Skip to main content
Penn State

Which former Penn State wrestlers are set to make their debuts elsewhere this weekend?

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel9 hours agoGregPickel
penn-state-duke-wrestling-Aurelius-Dunbar
Former Penn State wrestler Aurelius Dunbar is now at Duke. (Photo courtesy of Aurelius Dunbar via Instagram)

Numerous Penn State wrestlers left the program via the transfer portal to seek a starting spot elsewhere this offseason, following the Lions’ fourth NCAA title in as many years in March. Two of them will make their debuts at their new schools this weekend.

We’ll start with David Evans. The Tunkhannock, Pa., native will start at 149 pounds for Utah Valley this season. He is No. 19 in InterMat’s preseason rankings for that weight class. A redshirt senior, Evans pinned teammate Kayd Craig in a tidy 1:55 to secure the top spot during the Wolverines’ recent wrestle off.

“Dave looked great and is someone who is going to surprise people,” Utah Valley coach Adam Hall said in a news release.

Evans’ first dual meet match with the Big 12 school is Saturday against Stanford. He projects to face No. 18 redshirt freshman EJ Parco in an early test. At Penn State, Evans went 30-9 while competing at 133, 141, and 149 pounds. He did not wrestle in a dual during the 2024-2025 season.

The other ex-Nittany Lion who is on track to make his debut this weekend is Aurelius Dunbar. The Greencastle, Pa., native and Penn State graduate transferred to Duke this offseason. He won a pair of wrestle offs during the Blue Devils intrasquad match.

“Graduate student Aurelius Dunbar went up against redshirt sophomore Logan Richey at 165,” the school writes in a recap. “The two were scoreless after the first period and then Richey held a 1-0 lead heading into the final period.  Dunbar was strong at the end collecting an 8-1 victory. 

“Dunbar then took on redshirt sophomore Nick Tattini with Dunbar posting a 16-3 win.”

Per WrestleStat, Dunbar is 10-10 at the college level. Duke hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday to start its season.

Where are other former Penn State wrestlers competing this year?

Here is the full list of transfers from the 2024-2025 Penn State team:

Alex Facundo, 165 pounds: Oklahoma State

Gary Steen, 125/133 pounds: Oklahoma State

Zack Ryder, 184 pounds: Oklahoma State

Kurt McHenry, 125 pounds: Cal Baptist

Aurelius Dunbar, 165 pounds: Duke

David Evans, 149 pounds: Utah Valley

Jack Kelly, 184 pounds: George Mason

AJ Fricchione, 197 pounds: TBD

No other former Penn State wrestlers are believed to still be active at the college level. Are we missing someone? Let us know via an email to [email protected]. And following the current and former Lions all year long with BWI on The Wrestling Room forum.