Penn State wrestling media day is today; what are the top questions facing the Lions?
Penn State wrestling will hold its annual media day event today. The unofficial kickoff to the 2024-2025 season will feature head coach Cael Sanderson and numerous Nittany Lions as the team aims to defend its 2023-2024 Big Ten and NCAA titles. What do we hope to learn inside of Rec Hall six days before the season opener with Drexel on Sun. Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. ET? Our top questions are below. And, be sure to check back to Blue-White Illustrated later today for takeaways and more.
Is Greg Kerkvliet ready to roll?
As we discussed on the BWI Penn State wrestling show last week (video below), this may not be the first question Sanderson is asked on Monday. But, it ought to be. The defending 285-pound NCAA champ and nation’s No. 1 heavyweight was to wrestle in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday. But, he’s been scratched from that event, although no reason why has been offered. Is he hurt? Or is he just easing into the season and not interested in wrestling on back-to-back days? Time will tell, but it’s an important question as the year kicks off.
Sizing up the Penn State starting spot battles
There are only a few question marks when it comes to the Nittany Lions’ lineup. Freshman Luke Lilledahl should take the 125-pound job. Braeden Davis should do the same at 133. But, we’ll see if Sanderson confirms that today. Then, is the plan for Shayne Van Ness to return to the lineup at 149 pounds while Tyler Kasak bumps up and wins the 157 job over Alex Facundo? Or, is that competition ongoing? Last but certainly not least, how long will the 197-pound battle play out? We think redshirt freshman Josh Barr is likely leading program vet Lucas Cochran. But, it is undoubtedly close, and both are likely to get opportunities to compete during the non-conference portion of the schedule in November and December.
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Why was Nick Lee the right fit at this time?
Penn State had an assistant coach job open back in the spring. It hired program legend Nick Lee to fill the role. Why was it the right time to move him onto the coaching staff? Sanderson will be asked about that, as he surely had a long list of options to pick from, and he went with a familiar face who can surely relate to the guys in the room.
“Having learned from those guys, I can take from those lessons and the lessons I’ve learned from my own personal experiences,” Lee told The Courier & Press. “Hopefully (I can) offer a different point-of-view from the same value set that those guys have and bolster our goals and team to continue to win national championships.”
