3 Penn State wrestling questions with one week to go in the regular season
Penn State wrestling is almost ready for the postseason. The No. 1 Nittany Lions clinched the Big Ten regular season title on Sunday after beating Nebraska and now have just Edinboro left (Sunday, 2 p.m.) on the schedule before the Big Ten individual tournament starts in March. We’ve learned much about head coach Cael Sanderson’s team so far. What questions remain with a week to go in the regular season? We pick the top three below.
Is it time to give Braeden Davis a break?
Davis won the starting job at 125 pounds earlier this year. But, the freshman has shown signs of fatigue of late. The first-year Penn State wrestler looked exhausted in Sunday’s major decision defeat to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith. He needed sudden victory to win his match against Rutgers a week ago. This is in no way suggesting that Davis’ chances to win at Big Tens and NCAAs are diminished. The Michigan native has every chance to earn his first All-American accolades. But, for that to happen, it may be time to give him a breather against Edinboro to ensure he’s fully cranked up for the postseason. Davis figures to be the three-seed at Big Tens in what will be a wide open weight class in March both in the conference and at the NCAA Tournament level.
How many No. 1s will Penn State have at the Big Ten tournament?
Penn State will have the No. 1 seed at Big Tens with Beau Bartlett at 141 pounds. The same can be said at 157 (Levi Haines), 174 (Carter Starocci), 197 (Aaron Brooks), and heavyweight (Greg Kerkvliet). Could it have any others? That seems unlikely. Lenny Pinto beating Bernie Traux on Saturday ended the Lions’ hope to nab the top spot at 184. Aaron Nagao will not get the honor at 133 as it’s likely to go to Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin, and Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett will take the top spot at 149 pounds.
So, in all likelihood, the final answer to this question will be five. Or, half of the starting lineup, with Michell Mesenbrink having an outside shot at the top spot at 165 that will go to either him or Deam Hamiti of Wisconsin.
Which Lion will make the biggest splash in the postseason?
To us, it’s clear: The obvious and easiest choice is first-year Penn State wrestler and redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink. He is taking the Big Ten by storm in year one, will have every chance to win the 165-pound conference title, and is going to turn a lot of heads at nationals.
