Here’s what every Penn State wrestler had to say ahead of the Big Ten tournament
Having just come off its fourth consecutive undefeated dual meet season, the Penn State wrestling team is looking to put another proverbial feather in its cap with a Big Ten tournament title.
With their flight to Minneapolis just days away, Nittany Lion wrestlers took time out of their practice Monday at the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex to talk to the media about their preparation, goals and more.
Here are the highlights from all 10 Penn State starters:
125 pounds: Devin Schnupp
2018-19 record: 6-14
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 12
With Gavin Teasdale’s transfer this season, the 125-pound weight class has proven to be the Nittany Lions’ Achilles’ heel all year. It was the same story last season.
As a result, expectations for the Big Ten tournament are pretty limited in this class. While other Penn State wrestlers talked about championships and nationals, Devin Schnupp — whose effort has never been in question — had a different kind of focus.
“Wrestle hard and stick to what I’m good with — basically just keeping it simple and competing hard and having a lot of fun,” he said. “First Big Ten tournament, so I’m excited.”
Schnupp boasts one Big Ten win this season, a 5-2 decision over Indiana’s Liam Cronin. (The Hoosiers’ Elijah Oliver is making the trip over Cronin.) Nine Big Ten wrestlers in the class will move on to nationals, but Schnupp still has far from an easy path.
The Big Ten dual season wasn’t easy for Schnupp — he finished 1-7 there — and he didn’t try to pretend otherwise.
“There’s a few ups and downs throughout the season, but you expect that,” he said. “I think there was just a steady improvement I saw from myself. Obviously, I wasn’t getting wins at the end of the season, but my competition was getting harder.”
133 pounds: Roman Bravo-Young
2018-19 record: 17-2
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 4
The true freshman is entering his first Big Ten tournament with a nothing-to-lose attitude.
Roman Bravo-Young said he’s not sure what to expect, and he hasn’t yet asked his teammates about the tourney. He said he’s mostly just planning to treat it like any other weekend.
“I have nothing to lose,” he reiterated. “I’ve never been before. I don’t even know what to expect. I don’t know what it’s like. So I’m just going to go out and wrestle. ... I just go out and do me.”
Bravo-Young said he plans to turn it up a notch for the postseason, and 133 pounds is wide open in the Big Ten. Although Michigan’s Stevan Micic might be the clear No. 1, there are four or five other wrestlers — RBY included — that have a genuine shot at the conference title.
And that championship is what RBY’s aiming for.
“Obviously you want to win; everybody wants to win,” he said. “That’s why we do this sport. But, yeah, I want to win it. I want to see where I’m at, I want to do my best and, if nothing goes my way, just get ready for nationals — and I want to win that too.
“I feel like it’s anybody’s ballgame at ‘33, so I think I can hang with all them.”
141 pounds: Nick Lee
2018-19 record: 24-1
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 2
With one Big Ten wrestling tournament already under his belt, sophomore Nick Lee is looking to let loose a little bit more this time around.
“At this point in the season, this is the fun part,” he said. “We’re not stressing really at this point. We’re comfortable at our weight and we’re comfortable wrestling — so it’s time to have fun.”
Lee has already won a couple redemption matches this season by avenging last year’s dual meet loss to Ohio State’s Joey McKenna and his 2016 Indiana state finals loss to Hoosier Chad Red. And he has the chance to rewrite the script on another loss — his 10-6 defeat by Illinois’ Mike Carr.
As Carr did not take the mat when the Nittany Lions visited Champaign earlier this season, the two have yet to wrestle again since last year’s tournament. With Carr and Lee as the Nos. 1 and 2 pre-seeds, respectively, they could meet again in the finals.
But Lee isn’t letting himself get caught up on any one match.
“It’s the best wrestling in the nation, so it’s an incredible opportunity to wrestle at the Big Ten tournament. And I think everyone on our team realizes it,” he said. “It’s just fun, and looking at specific matches, I don’t really do that, because there are so many good matches that every match is going to be good. So that’s what I look forward to, the idea that every match is going to push me to be my best.”
149 pounds: Brady Berge
2018-19 record: 16-2
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 6
Although he said Penn State has felt like home ever since he first stepped foot on campus two summers ago, redshirt freshman Brady Berge will have the opportunity to go back to his other home — Minnesota — this weekend.
