Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
4 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M to it with [trainer] Dan [Monthley] and began doing everything that we could and just trusting in the Lord's timing for my career, my life." 'He's A Tough Dude' Barr credited Monthley for bringing him back from both injuries. "I remember when I was hurt before the NCAAs last season, we were getting together at 6 a.m. and I was working with him until about 4 p.m. every single day," Barr said. "We didn't take a break. We were in there every single day. He cares deeply about every single guy on the team and their health and how they feel. I know my coaches will fight for me, but my trainer will fight for me too." Barr said the down time this fall was beneficial, but it was also difficult. "I love competing, but it was good, I think, to give my whole body a break there, and just get really fired up for the rest of the season," he explained. "I'm re- ally excited and just more grateful than ever." Penn State coach Cael Sanderson gushed about Barr's grit. "He's a tough dude," Sanderson said. "You saw him come back from a pretty nasty [hamstring] injury in the Big Tens to make the finals of the national tour- nament. And you really don't know how annoying [a rib problem] is until you actually have one. "I used to kind of give guys a hard time when they had one. Then I had a rib injury and I was like, 'OK, I under- stand.' Everything's twisting and you're trying to breathe, but Josh is good to go." Barr's journey has been interesting, to say the least. He arrived in 2023 as a 174-pounder with four Michigan state titles under his belt. But with five-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci in the lineup at that weight, Barr redshirted and began a weight-gain process. He bought a cow from the father of teammate Tyler Kasak, and his diet of red meat, rice, potatoes and eggs soon had him jumping past 184 to 197 and still cutting a few pounds. A Victorious Return This season, Barr's post-injury return was impressive. He opened with two wins at the Journeymen Collegiate Du- als, and that was when Penn State broke Oklahoma State's record of 76 straight dual victories. "It's definitely pretty cool. I wasn't a part of all the stuff prior, but it's just an amazing feeling to be a part of such a great thing," Barr said about the streak that reached 80 at Northwestern on Jan. 18. He won the Southern Scuffle by beating third-ranked Stephen Little of Little Rock, 9-1, in the finals. And his season debut in Rec Hall was special because it was against a Davison High School teammate, Rutgers' Remy Cot- ton, whom he defeated by technical fall, 18-3 in the full seven minutes. "I told one of our coaches I prob- ably spent more time wrestling Remy than anybody my whole life," said Barr, who gave the Scarlet Knights wrestler a quick hug during pre-match introduc- tions. "He was my main partner for four years straight, so it was really cool to be able to do it at Rec Hall." Barr continued his onslaught with falls against Brody Sampson (4:42) of Iowa and Alex S m i t h ( 1 : 5 0 ) o f N o r t h w e s t e r n , helping the Nittany Lions thump Iowa, 32-3, for their fifth c o n s e c u t i ve w i n over the Hawkeyes and batter Northwestern, 51-0, for the team's fifth shutout in nine matches this season. Barr will be a heavy favorite to win Big Ten and NCAA titles in March. It would be even more special if he can finish the season devoid of injury. "When you don't get to compete for a while, and you get to go out there and wrestle, it makes you really grateful," Barr said. "I'm just really appreciative of that and happy to be back." ■ "When you don't get to compete for a while, and you get to go out there and wrestle, it makes you really grateful. I'm just really appreciative of that and happy to be back." B A R R Barr won his first 10 matches of the season after return- ing from a rib injury he suffered in October while com- peting at the U-23 World Championships. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2025-26 WRESTLING SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Nov. 14 OKLAHOMA* W, 45-0 Nov. 23 Black Knight Invitational** Indiv. only Dec. 5 at Drexel W, 43-3 Dec. 7 LEHIGH W, 36-6 Dec. 13 at Wyoming W, 40-7 Dec. 20 North Dakota State^ W, 46-0 Dec. 20 Stanford^ W, 42-0 Jan. 10 RUTGERS W, 46-0 Jan. 16 at Iowa W, 32-3 Jan. 18 at Northwestern W, 51-0 Jan. 23 INDIANA 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Maryland Noon Jan. 30 NEBRASKA* 8 p.m. Feb. 6 at Michigan 6 p.m. Feb. 13 OHIO STATE* 7 p.m. Feb. 20 PRINCETON 7 p.m. Mar. 7-8 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS* Mar. 19-21 NCAA Championships^^ * at the Bryce Jordan Center ** at West Point, N.Y. ^ Collegiate Duals at Nashville, Tenn. ^^at Rocket Arena, Cleveland