Penn State wrestlers were pretty open about wanting a challenge before the holiday break. They assumed they’d get it in New Orleans with three duals in two days.

The best shot came from Cael Sanderson’s alma mater when the Nittany Lions finally wrestled Iowa State head-to-head in their pool championship at the Collegiate Duals. After Penn State’s 22-12 win, Sanderson told reporters that the Nittany Lions and Cyclones had planned a home-and-home series before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out early-season schedules nationwide in 2020-21.

Sanderson left the Cyclones to become Penn State’s coach in 2009. As he quickly rebuilt the Nittany Lions to compete on the national stage, Iowa State lost its way. The Cyclones went just 9-24 in conference duals before Kevin Dresser took over in 2017. Dresser helped change their trajectory immediately and Iowa State is 29-10 in conference competition since. 

“The team was struggling there for a few years, but they’ve got it rolling again,” Sanderson told reporters after Tuesday's match in New Orleans

The Nittany Lions rolled through Central Michigan 50-3 with seven pins then flattened North Carolina 37-3 to set up the showdown with Iowa State. 

After splitting the first eight bouts, Penn State led by one thanks to a third-period blitz from Roman Bravo-Young, who hit three third-period takedowns to major Ramazan Attasauov. In that span, the Cyclones got wins at 125, 149, 165 and 184 before Max Dean beat Iowa State star Yonger Bastida 4-1 to clinch the dual. 

Iowa State forfeited the heavyweight match.

Streaks Snapped

Freshmen Shayne Van Ness and Alex Facundo both took their first losses of the season at 149 and 165, respectively. 

It’s probably for the better, especially considering both lost close, tough matches against NCAA tournament-level opponents after they’d both plowed through lesser opponents to this point. Van Ness fell 3-2 to Paniro Johnson while Facundo lost 4-2 to 2021 157-pound NCAA champ David Carr at 165.

Penn State 174-pounder Carter Starocci picked on something key, however, after their losses. Both Van Ness and Facundo quickly brushed off the defeats and were able to reset and happily visit with friends and family members who made the trip to watch.

Starocci remembered back to his freshman season and how a loss to Iowa’s Michael Kemerer at that year’s Big Ten tournament forced him to refocus. Two weeks later he won his first NCAA title in a tight match against Kemerer.

Oddly enough, a loss before that one to Kemerer — his first and only other collegiate defeat — shook him up worse. Simply, Starocci wasn’t used to losing. He had won 19 straight as an unattached wrestler the year before then opened his Penn State career with a 10-9 loss to Indiana’s Donnell Washington.

“These guys, I wouldn’t even call them freshmen,” Starocci said. “They’re just young adults how they handle themselves. When you have that kind of control over your emotions and just life in general, I feel like these guys will have a lot of success.”

Save The Date

As for that loss to Washington? Starocci has a specific date on his calendar circled. Penn State visits Indiana in less than two months.

“We’ll get that one back on Feb. 5,” Starocci said.

Fighting Off His Back

Starocci said he told Aaron Brooks he had guts after the defending 184-pound national champ was forced into a hole early by Marcus Coleman. 

The Cyclone showed off his national championship aspirations when he got the jump on Brooks in the second period as the Nittany Lion lost his footing on an attack. Coleman countered and threw Brooks to the mat for six points where the Nittany Lion arched and squirmed to fend off a pin attempt.

Brooks cut Coleman’s lead to 9-7 with a third-period reversal but couldn’t come up with a tying turn late.

“I’m not too worried about Aaron, I know he’ll be on top of the podium,” Starocci said. “Especially for him, I think this is probably good for him.”

Kerkvliet’s Sweet Spot

Oh what could’ve been had Iowa State heavyweight Sam Schuyler not been hurt in an earlier dual in New Orleans. Schuyler, who weighed in at 246 pounds, wasn’t able to go with an arm injury.

Greg Kerkvliet weighed in at 253 — right where Penn State’s staff wants him between 250 and 255. It’s the ideal spot for him to maintain his strength while oftentimes being the quicker big man. That was the case in his lone match in New Orleans. 

The junior needed just 4:27 to tech North Carolina’s Brandon Whitman.

Decision Looming?

Sanderson and his staff haven’t shied away from burning redshirts in the past, especially when injuries have necessitated it.

Is that becoming the case at 157? Terrell Barraclough, who started the season at the spot and is 6-2, has been battling through an unspecified ailment and did not compete in New Orleans. 

Freshman Levi Haines stepped in and looked like he belonged. Haines blasted NCAA qualifier Corbyn Munson in his collegiate debut, pinning the redshirt senior in just 1:38. He followed that up with a 4-1 decision against Danny Nini of North Carolina before pulling away from Iowa State’s Jason Kraisser 8-3.

Haines was a three-time PIAA finalist at Biglerville High School. He won a state championship his junior season before forgoing his senior year to wrestle in collegiate tournaments. He’s stuck to that and is 8-1 in opens this year.

One of those wins came in a close match against teammate Barraclough at Army’s Black Knight Open on Nov. 20.

The NCAA’s eligibility rules allow true freshmen to “compete in up to five dates of competition during the student-athlete's initial year of collegiate enrollment without using a season of competition.” Haines has one freebie left before the staff would have to commit to him wrestling attached the rest of the year, or staying in redshirt.

“A guy like him, when you throw him in the lineup, he’s only going to rise to the occasion,” Starocci said. “He’s the kind of guy that looks forward to those matches and when you have that killer instinct, you just walk guys down and keep getting better and better. How he showed up was really impressive. Really cool to see.”