Penn State wrestling set for west coast non-conference road trip during 2023-2024 season
Penn State wrestling will meet a PAC-12 school during the non-conference portion of its 2023-2024 schedule. Oregon State released its schedule for the year over the weekend, and the Nittany Lions are on it. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s side will invade Gall Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore., on Fri., Jan 5. A match time is not yet available. Neither is any television or streaming information.
The Nittany Lions and Beavers will be meeting for the third time. Penn State beat Oregon State 31-3 a year ago at Rec Hall. That match aired on ESPNU.
“It’s a trip for them,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said before last year’s meeting, per PennLive. “They’re in a in a tough spot on the West Coast and there aren’t a lot a lot of schools with wrestling, so they have to travel; you see a lot of the Western teams are out East a lot.
“It’s definitely expensive for them. But I think it works. I think that’s one of the things, too, that is important for the for the sport, especially with all the changes, is just recognizing that there is value in these matchups and there’s value in the media rights, and that obviously helps with the costs and making these things worthwhile.”
The two schools first met at a tournament in Manheim, Pa., in 2021. Back then, the Lions scored a 32-7 victory.
More on the 2023-2024 Penn State schedule
Penn State has not yet released its full 2023-2024 schedule. That should happen soon. We do already know some details, however.
The Nittany Lions will go to the Journeymen Classic on Nov. 12 in Bethlehem, Pa. 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 also be at Army’s Black Knight Invitational on Nov. 19. It hosts Lehigh on Dec. 3, Hofstra on Dec. 10, and then the Beavers on Jan. 5. At least one additional non-conference match should be scheduled before the year begins.
Initial college wrestling rankings are out
Both Flo and InterMat released their first college wrestling weight-by-weight predictions ahead of the 2023-2024 season. Both outlets call Penn State the top team in the country. Flo ranked a Penn State wrestler in every weight class but 125 pounds. It calls sophomore Levi Haines, senior Carter Starocci, graduate senior Aaron Brooks, and senior Greg Kerkvliet the top-ranked wrestlers at 157, 174, 197 pounds, and heavyweight, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Shayne Van Ness is No. 2 at 149 pounds, and transfer Bernie Truax IV is the same at 184 pounds. Minnesota transfer Aaron Nagao is No. 3 at 133 pounds, while senior Beau Bartlett is No. 4 at 141 pounds. Last but not least, redshirt freshman Alex Facundo is No. 12 at 165 pounds.
Junior Robbie Howard makes Flo’s 125-pound rankings at No. 19. The outlet has Nagao and Bartlett third, Van Ness second, Haines first, Facundo 14th, Starocci first, Truax second, and Brooks and Kerkvliet first.
