Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 6 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T here came a knock on the Penn State wrestling team's portal door last year, and when the coaching staff opened it, they saw a guy holding three years of eligibility and toting a silver medal from the 2024 NCAA Championships. If the slogan the rich get richer hadn't already been in circulation, that could have been its genesis. But that's how well things are going for Penn State these days, when a Rocco Welsh can join the team, fit right in and work his way to becoming the country's No. 1-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds. Welsh came from Waynes- burg High in the wrestling- rich Western Pennsylvania In- terscholastic Athletic League. He won 150 matches, finish- ing as PIAA runner-up as a freshman and sophomore and winning gold as a junior and senior while jumping from 126 pounds to 152 to 172. He capped off his senior season with an appearance in the prestigious Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, in which he defeated future Penn State teammate Josh Barr, 3-1 in overtime. Barr is now No. 1 at 197 pounds, and he and Welsh are almost daily workout partners. Welsh was well-known on the high school circuit, winning Ironman, Super 32 and Powerade titles along the way while putting himself on the recruiting lists of major college coaches, such as Penn State's Cael Sanderson. But Ohio State's Tom Ryan won the Rocco Welsh sweep- stakes in 2024. "Yeah, he did recruit me," Welsh said, referring to Sanderson. "I was kind of young and didn't really know what I was doing. I committed too soon. I don't re- gret it, but if I could go back, I would defi- nitely have come here from the beginning. But I think God took me in that direction and brought me here. I think it's all part of his plan." Confidence Builder Looking back, Welsh acknowledges that he rushed his college decision, but he did have his reasons for heading to Columbus. "I was thinking about who was here [at Penn State] and if I would have to fight to make a spot, something like that," he explained. "But it all worked out perfectly. I'm glad I'm here now." During his freshman season, he went 26-5 for the Buckeyes en route to the NCAA Tournament at Kansas City. He won his first match by two points and the next three by recording a takedown in the sudden-victory period. His reward for making the finals was a matchup against Penn State's Carter Starocci, who was re- habbing a knee injury but still won the fourth of his five NCAA titles that season by defeating Welsh, 2-0. Welsh might have lost the match, but he gained invaluable experience and con- fidence. "I think being in that situation already, it really helps, because not a lot of guys have been there before and competed in the national finals," he said. "It definitely helps with confidence. "I've already gone through, made the finals, and hopefully I can change the re- sult [this year]. But, yeah, there's a lot of confidence just from being there, being in that situation." Comeback Kid That confidence showed against Ohio State on Feb.13 when Welsh found himself trailing Dylan Fishback 4-1 early in the final period. The eighth-ranked Fishback also escaped and already had secured a riding time point, so Welsh needed two takedowns to win. He called that situation a worst-case scenario, but he got his first takedown with 1:11 remaining. "I got it quick, so I was like, 'Go get an- other one,'" Welsh said. "I didn't have any negative thoughts; I felt like I can still win no matter what." He got the second with a go-behind takedown with 14 seconds left, which sent an indoor-record wrestling crowd of 16,006 into a frenzy. The result was a 7-6 comeback vic- tory from which Sanderson came away impressed with Welsh's mental approach. "It was just the heart and the determi- nation and seeing that it's OK if you fall behind," the coach said. "I think that's really important, something that we like seeing more than even the win. A win's great, whatever, but it's more that you can see if I make a mistake or two and fall behind, there's a lot of time to score points." Welsh said he tried not to think about competing against his former team. "I had some thoughts, but they're just another team, and I'm a Penn State wrestler wres- tling a different team," he said. Welsh will take his No. 1 ranking and a 17-0 record into the Big Ten Championships at Penn State March 7-8. Had he stayed in Columbus, he'd be wearing red at the Big Ten tourney. Now, however, he is quite attached to his blue- and-white singlet. "It was pretty easy to fit in," he said about adapting to his new Penn State teammates. "From Day 1, they accepted me in. It was never a challenge to fit in, and I'm just getting more and more com- fortable." ■ "It was pretty easy to fit in [with the Nittany Lions]. From Day 1, they accepted me in. It was never a challenge to fit in, and I'm just getting more and more comfortable." W E L S H 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 W, 48-0 Jan. 25 at Maryland W, 51-0 Jan. 30 NEBRASKA* W, 26-12 Feb. 6 at Michigan W, 38-3 Feb. 13 OHIO STATE* W, 36-5 Feb. 20 PRINCETON W, 50-0 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