Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
4 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he average Joe — or in this case, Shayne — can scramble through everyday life with a bum shoulder or an aching knee. But athletes in any sport and at any level typically need those joints to function properly to be able to ply their trade. Surgery can repair the afflicted body part, but it's the mind that does the heal- ing. Injury-wise, Penn State wrestler Shayne Van Ness has had a lot on his mind throughout what is now his fourth season in the Nittany Lion wrestling room. He sat out his first season while rehab- bing a shoulder injury from his competi- tive prep school days at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Van Ness ended up placing third at the 2023 NCAA Championships after an impressive showing but sat out the 2024 campaign because of an early- season knee injury and subsequent sec- ond joint surgery. But he's back again and seemingly bet- ter than ever. The redshirt sophomore All-American and two-time national prep champion came out of the Lehigh match on Dec. 8 with a 5-0 record that includes 2 techni- cal falls, 2 major decisions and a shutout victory. WRESTLING Never Never Better Better Shayne Van Ness has made an emphatic return from the injury that ended his 2024 season 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 Ranked second in the nation at 149 pounds, Van Ness had 5 takedowns in a 17-3 major decision over Lehigh's Matt Repos on Dec. 8. PHOTO BY TYLER MANTZ/PENN STATE ATHLETICS