Berge is one of two Nittany Lion starters who hail from the North Star State.
Williams Arena, where Big Tens will be hosted on Minnesota’s campus in Minneapolis, is about an hour and a half drive from Kasson-Mantorville High School, where Berge won three state titles. His lone high school loss was an injury default in the semifinals of the state tournament he didn’t win.
“The fanbase in Minnesota for wrestling is tremendous,” he said. “They showed me so much support when I came through in high school, and I’m really excited to go back and wrestle in front of them.”
Berge, who split time with teammate Jarod Verkleeren this season at 149 pounds, earned the No. 6 pre-seed at a weight class where the Big Ten has six automatic NCAA bids. Although on paper it might look as if Berge will have some work to do ensure an NCAA berth, he’s not letting that concern him.
“I’m not really paying attention to the seeds at all,” he said. “I’m just worrying about myself and getting myself and my teammates ready to go, and performing to the best of my abilities. I’m just going to compete hard; that’s what I’m going to do.”
157 pounds: Jason Nolf
2018-19 record: 23-0
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 1
Even after 109 career wins, two national championships and a Big Ten title, senior Jason Nolf says he still gets nervous before wrestling.
But, he says, that’s not necessarily a bad a thing
“Nerves just mean you care,” Nolf said. “If you’re not nervous, then it probably means you don’t’ really care too much about getting out there, competing and doing your best.”
To deal with the nerves and stay loose, Nolf likes to have fun with his team. From playing dodgeball to challenge-brick football, the reigning national champ can often be seen goofing off before matches — with teammates Bo Nickal and Mark Hall typically not too far off.
It’s that mentality — having fun on and off that mat — that Nolf said is the secret to his team’s success come March.
“Our team peaks at the right time,” he said. “So we’re ready to go out there and wrestle our bests, and part of that is just having fun while you’re out there. If you’re not really having fun and enjoying it and enthusiastic, then you’re probably not going to compete at your highest level.”
Nolf’s off-the-mat fun clearly translates to on the mat as well, and is evidenced by his high points-scoring mentality and his creativity. Described by one teammate as an “artist” on the mat, Nolf has regularly left reporters scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to describe what he just did throughout his Penn State career.
With just a few matches left in a Nittany Lion singlet, Nolf says there’s still plenty left in his “secret move” arsenal.
“I’ve been working on my backflips recently,” he said. “So, hopefully, I’ll get one of those in there.”
165 pounds: Vincenzo Joseph
2018-19 record: 21-0
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 1
Vincenzo Joseph — a junior — is the first Nittany Lion to ever win national championships as a freshman and sophomore. But, oddly enough, he still doesn’t have a Big Ten title to his name.
Last season, at the Big Ten tournament, he dropped a 4-1 decision to Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez. The year before, Martinez stood in his way in the semifinals and Joseph lost 8-5. (Of course, Joseph beat Martinez twice at nationals en route to the national titles.)
This year, Joseph no longer has to deal with a graduated Martinez. (It’s a little bit different,” Joseph said.) But he still doesn’t have an easy path — and that’s just the way he likes it.
Joseph is third in the NCAA’s Most Dominant Wrestler standings behind Nolf and Bo Nickal. Fourth? Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, who’s also in Joseph’s weight class.
“Don’t wish it was easier,” Joseph said. “It is what it is, you know? Guy’s a good wrestler, and I’m looking forward to it and, hopefully, we end up wrestling at some point this weekend. So we’ll see.”
Joseph also wasn’t aware he was the NCAA’s third-most dominant wrestler this season, or that Penn State was 1-2-3 in the standings, until a reporter told him Monday. Joseph’s reaction: “That’s kind of cool.”
174 pounds: Mark Hall
2018-19 record: 23-0
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 1
Saturday will mark the first time Hall wrestles in his home state of Minnesota ever since the Annual Dream Team Classic in 2016, back when he was in high school (and beat up on an Ohio wrestler by the name of Alex Marinelli).
So would winning another Big Ten individual title this weekend feel a little more meaningful for the defending conference champ?
