle, and the way they go about things and have fun," he said. "When [Penn State coach Cael Sanderson] offered me, I already knew it was going to be a top school. I liked all the other schools, but Penn State is going to get me where I need for my goals." Sealey mostly does his talking on the mat, Wyoming Seminary head coach Cornell Robinson explained. Robinson emphasized the impact that Sealey's father, who also is named Joe, has had on the prospect's wrestling career and also noted that Sealey owns one of the team's high- est grade-point averages. "Joe is pretty quiet, but to get to know Joe is to love him," Robinson said. "Once you get in his circle, I think he appreciates you, which is always cool. It takes a while to get in there, but he's definitely a great kid to have on the team." Sealey has already posted a number of major accomplishments in his wrestling career. As a freshman at High Point (N.C.) Central High, he won the 4A state title at 152 pounds, tech falling all his opponents and earning Most Out- standing Wrestler honors for the 4A division. He has won a prep national title, as well as the prestigious Powerade and Beast of the East tournaments, and placed second (2021) and third (2022) at the preseason Super 32. Last July in Rome, Italy, he claimed the gold medal at the U17 Freestyle World Champion- ships, winning all his matches by technical fall and outscoring his five opponents 55-1. Sealey is expected to compete in the upper weights at Penn State and already is looking for- ward to his college career even though he still has nearly two full seasons at Wyoming Seminary before he will arrive in State College. He finished third at the nationally respected Ironman tournament Dec. 9-10 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and said that the lessons he has learned from his father and also his coaches at Wyoming Seminary will help him quickly acclimate to college life once he gets to Penn State. "I feel like wrestling-wise, I'm always trying to learn and always watching wrestling," Sealey said. "That helps a lot, and being at this boarding school and being by myself and having to be more independent, I think that will help me later on in life in college. "I think working hard has helped me a lot, on and off the mat. Just making sure my sleep is good, and making sure I've got good discipline when it comes to schoolwork, so my grades are good, and I'm able to compete at my best." Three Future Lions Compete At Ironman The Ironman tournament has long featured many of the best wrestlers at the prep level, and Joe Sealey wasn't the only future Nittany Lion on hand. Mason Gibson of Bishop McCort lost in the semifinals before wrestling back in the consolation bracket to score a fifth-place finish at 126 pounds. At 120 pounds, 2023 commit Cael Nasdeo of Wil- liamsport (Pa.) High won his first match but exited the tournament in the consolation bracket before the medal round. Penn State Foursome In Flo's P4P Rankings Four wrestlers in upcoming PSU recruiting classes appear in the December edition of FloW- restling's pound-for-pound high school rankings. Zack Ryder is the highest-ranked future Lion, with the junior 182-pounder coming in at No. 8 overall. Senior 170-pounder Josh Barr of David- son, Mich., is 11th, junior 160-pounder Joe Sealey is 14th, and senior 145-pounder Tyler Kasak of Bethlehem (Pa.) Catholic is 24th. Kasak is wres- tling only open competition during his final high school season. — Greg Pickel Coveted Recruit Joe Sealey Was Eyeing PSU From The Start The Nittany Lions' style of wrestling under coach Cael Sanderson caught Sealey's attention right away. When Penn State extended its offer, "I already knew it was going to be a top school," the Wyoming Seminary wrestler said. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE 2022-23 WRESTLING SCHEDULE Nov. 11 LOCK HAVEN W, 44-3 Nov. 20 Black Knight Open* Individ. only Dec. 2 at Rider W, 37-3 Dec. 4 at Lehigh W, 24-12 Dec. 11 OREGON STATE W, 31-3 Dec. 19 Central Michigan** W, 50-3 Dec. 19 North Carolina** W, 37-3 Dec. 20 Iowa State** W, 22-12 Jan. 6 at Wisconsin 9 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 20 MICHIGAN 7 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 22 MICHIGAN STATE 1 p.m. Jan. 27 IOWA 8:30 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 3 at Ohio State 7 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 5 at Indiana 1 p.m. Feb. 10 at Rutgers 7 p.m. Feb. 12 MARYLAND 1 p.m. Feb. 19 CLARION 1 p.m. Mar. 4-5 Big Ten Tournament^ TBA Mar. 16-18 NCAA Tournament # TBA * at West Point, N.Y.; ** Collegiate Wrestling Duals at New Orleans; ^ at Ann Arbor, Mich.; # at Tulsa, Okla.