Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F or as much success as Penn State wrestler Josh Barr has had — finish- ing second in the 2025 NCAAs and winning 44 of his 48 career matches as of Jan. 18 — it hasn't come easily for the redshirt sophomore. There's been a price to pay physically, but it seems like — at least for the moment — the Davison, Mich., native has paid that bill in full. Barr, who this season is ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds and was 10-0 heading into a Jan. 23 match with Indiana, suffered a serious injury to his left hamstring in the consolation round of the 2025 Big Ten Championships and defaulted out of the tournament, leaving doubt as to whether he could compete in the NCAAs. Not only did he compete, he made the finals before losing to Iowa's Stephen Bu- chanan. In October, Barr had won a match at the U-23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia, and was in a tight battle with Iran's Mohammadmobin Azimi, one of the world's best freestyle wrestlers at 92 kilograms (202.8 pounds), when Azimi took Barr down and immediately applied a gut-wrench with the intent of turning Barr for exposure points. He turned Barr four times, but it was after the first turn that Barr pointed to his ribs and tried to have the match stopped for injury time. The official let things play out, and after Barr's bout was stopped due to technical superiority (a 10-point deficit), he laid on the mat for well over a minute before being helped off with his hands on his rib cage. While it was never announced whether any ribs were broken, he had too much pain to continue in the tournament. Not only did he lose a chance to compete for a bronze medal, the injury kept him side- lined for two months before he made his Penn State season debut at the Journey- men Collegiate Duals in Nashville. For as much talent as he has, he might be even more resilient. "I didn't feel well, but it's one of those things where you're just trying to keep your cool," Barr explained. "It was tough being out there in Serbia. I was in a lot of pain, but once we got back, we got right WRESTLING INNER STRENGTH Resilient Penn State 197-pounder Josh Barr takes aim at Big Ten and national championships 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 Barr wrestled former high school teammate Remy Cotton when Penn State welcomed Rutgers to Rec Hall on Jan. 10. The Nittany Lion redshirt sophomore won by technical fall, 18-3. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS