Penn State wrestling: Three takeaways from the Lions' impressive day at the Black Knight Invitational

Penn State wrestling dominated the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday at Army West Point. The Nittany Lions crowned five champions and had eight finalists overall, as three of the first-place bouts pitted members of head coach Cael Sanderson’s team against each other. All told, eleven of the team’s 13 participants hit the podium at the event.

Now that the results are in, it’s time to break down what we learned.

Is a change coming for Penn State at 157?

This is a talking point that fans will cling to this week. Starter Terrell Barraclough and backup star freshman Levi Haines met in the 157-pound final. The former escaped and rode out the second period to take a 1-0 lead into the third with more than a minute of riding time. But, Haines scored a late reversal and rode out the third to win, 3-1.

It’s clear that these two are close. We don’t know the results of their preseason wrestle offs, but it’s safe to assume that those bouts were likely close, as well. However, we don’t believe this one instance will lead to an immediate change at the position. Barraclough won his season opener against Lock Haven and was 3-1 at the tournament prior to meeting Haines. Obviously, both competitors know each other very well, which played a major role in the low-scoring affair.

All told, Sanderson and co., are likely still debating whether or not to redshirt Haines. He can wrestle with the team on five dates before a sixth competition date would burn a year of eligibility. There is still plenty of time to figure this out. We’d expect to see Barraclough continue as the starter moving forward but are aware that could certainly change with additional wrestle offs prior to the new year.

Bartlett looks great at 141

The weight class drop Beau Bartlett made this season is working exactly as envisioned. He was blocked from his more natural weight of 141 by multi-time national champion Nick Lee, of course. So, he did what was best for the team and competed at 149. But, this is where he should be. Sunday was another example of that. The Penn State wrestler rolled into the finals before beating teammate David Evans 3-1 in sudden victory. Evans acquitted himself well too, by the way. However, Bartlett is obviously the guy here and looks confident, aggressive, and ready to take on any challengers. He might not move into the top-10 this week when the rankings are released, but he will be close and is likely to sometime this season.

Shayne Van Ness is starting to get national attention

We figured it wouldn’t take long for redshirt freshman 23rd-ranked 149-pounder Shayne Van Ness to start gaining national attention. And, it did not.

‘SVN’ upset, at least according to the rankings, Central Michigan’s No. 14 Johnny Lovett by decision, 5-3, in the finals. Before that, the Nittany Lion racked up a major decision and a decision victory. It’s clear that no stage will be too big for the Somerville, N.J., native who was a two-time national prep champion at Blair Academy. He wrestles just as Cael Sanderson demands: Fast, aggressive, and with a desire to score as many points as possible all while letting it all on the mat and having fun. He’s going to become a Rec Hall favorite in a hurry and start generating more national headlines, too.

Penn State moving forward

Penn State is not on the mat again for a dual meet until Dec. 2. It travels to Rider that Friday night and then battles Lehigh the following Sunday. But, three Lions will be competing on Tuesday night in the NWCA All-Star meet exhibition.

Carter Starocci will wrestle Virginia Tech’s Mehki Lewis in a repeat of the 174-pound 2021 NCAA final. Aaron Brooks has Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the 184-pound match. And, Greg Kerkvliet will again try to beat Iowa’s Anthony Cassioppi in the heavyweight bout.