Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
4 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen freshmen step into the Penn State wrestling room, most bring with them a bundle of scholastic trophies and titles, pos- sibly enough to make them think that they could step into the top-ranked Nit- tany Lions' lineup. Those who do are few. While Penn State coach Cael Sanderson is typically reluctant to use first-year guys among his starting 10, he will if it makes sense for the team and the wrestler … or if he has no choice. This year, it's been a bit of both. Sanderson has been using a pair of ca- pable true freshmen — Braeden Davis at 125 pounds and Tyler Kasak at 149. In the Lions' 46-0 victory over Indiana Jan. 14, freshman Josh Barr subbed for graduate Bernie Truax at 184. Davis, a four-time state champion from Dundee High School in Belleville, Mich., was 10-0 through Jan. 15 and has been elevated because he defeated sophomore Gary Steen, the Lions' re- turning starter, in early-season tour- naments. Also, sophomore Robert Howard, the expected starter, has expe- rienced problems bouncing back from multiple shoulder surgeries. Kasak, a Pennsylvania state cham- pion from Bethlehem Catholic who also excelled on the international free- style scene and was ranked as the No. 8 overall prep prospect in the country as a senior, is a big 141-pounder who was thrust into the 149-pound spot and out of a sure-bet redshirt when All-America sophomore Shayne Van Ness suffered a season-ending injury in early December. Kasak was 6-1 and owned a 4-1 deci- sion over 12th-ranked Nash Singleton of Oregon State in which he scored in the final 30 seconds to win. He followed that with a 15-0 technical fall victory over Indiana's 14th-ranked Graham Rooks, the same Rooks who had Van Ness on the ropes in the 2023 NCAA quarterfinals before the Nittany Lion mounted a comeback . Davis, who upended 16th-ranked sixth-year senior Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State 11-6 on Jan. 5, jumped from No. 27 in FloWrestling's Jan. 2 na- tional rankings to No. 14 in the Jan. 15 update, while Kasak made his debut at the No. 17 spot in the Jan. 8 listings and held that position the next week. Kasak could still redshirt, but Sanderson said there is "a pretty good chance" that he will remain in the lineup. Davis' bout against Indiana was his fifth out of an NCAA-allowable five WRESTLING LEVELING UP Several of Penn State's celebrated freshmen have made a winning transition to the rigors of collegiate wrestling J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Braeden Davis claimed four state championships as a high school wrestler in Michigan. He began his Penn State career by winning his first 10 matches at 125 pounds. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS