Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499919
5 8 J U N E / J U L 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 I t did not take Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson long after win- ning the 2023 NCAA wrestling cham- pionship to clearly state what would happen next for his highly successful program. "We've just got to keep getting better, and we've got a lot of things we can work on moving forward," Sanderson told re- porters in Tulsa, Okla. "That's what you do. You come here, and you've got to be quick to observe and figure things out — what can we do bet- ter? And that's what we'll do." Penn State has already done just that. In April, it picked up its first transfer portal pledge of the offseason, bring- ing in upper-weight super senior Bernie Truax IV. A native of Oceanside, Calif., Truax was a three-time All-American (at three different weight classes, no less) for Cal Poly and has one year of eligibility remaining. Next, the Nittany Lions landed red- shirt freshman middleweight wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink, a former prep star in Wisconsin who spent a semester at Cal Baptist and has four years of eligibil- ity remaining. Then, to end April, former Minnesota 133-pound All-American Aaron Nagao picked Sanderson's pro- gram. He'll be a redshirt sophomore. With those decisions made, the Lions' 2023-24 lineup is coming into focus. Still, it will be another six months before the team takes the mat to start its NCAA title defense, and a few questions linger. The first of those questions concerns the lightweight situation. Not every dual meet starts at 125 pounds, but most do. While the Lions have plenty of competi- tors for the lightest starting spot on the roster, they do not have a clear winner. Last year's starter, Gary Steen, is back for his redshirt sophomore season. So, too, is junior backup Marco Vespa. Junior Robbie Howard, who has missed the past two seasons due to injury, will be the favorite to win the job if he is finally healthy after past shoulder issues. From there, former Ohio State wrestler Will Betancourt is no longer with the PSU program, so he's out of the running. True freshman Braedan Davis, a four- time state champ in his native Michigan, could make some noise once he arrives. Penn State could also hit the portal again, but that seems unlikely at this point. A healthy Howard could make this a more productive spot in the lineup next season. The wrestle-off at 125 will be fun to follow. There's also some uncertainty in the middleweights. Mesenbrink plans to compete at either 157 or 165 pounds, so something will have to give — either for the newcomer or a current Nittany Lion. Levi Haines is preparing for his second season after winning the Big Ten cham- pionship and reaching the NCAA final at 157 pounds as a true freshman. Can he make 157 again? That's up for debate. Then, redshirt sophomore Alex Fac- undo had an up-and-down year at 165. Will he battle Mesenbrink for that job? Could Mesenbrink go at 157 and Haines at 165? Could one of the three decide to take an Olympic redshirt year, leaving spots open for the remaining two? This will be interesting to watch un- fold. Finally, how will the 174- and 197-pound weight classes shake out? This may be where PSU has the most moving pieces. Numerous situations must be resolved before we have a final answer. The first is whether the Lions' two defending na- tional champions, seniors Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks, will wrestle this year or instead take Olympic redshirts. If Starocci wrestles, he'll be at 174 pounds. If not, Facundo could be an option. As for Brooks, even if he chooses to compete for the Lions, questions remain about whether he'll stay at 184. He could move up to 197, which would allow Truax to wrestle at 184. Truax was an All- American at 174, 184 and 197, so both of the last two weights are realistic options. Our guess is that Brooks goes to 197 and Truax settles in at 184. Penn State should feel confident about where its lineup stands, but questions do remain for Sanderson, the reigning WIN Magazine Dan Gable Coach of the Year, and his talented staff. The good news for Penn State fans is this: If history tells us anything, it's that the correct calls will be made when all is said and done. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM Portal Fortifies PSU's Already-Peerless Wrestling Program THE LAST WORD Coach Cael Sanderson will be looking to win his 11th national team championship at Penn State when the 2023-24 sea- son gets underway in November. PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL