Will the Black Knight Invitational answer more questions for Penn State wrestling?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State maintains a routine that helped deliver 12 of the last 14 NCAA titles.
- Black Knight Invitational serves as selection vehicle for open spots at 157 and 285.
- Coaches will evaluate PJ Duke, Joe Sealey, Cole Mirasola and Lucas Cochran at West Point.
Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said his staff likes keeping a routine.
And who could argue with that routine, which has produced 12 of the last 14 NCAA team titles, the only five-time NCAA champion and only the second team in NCAA history to have 10 All-Americans in the same season.
“Routine is important, but life isn’t really that routine. Your confidence comes in just knowing that you’re ready to go, you’re doing your very best and that you’re consistent,” Sanderson said during Tuesday’s media day.
For the past several years, the Nittany Lions have competed at the Black Knight Invitational hosted by Army West Point. It has played a role in deciding some open weight classes.
Coming into the year, Penn State appeared to have three weight classes — 133 pounds, 141 and 285 — that would be open as far as a starter would go. After the season opening media day, 133 and 285 still seemed like open spots, but 157 replaced 141.
It appears that 133 may be figured out after Marcus Blaze collected an 18-3 technical fall in his debut, but the Black Knight Invitational looks like it could be a wrestle off for 157 and 285.
At 157, Sanderson said that true freshman PJ Duke will compete. It will be his Nittany Lions’ debut after he had an offseason of competing internationally on the freestyle circuit.
Duke and Joe Sealey, who earned a 19-4 technical fall in the dual against Oklahoma, are competing for the spot, as Tyler Kasak is redshirting.
“We have some really good guys there. Joe Sealey is one of the best wrestlers in the country, very committed, hardworking, talented, just a great kid,” Sanderson said. “We feel really confident in him wrestling for us. We’re planning on PJ wrestling this week. We’ll go from there and see how things play out.”
At 285, Cole Mirasola got the starting nod in the Oklahoma dual, and picked up a 5-2 ranked win over No. 24 Juan Mora. It wasn’t a flashy performance, but Mirasola did what he had to do to get a win.
He’s competing against Lucas Cochran, who has appeared in the Penn State lineup a couple of times over the past couple of years.
Cochran competed for the Nittany Lions the day after the Oklahoma match in the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open. He won the 285 title, going 3-0, and collecting two bonus point victories.
“With all the weight classes, the Black Knight (Invitational) is always a deciding factor. Depending on how things go there,” Sanderson said, “then we figure out what we’re going to do, if there’s a next step, or if there needs to be a next step.”
Black Knight Invitational
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Christl Arena, West Point, NY
Radio: Big Foot Legends (103.7 & 104.3 FM)
Online: Radio, Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
X: @byncobler, @pennstatewrest
Wrestlers competing (subject to change): 125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, Nate Desmond; 133: No. 14 Marcus Blaze, Kyison Garcia; 141: No. 10 Aaron Nagao, Cael Nasdeo; 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, Connor Pierce, Dalton Perry; 157: PJ Duke, Joe Sealey; 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Ty Watson; 174: No. 1 Levi Haines, William Henckel; 184: No. 4 Rocco Welsh, Asher Cunningham; 197: Connor Mirasola; 285: No. 10 Cole Mirasola, Lucas Cochran