“I don’t think so,” Hall said, after thinking a moment. “I think it’s just a tournament. ... I don’t want to put too much emphasis on anything. That’s how people psych themselves out. I’m just looking to relax, match by match.”
Hall said he’s approaching this tournament just like he did the first time ever took part in it. He’s not treating it as if it’s anything special — he doesn’t want to put more pressure on himself — and he said, as a result, he’s not feeling any butterflies this week.
His goal? Just give full effort, something he said isn’t too hard with Penn State.
“You look over and you got Cael Sanderson in your corner,” he said. “That makes it really easy to go out and compete as hard as you can for as long as you have to.”
184 pounds: Shakur Rasheed
2018-19 record: 16-0
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 2
Last season, the Big Ten tournament was bittersweet for Shakur Rasheed.
Yes, he was able to win the nod to represent the Nittany Lions at 197 pounds in the postseason. But by doing so, that meant his teammate and close friend Anthony Cassar wouldn’t get that opportunity.
Feeling a little pang of guilt, Rasheed said he felt enormous pressure going into Big Tens, pressure to prove he was the right choice, and pressure to succeed not only for himself, but also for his friend.
“I was happy, but I also felt like a little sad for him and I wanted to represent both of us out there,” he said. “And I knew the reason (I was chosen) was because I’m a bonus-point guy, and I wanted to make sure I did my job. So I took that pressure on me, I thought about it too much, and that was the outcome. I didn’t win, and I had one of the worst tournaments of my college career.”
Although he ended up placing second in last year’s tournament, he got off to a rough start, barely beating two unranked opponents, and only scoring one bonus point in the entire tournament.
This year, now that he’s down at 184 and Cassar is up at heavyweight, both will be competing in the postseason, and that pressure Rasheed says he felt last year has been lifted.
“We get to compete together; it’s really cool,” he said. “I just want the end result to be the both of us on top of the podium. This could be our last chance, so it’s awesome to be out there together for one last hurrah.”
197 pounds: Bo Nickal
2018-19 record: 22-0
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 1
Even though it will be his last Big Ten tournament, Nickal, a senior, says he’s trying not to make too big of a deal out of it.
“I feel like every year I try to make the most of it and just enjoy it,” he said. “That’s about the same focus going in this year. Just enjoy it and have fun out there.”
Nickal, like most of his teammates, has said throughout the season that everything comes down to March, and what happens at the end of the season is what matters most. Now that it’s finally that time of the year, Nickal isn’t letting the hype distract him.
In fact, he says it helps him.
“I think the excitement is part of what helps us focus, because that’s why we train all year,” he said. “We’re ready to go, and with that, we’re going to be focused on the task at hand. It’s nice being on spring break so we don’t have to worry about classes or anything, and can just focus on the tournament.”
How a team performs in the conference tournament can sometimes be an indicator of how it might do at NCAAs. But for Nickal, his team doesn’t have anything to prove this weekend.
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to see. I think we’re ready to go and focused,” he said. “Everybody’s wrestling good, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go out there and give 100 percent effort and wrestle hard all seven minutes, and that’s all we’re going to do every single match, and that doesn’t really change.”
Heavyweight: Anthony Cassar
2018-19 record: 21-1
Big Ten pre-seed: No. 2
Cassar was all smiles Monday.
The heavyweight, who counts lifting and eating among his favorite hobbies, has been one of the Nittany Lions’ biggest surprises this season. Last year, he sat behind Rasheed at 197 pounds and didn’t compete in the Big Ten tournament — but this year, after moving up a weight class, he’s one of two Big Ten heavyweights undefeated in the conference.
“Last year, I was severely depressed,” Cassar said, still smiling. “This week is a little more positive, and I’m excited to wrestle in these big tournaments. After a full season like this, you want to be able to wrestle in tournaments because that’s what matters.”
Cassar has no conference losses and just one overall loss on the year. Minnesota’s Gable Steveson is 28-0.
Still, Cassar felt he had nothing to prove in his first Big Ten tournament.
“No, it’s just going to be more matches,” he said. “I trust my training in here, and that’s the level I’m going to stick to out there. It doesn’t matter the stage; I’m just going to be doing what I’ve been doing all year, and that’s wrestle and score points.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 9:20 PM.
