Penn State wrestling set to return to Black Knight Invitational for second straight year

Penn State wrestling will attend two tournaments during the November portion of its 2023-2024 season. The Nittany Lions will return to Army’s Black Knight Invitational on Nov. 19 at 10 a.m., the school announced while releasing its full schedule on Tuesday. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team finished first at the event a year ago and crowned five champions, three of which beat teammates to take first place.

“Beau Bartlett beat David Evans 3-1 in the 141-pound finals,” BWI wrote at the time. “At 149, Shayne Van Ness upset (at least according to the rankings) Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan 5-3.

“At 157, freshman Levi Haines beat starter Terrell Barraclough 2-1 with a late reversal and rideout. Alex Facundo majored teammate Matt Lee 10-2 in the 165-pound final. And, Max Dean beat Trey Rogers by fall in 1:15 in the 197-pound finals to cap off a day that saw the Lions senior go 4-0 with two falls and a technical fall. He was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.”

The Lions sent 15 wrestlers to the event a year ago. This year’s will feature Buffalo, Rutgers, Long Island, Gardner-Webb, Binghamton, Brown, Northern Colorado, and Michigan State.

“Well, I like competition,” Sanderson said before last year’s Black Knight Invitational. “I think it’s a great way to compete. And like I kind of was saying, I view competition as the best preparation. I mean, that’s the best if you have the right attitude and mindset. So I at these open tournaments, and even the dual meets, as just preparation for bigger things.

“They just want to get into that mindset and routine of just, be your best all the time, whether there are 10,000 people watching or three, just be your best, and if you do that, you’re going to be your best in big moments also.”

Penn State 2023-2024 season continues to come into focus

Penn State wrestling is set to attend another prestigious early-season tournament run by Journeymen Wrestling. According to a graphic posted by the event organizer, the Nittany Lions will be one of 17 programs at the Collegiate Classic on Nov. 12 at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pa. Ticket information is not yet available. But, wrestling will begin at 9 a.m. ET.

Head coach Cael Sanderson first took his team to a Journeymen event, the Journeymen Duals, during the 2021-2022 season. Then, it knocked out Sacred Heart 47-3 and Oregon State 32-7 at the Spooky Nook complex in Manheim, Pa. Last year, the Lions traveled to the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in December. There, they beat Central Michigan 50-3, North Carolina 37-3, and Iowa State 22-12 in New Orleans.

This year’s list of teams coming to the individual and not dual meet tournament includes North Carolina State, Arizona State, Lehigh, Purdue, Long Island University, Lock Haven, Harvard, Franklin & Marshall College, Bloomsburg, Pitt-Johnstown, Buffalo, Sacred Hart, Army, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell. The event’s official website will post additional details when available.

Penn State will not release its full schedule until later this year as Sanderson and co., aim to defend their Big Ten regular and postseason titles in addition to their NCAA crown. We do already know, however, that the Lions will host Lehigh in State College for a non-conference dual meet on Dec. 3. A time is not yet known. The team will also travel to Iowa, Michigan, Maryland, and Michigan State for Big Ten matches during the 2023-2024 season. It will host Rutgers, Nebraska, Indiana, and Ohio State for conference duals. It is unclear how many of those will be at the Bryce Jordan Center versus Rec Hall.