Penn State wrestling heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet out for season, Cael Sanderson says
Penn State wrestling will be without redshirt freshman heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet for the rest of the season, head coach Cael Sanderson told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday morning.
The 285-pound Grove Heights, Minnesota, native was expected to start for the No. 3 Nittany Lions coming into this season. But, with Kerkvliet not available in Penn State’s tri-meet against Indiana and Northwestern in late January or against Wisconsin earlier this month, sophomore Seth Nevills has been holding down the weight class for the Nittany Lions.
“If Greg was available, he’d be wrestling,” Sanderson said Wednesday. “We’re not expecting to get him back this year, unfortunately. So, it’s Nevills’ opportunity to step up and get things done.”
Sanderson didn’t elaborate on why Kerkvliet won’t compete this year.
Kerkvliet — who transferred from Ohio State last season and was the No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class, according to FloWrestling — was expected to fill the void left behind by the departure of Anthony Cassar, the 2019 NCAA heavyweight champion who graduated last spring.
As a true freshman last season, it was Nevills who stepped up when Cassar suffered a season-ending injury in January 2020. The 285-pound Clovis, California, native compiled a 13-4 record before sustaining an injury in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Now, the responsibility to lead the Nittany Lions’ heavyweights will again fall on Nevills’ shoulders. Nevills is 3-0 so far this season, including a pin and a technical fall. He’s ranked No. 7 at heavyweight by InterMat.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 12:47 PM.
