Penn State wrestling notes: Assessing the situation at 125, looking ahead to Lehigh, more

The COVID-impacted 2020 season aside, Penn State wrestling is participating in a bit of program history to start its 2023-2024 season. The Nittany Lions have opened their dual meet season by facing Lehigh on plenty of occasions over the last two decades. However, for the first time since at least before the 2004-2005 season, the team’s first regular season match will not and did not take place in November. Instead, after a pair of individual tournaments in November, the program is set to welcome the Mountain Hawks to Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 3. to kick off that portion of the team’s regular season schedule.

“That was strange,” Lions coach Cael Sanderson told reporters on Tuesday. “But yeah, I think we’re ready to wrestle. Obviously, a big matchup with Lehigh. A lot of tradition and very strong program and a great coaching staff. So it’s always a great match. So yeah, we’re excited to compete and return to Rec Hall and get our first dual of the year going.”

Some major matchups are projected to take place. Lehigh top-ranked 133-pounder Ryan Crookham should face Penn State No. 3 newcomer Aaron Nagao. At 197, a bumped-up Aaron Brooks will battle former Lion and 2022-2023 All-American Michael Beard. Other big bouts are on the card, too. Blue-White Illustrated will have a full preview later this week. The match is at 2 p.m. ET Sunday on Big Ten Network.

“Mike is good friends with everybody,” Sanderson said. “He’s just a good dude and fun to be around and obviously a great wrestler, so I’m sure they wrestled and train together a lot. Aaron was [at 184 pounds] when (Beard) was [at Penn State]. I think everybody’s pretty dang good friends with Mike and he’s just he’s a nice guy, obviously a great wrestler.”

Here’s more on Tuesday’s media availability, which BWI’s Thomas Frank Carr was on hand for.

Looking at the 125-pound situation for Penn State

Penn State has decisions to make at 125 pounds. Robbie Howard has missed the last two seasons due to injuries. He is back this year. And, he’s told reporters he is feeling good. But, the results have not yet been there. Howard was up-and-down at both the Journeymen Classic and the Army Black Knight Invitational. Freshman Braedan Davis, however, rolled through both events with ease and is now ranked No. 27 by InterMat.

“We have a lot of options,” Sanderson said. Obviously (Braeden) Davis is doing really well and he’s won all of his matches so far and continues to improve. Howard has shown really good things, he just needs need some matches. So yeah, we’re not quite sure how that’s going to play out yet. We got all season to figure it out. But both guys have a lot of potential.

“We’re not down on Howard right now. He hasn’t wrestled in two years and he gets kind of thrown in there. As long as he’s battling, he’ll keep improving. He’s a gamer. I mean, he has a history of being a gamer. He’s a big-moment guy. But we’ve been very happy with Davis and the effort. He’s a tough kid. He wrestles hard.”

Our guess is that Howard wrestles for Penn State on Sunday. But, by mid-January, the job will be Davis’. But, perhaps the dual meet setting will get Howard off and running on the right track. We’ll see, starting on Sunday.

He said it

Sanderson, on the Penn State incoming transfers this season:

“The more time you spend together, you know, the more you get to know each other and the better everything becomes. Then going on the road … road trips and competing together really kind of brings people together and you get to know each other a lot better. But yeah, they’ve been awesome. I mean, all three, all four, even [125-pound Michigan transfer Kurt] McHenry, he just had a little setback a while back.

“But they’re just good kids that want to be here and they love the program. If they weren’t good people and didn’t want to be the best wrestlers they can possibly be, this wouldn’t have been the right fit for them, but they do and it’s been a great fit.”