Penn State wrestling notebook: Lions prepare for Iowa; Drew Hildebrandt talks start in State College
Penn State wrestling just completed a weekend road sweep at Michigan and Michigan State.
Now, the Lions are set for another battle against a top foe away from Rec Hall.
Head coach Cael Sanderson’s top-ranked team travels to No. 2 Iowa on Friday night. Big Ten Network will televise the bout from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It starts at 9 p.m. ET.
BWI will have a full match preview later in the week. In the meantime, it’s time to review the highlights from Sanderson’s weekly Tuesday news conference. We’ll also hear from Penn State 125-pound starter Drew Hildebrandt, as well.
Penn State continues to assess its situation at 157 pounds
Penn State is 13-0 so far in the 2021-2022 dual meet season. It is perfect despite having little success at 157 pounds.
The Lions went back to Terrell Barraclough at that weight over the weekend. He fell 5-2 opposite Michigan’s 15th-ranked Will Lewan before dropping a 4-2 sudden victory decision to Michigan State’s 19th-ranked Chase Saldate.
Barraclough and Tony Negron have alternated opportunities to win the job. Neither has done so yet as Penn State inches toward the postseason.
“We’re still playing with that,” Sanderson said. “We have guys with potential who are on the verge or cusp of being point scorers there.
“Lots of skill and talent, just have to figure out how to finish shots that could put them over the top. We’re still playing with that weight class.”
Don’t expect Berge to be the answer
When Brady Berge announced that he was returning to Penn State for a final season of competition, most assumed he would do so back at 157 pounds. That has not been the case, however. He’s competed strictly at 165, and there is no reason to expect that to change at this point.
“That’s his decision,” Sanderson said of Berge competing at 165. “We support the guys and what they want to do. I think it’s the right thing with his circumstances.
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“He’s big and strong enough to be at 65, and I think it’s the right decision. We support him 100 percent in that, and yeah, we’re glad to have him back. He’s a good dude.”
Sanderson was also asked about the overall state of his 10-man starting lineup to date. It has also featured some reserves in action when a regular or two was unavailable for Penn State.
“It’s a team sport here, and we need the most we can get out of 10 guys if we want to compete for a national championship,” he said.
“We’re just trying to get better at every weight. Everybody is important.”
Hildebrandt talks Penn State start
Penn State had a similar issue at 125 pounds earlier in the year to what it still has at 157. Then, two-time All-American Hildebrandt transferred in to solve that issue.
Hildebrandt, who is ranked No. 7, told reporters Tuesday that he briefly considered being done with the sport. But, it has arrival in State College reignited his competitive flame, and that’s a good thing for Penn State.
“I came back to win a national title, and to help this team,” Hildebrandt said.
“I just feel every win I get, or every bonus point I get, is a benefit to this team. And, I’m just trying to help them and maybe learn some things on the way.”
