Even with a disappointing finish at the Big Ten Championships, Penn State wrestling still managed to qualify seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and holds on to an outside shot at challenging heavily favored Iowa for the team title.
Five of the seven Nittany Lion wrestlers who qualified have received top-five seeds, including one No. 1 and two No. 2.
Below are each Nittany Lion’s seed and weight:
133 lbs. — No. 5 Roman Bravo-Young
141 lbs. — No. 2 Nick Lee
149 lbs. — No. 19 Jarod Verkleeren
165 lbs. — No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph
174 lbs. — No. 1 Mark Hall
184 lbs. — No. 3 Aaron Brooks
197 lbs. — No. 21 Shakur Rasheed
In years past, Penn State has entered the national tournament with a near-fully loaded team of top seeds and ran away with the team title before the championship round. This year, Cael Sanderson finds himself in a bit of an unfamiliar position as Iowa has the depth and firepower, while Penn State will need to maximize production from the wrestlers it does have qualified. That said, Penn State could potentially have as many as five individual national champions, and if so, a team title could end not being too far out of reach if a couple things go the Nittany Lions’ way.
Whatever happens in the team race, you’ll need to watch from home. The NCAA Championships are still scheduled to occur next week, but no fans will be allowed in US Bank Stadium in response to growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus. The three-day tournament will kick off in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 19.
