3 Penn State wrestlers make 2022-23 InterMat All-Freshman teams
Penn State has put three wrestlers on Intermat’s All-Freshman All-American teams. Two Nittany Lions earned first-team honors. A third was a second-team choice.
Starting at 149 pounds, first-year dual meet competitor but second-year Penn State wrestler Shayne Van Ness was the choice in his weight class. The Somerville, N.J., Blair Academy product was 12-4 in dual meets and 24-7 overall. He finished third at NCAAs to claim his first All-American honors at the collegiate level.
“Shayne Van Ness was a big-time recruit for Penn State who had a solid regular season, but nothing that was spectacular, at least from a freshman with his pedigree,” Earl Smith writes for InterMat.
“Van Ness finished fifth in the Big Ten with two of his losses coming to Iowa’s Max Murin. Murin was responsible for three of his seven losses on the year. That placement set Van Ness up with the 12th seed going into his first national tournament.”
Moving up a weight class, Pa., native and first-year Nittany Lion Levi Haines was the pick at 157 pounds. He burned his redshirt finally back in January and won a Big Ten title. At nationals, he finished second to secure his first of what is expected to be many All-American accolades.
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“It’s no surprise who takes the honors at 157 lbs as Levi Haines was the only freshman to make the national finals in 2023,” Smith writes. “Haines was also the only freshman to win a Big Ten title this season. He did both as a true freshman in a veteran-laded 157 lb bracket.”
Last but not least, Alex Facundo, a first-year starter but a second-year Lion like Van Ness, was the second-team pick at 165 pounds.
Could Penn State have a fourth member of the InterMat All-Freshman All-American team in 2023-2024?
Last but not least, we’ll note that Minnesota wrestler Aaron Nagao, who is in the transfer portal, was the InterMat All-Freshman All-American team pick at 133 pounds. Penn State is one of four schools, with the Golden Gophers, Iowa, and Cornell being the others, hoping to have Nagao on its roster next season. He is expected to pick where he will compete next season by the end of April.
Which school Nagao picks will go a long way toward determining the preseason favorites ahead of the 2023-2024 slate. Penn State is and will be the top choice either way. But, it could bolster its lead by landing Nagao. Conversely, others could inch closer to the defending national champion Nittany Lions by bringing the All-American aboard.
