Penn State wrestling’s Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal setting new standard — according to one metric
Former Penn State wrestler Zain Retherford, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner, set the standard for the Nittany Lions last season — but, according to one metric, both Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal are already on their way to surpassing his 2018 campaign.
The NCAA releases the current standings for the nation’s Most Dominant Wrestler every few weeks, and it did so again Wednesday. And, unsurprisingly, the Nittany Lions took up the top-three spots, with Vincenzo Joseph (165 pounds) pulling up third. But what was really eye-opening was just how much further along Nolf and Nickal are to Retherford last season.
According to the NCAA, Nickal is averaging a national-best 5.41 team points each match while Nolf is close behind with 5.26 points. (Joseph has an even 5.0.) That compares favorably to Retherford, who was the NCAA’s Most Dominant last season with 5.19.
In other words, Nickal (197) and Nolf (157) are faring better than a three-time champ and one of college wrestling’s all-time greats.
Not that Nickal or Nolf likely care. The two are currently battling for the school’s all-time falls record — Nolf has the lead with 58, while Nickal boasts 56 — but both have already said they’re indifferent to who winds up with the mark.
“I want him to pin every single guy, and I want to pin every single guy,” Nickal told reporters last week. “And I’m sure he feels the same way about me.”
The two have been bonus-point machines for the Nittany Lions this season. Nolf is 23-0 with 13 pins, three tech falls and four major decisions while Nickal is 22-0 with 15 pins, two tech falls and four major decisions. Nolf boasts a 71-2 takedown advantage, while Nickal is up 57-1.
The NCAA names its Most Dominant wrestler at the wrestling championships each season. Retherford took the title each of the last three years, with Nickal-Nolf-Joseph vying for the honor this season. The NCAA offers the award at each division but, even counting Division II and Division III, Penn State is still tops this season.
In Div. II, no wrestler boasts a total better than 4.58. In Div. III, SUNY Oneonta’s James Bethel has a 5.29 — which is better than Nolf but not Nickal. Obviously, the level of competition at the lower levels is much different, but the point is that no NCAA wrestler, in any class, can say he’s having a more dominant campaign than at least one of the Nittany Lions.
With Big Tens and NCAAs remaining, Nickal and Nolf might be hard-pressed to continue this pace. But with Iowa’s Alex Marinelli a distant fourth in Div. I with 4.8 points, the NCAA’s Most Dominant award will almost certainly stay in Happy Valley — the only question is what Nittany Lion’s name will be etched on the hardware.
Most Dominant (Stat Leaders)
1. Bo Nickal, Penn State, 5.41
2. Jason Nolf, Penn State, 5.26
3. Vincenzo Joseph, Penn State, 5.0
4. Alex Marinelli, Iowa, 4.8
5. Daniel Lewis, Missouri, 4.59
6. Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell, 4.58
7. Anthony Ashnault, Rutgers, 4.48
8. Nicholas Piccininni, Oklahoma State, 4.39
9. Gable Steveson, Minnesota, 4.27
10. Myles Martin, Ohio State, 4.24
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 9:03 PM.