Why Penn State wrestling’s Mark Hall isn’t nervous ahead of his No. 1-vs.-2 bout against Iowa
Penn State wrestling’s Mark Hall couldn’t help but smile at the question.
Sure, he’s set to battle the nation’s No. 2-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds Friday. And, sure, his team is set to compete against No. 1 Iowa on the road in one of the sport’s toughest venues. But Hall, nervous? He nearly let out a laugh.
“It’s been a pretty — like legit nervous? — it’s been a pretty long time,” he told reporters Tuesday in the hallway of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. “Like very nervous for something? It’s been a couple years.”
The calm-and-collected senior, a three-time All-American and the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class, doesn’t feel much pressure these days. He’s expected a national title for four straight seasons — winning once and finishing twice as the runner-up — so a big regular-season bout doesn’t exactly give him goosebumps. Even if there are some unknowns.
Hall’s Iowa opponent, Michael Kemerer, remains a bit of an enigma. He moved up two weight classes and returned to the mat in late November after a 20-month absence due to injuries and setbacks. So far, the up-tempo Hawkeye has already racked up three straight top-10 victories and remains a perfect 8-0.
Hall has never before faced him. But good luck planting any doubts, or any nerves, in the Minnesota native’s mind.
“I’m not going to let myself be nervous for this, just because me and ‘Cenzo (Vincenzo Joseph) are the only ones that have wrestled at Carver-Hawkeye,” Hall said, referring to Iowa’s 15,056-seat arena and the fact Penn State hasn’t been there since 2017. “So, with that being said, you just can’t be the nervous guy when we have eight other guys that haven’t done it yet.”
Teammate Nick Lee shook his head when asked if Hall has shown any signs of unease this week. “I probably get more nervous for any of Mark’s matches than Mark does,” he added.
Lee wasn’t even sure the last time Hall appeared nervous. Maybe, he joked, Hall was a bit nervous Monday night when a few friends played the Mafia card game and Lee caught on to Hall’s bluff. But otherwise?
Well, Lee said after some thought, Hall has never had pre-match butterflies — at least not since Lee, a junior, has been a Nittany Lion.
“He’s right,” Hall added. “I don’t really get nervous too much because I’ve had a lot of experience.”
So when was the last time Hall’s legs felt like Jell-O on a wrestling mat? You’d have to go back to the time he didn’t have experience — when head coach Cael Sanderson removed his redshirt as a freshman in 2017 and Hall was preparing for his first collegiate dual bout. Against Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye.
“The timing wasn’t great for him, but it also was maybe a blessing for him,” Sanderson recalled, alluding to Hall’s 7-5 loss to Alex Meyer. “He ended up winning nationals, so it worked out.”
Added Hall, with a laugh: “I couldn’t feel my legs. Like bottom half from my hips down, it was like Jell-O. It was bad.”
This trip to Iowa City should be a little different. Hall isn’t the unproven rookie anymore; he’s the decorated veteran. He’s 15-0 so far this season, with a half-dozen pins and 11 bonus-point victories.
He’s faced four top-10 opponents so far, and he’s come away with bonus points in three of those matches. So Hall sees no need to be nervous about Friday — and record-breaking crowd or not, ranked opponent or not, he’s not changing his approach.
“I’m excited for it, but you don’t want to make it more than what it is,” Hall said. “You just go out there and you wrestle, just like any other wrestling match.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 5:48 PM.
