Penn State wrestling notebook: Despite injuries, Nittany Lions ‘ready to go’ for last regular season dual
Penn State wrestling is heading back to the mat for the first time since Feb. 6, ending its regular season at Rec Hall on Sunday with a dual against Rider.
The team rested during the weekend and took some time off last week to prepare themselves. Head coach Cael Sanderson wanted his team to have fresh legs heading into the home stretch of their 16-0 regular season.
“They had some time off, but we also had a chance to step our conditioning up and get some good work in,” Sanderson told reporters Monday. “With the weekend off, they had the ability to attack all fronts. Now, let’s just get ready to compete on Sunday once again.”
With the long season comes a litany of injuries. Due to the physical nature of wrestling, the expectation late into the season is that there will be some wrestlers absent. In recent weeks, Brady Berge was managing his weight, according to Sanderson, and Carter Starocci dealt with an injury in Feb. 4’s Bryce Jordan Center dual against Ohio State.
The plan for Sanderson is to have all of his wrestlers ready to go by March 5’s Big Ten championships, followed by the national tournament on March 17. Preparing for Rider is just the beginning of the end goal of a perfect season.
“I’m sure every team is dealing with it,” Sanderson said. “Everyone has some bumps and bruises and you do the best you can. We have a great trainer in Dan Monthley and you know he’ll have these guys ready to roll. I think you know there’s never been a team that we’ve ever had that didn’t have some bumps and bruises. That’s just part of sports and these guys are ready to go and we’ll see when we get to Sunday.”
Nick Lee (141) realizes that the team has an opportunity to regroup during the bye week. Athletes can take time to recover and refresh themselves with time off. The final home dual of the season against Rider presents another week for younger wrestlers to get a chance to jump into the lineup and for others to sharpen their skills heading into the postseason.
“I think we definitely had some guys out with injuries and stuff,” Lee said. “I think that we would probably keep them out so they can keep up anyway. That’s just the schedule that we got. So, maybe it is coming at a good time, but either way, we’ll make sure our guys are ready to go by the end of the year.”
Getting ready for the Big Ten championships
The Big Ten is often viewed as the best conference in collegiate wrestling. Not only are the No. 1 Nittany Lions within the conference — Iowa and Michigan are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively — there are seven teams total in the top-25. They’ve already defeated the likes of the Hawkeyes and Wolverines, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 15 Rutgers.
As there is a significant amount of preparation heading into the Big Ten championships, Lee understands what is ahead of him.
“I think at certain weights, the Big Ten tournament is definitely the toughest tournament in the country before nationals,” Lee said. “I’ll let people determine what weights those are, but it is a lot. It’s a tough tournament. The winning route is less matches at the Big Ten tournament, but you’re still getting top wrestlers and I think that’s a testament to the conference. We talk about that all the time, how every match in the Big Ten, you’ve got to be ready for. I think that’s really exciting as well as a wrestler and just pushes us to be even better.”
Levi Haines signs with Penn State wrestling
Levi Haines is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Biglerville’s school history. He holds three consecutive sectional and district championships, along with two first place regional finishes and a PIAA AA championship as a sophomore in the 2020-2021 season. Haines has decided to stay in-state and signed with the Nittany Lions.
The 145-pound wrestler holds a 100-5 record in his high school career and Sanderson has hope that it’ll transfer to the next level.
“He’s just a great kid and works really hard just all around,” Sanderson said. “He’s a kid that we were really proud of and excited for — a great student, just a great human being. He obviously competes really, really hard and we think his best years are ahead of him. We’re excited. He’ll get better every year.”
