Penn State wrestling: Final thoughts from the Lions' double dual weekend, freestyle update
Penn State wrestling cemented its spot atop the rankings during its first and only double dual meet weekend of the year. The No. 1 Nittany Lions knocked out Michigan on Friday, 27-9, before shutting out Michigan State 35-0 on Sunday in East Lansing. It marked the program’s 49th and 50th consecutive dual victories and wins 995 and 996 in program history.
The current wrestlers were not the only ones who had success over the weekend. We have a full update below.
Facundo, RBY, hit the medal stand
A pair of former Nittany Lions were on the mat in an International freestyle tournament over the weekend. Current Penn State wrestler Alex Facundo finished third in the 74-kilogram bracket at the Henri Delgane tournament in France. And, ex-Lion Roman Bravo-Young won the 57-kilogram bracket as he looks to qualify for the Mexico Olympic team. Facundo, on the other hand, is on an Olympic redshirt and hoping to grow his freestyle resume before returning to the mat at the college level.
Penn State wins without starters
The Lions took out the Wolverines and Spartans despite not being at full strength. David Evans won both Friday and Sunday while filling in for freshman Tyler Kasak at 149 pounds. At 174, Terrell Barraclough lost just by decision to No. 4 Shane Griffith on Friday before winning 8-1 on Sunday. And, at heavyweight, Lucah Cochran filled in for No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet in East Lansing and notched a 5-0 decision victory. It was impressive to see the backups slot into the lineup and perform well. Head coach Cael Sanderson has talked glowingly this year about his team’s depth. This weekend illustrated why he feels the way he does. Barraclough was especially impressive. He bumped up to wrestle at 174 twice despite weighing in at 165 pounds.
“I’m in kind of a tricky situation right now; Mesenbrink’s a beast and Carter’s a beast but Carter had some issues this week and I’m ready to rock whenever I need to be there,” Barraclough told the Penn State Sports Network. “It was super fun just to get out there and I’m so excited because I know I’m ready to go and it was just a blast.”
Lions lookahead
After the double dual weekend, Penn State will travel to Maryland for a Noon match next Sunday. The Big Ten Network will televise it. The rankings will update later this week, and we’ll see how this past set of matches changes where the Lions stand. Head coach Cael Sanderson will also talk on Tuesday to provide an update on the illness bug that kept some wrestlers off the mat, his team’s performance in the state of Michigan, and more.
