Is Penn State ready to make starting spot decisions after Black Knight Invitational?: Wrestling show
A new episode of the Penn State wrestling show is now live! Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel had plenty to discuss after the Nittany Lions took nine of 10 titles at the Army Black Knight Invitational on Saturday in West Point, N.Y. Luke Lilledahl won the 125-pound bracket, Shayne Van Ness took first at 149 pounds, Tyler Kasak beat Alex Fauncdo in the 157-pound first place bout, Mitchell Mesenbrink rolled to the 165-pound title, and Josh Barr beat Lucah Cochran by major decision in the 197-pound final. The team then split titles at 174, 184, and 285 pounds because matches against teammates do not count and that’s what the Lions had at weights that are not competitive from a starting lineup perspective. So, the finals in those weight classes were ruled a no contest.
“Penn State had or shared nine of the titles and 18 of Penn State’s 22 wrestlers placed. True freshmen are permitted to compete in up to five scheduled events during the season while still retaining a redshirt opportunity,” the Lions wrote in a news release. “Please note, under recent NCAA rules, when teammates wrestle each other now in an NCAA event, the results do NOT count as wins or losses, or towards NCAA qualification metrics (RPI, minimum matches, etc.).
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“Mesenbrink was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. Penn State won nine of the ten individual titles, sharing three of them. All 22 Nittany Lions earned victories and all but four placed at the event.”
You can watch this week’s Penn State wrestling show in the video player below and also on YouTube. Or, you can listen at your favorite destinations for audio like SPOTIFY and APPLE.
Carr and Pickel start the show by recapping the tournament. They discuss whether Penn State is ready to make starting spot decisions or not. Lilledahl, a freshman, is the man at 125 after beating the only other wrestler on the roster in his weight class, Kurt McHenry, by decision. Kasak beating Facundo gives him a leg up for the job. And, the same goes for Barr with a major decision over Cochran. From there, the duo discuss how the Lions freshmen performed overall. They close the show with general thoughts on where the team stands after three competitions this season.
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