Penn State wrestling’s Greg Kerkvliet shines in unexpected Nittany Lions debut vs. Maryland
When his teammates learned that Penn State redshirt freshman Greg Kerkvliet would make his Nittany Lions’ debut in the team’s regular-season finale against Maryland, they felt a mix of emotions.
Just a little less than two weeks ago, head coach Cael Sanderson told reporters he was “not expecting” the 285-pound Kerkvliet to be available for the rest of the season. But in the No. 2 Nittany Lions’ 44-0 win over Maryland, Kerkvliet competed — and competed well. Kerkvliet began his night by pinning the Terrapins’ Garrett Kappes. Then, in extra matches, he pinned the Terrapins’ Connor Bowes.
“I was surprised to see him,” 165-pound redshirt freshman Joe Lee said. “But at the same time, I wasn’t surprised, because Greg’s a tough guy. And he’s one of those guys that will kind of just figure it out, whether he’s hurt or whether he’s not. He wants to compete; he’s a competitor.”
The former No. 1 recruit in the nation and four-time Minnesota state champion showed no signs of rust.
Even though the freshman’s availability this season was initially up in the air, Sanderson said Kerkvliet had been eager to wrestle for a while.
“He wants to compete,” Sanderson said. “He’s been just ready to go for a long time. So, he got the green light and he was out on the mat.”
With Kerkvliet not in the lineup for the Nittany Lions’ first five meets, sophomore Seth Nevills held down the 285-pound weight class. Sanderson said Nevills had shown him “some really good things.” Still, if Kerkvliet can remain healthy enough to start as Penn State gets ready to begin competing in the Big Ten Championships in less than two weeks, his bonus-point potential could change the trajectory of the Nittany Lions’ postseason.
Though Kerkvliet wrestling Monday is an indication he’ll represent the Nittany Lions heading into the postseason next weekend, Sanderson wasn’t ready to confirm that.
“That’s something we have to figure out, obviously, between now and next weekend,” he said.
It wasn’t just the fact that Kerkvliet competed that got his teammates excited. Kerkvliet looked dominant. It took just 15 seconds for him to secure the first of his three takedowns in his first bout versus Kappes. In 1:12, he had claimed his first victory of the year.
And in his extra match, Kerkvliet only needed two takedowns before pinning Bowes in 1:18.
While he only has two matches so far this season, Kerkvliet is eligible to wrestle at Big Tens, where he would have the opportunity to compete against some of the best heavyweights in the nations — such as No. 1 Gable Steveson, of Minnesota, No. 2 Mason Parris, of Michigan and No. 3 Tony Cassioppi, of Iowa — for one of the six automatic qualifying spots for NCAAs.
But his teammates don’t want to look too far ahead just yet.
“He had a minor setback,” 133-pound junior Roman Bravo-Young said. “But he’s back in the lineup and he’s healthy — he’s cleared — so we’ll see what happens.”
For one night, they just wanted to enjoy finally seeing Kerkvliet on the mat.
“I was really happy to see him (compete),” Lee said. “I expected nothing less from him, honestly. He’s kinda the man.”
