Penn State wrestling: Cael Sanderson believes Bernie Truax remains primed for postseason success

No. 1 Penn State wrestling defeated No. 4 Nebraska 22-13 for its closest dual victory of the season. The Nittany Lions used a strong back half of the lineup to complete the comeback. The lone loss in the final five bouts was Bernie Truax, who lost to Lenny Pinto at 184. After the match, head coach Cael Sanderson gave his thoughts on where Traux is heading into the postseason.

Bernie Truax picks up loss No. 3

Bernie Truax picked up his third loss of the season when he fell 8-6 to No. 3 Lenny Pinto of Nebraska on Sunday. Truax fell behind early and tried to battle back in the third period, but was unable to complete the comeback. The graduate attempted a takedown as time expired but wasn’t awarded the score, even after it was reviewed.

Truax now sits 10-3 on the season, losing two of his last four matches. In his last three years at Cal Poly, Truax never finished with more than three losses, finishing fourth in the NCAA Tournament each season. So far this year, Truax has fallen to No. 3 Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), No. 4 Trey Munoz (Oregon State), and No. 23 Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State).

Cael Sanderson: Truax’s best wrestling is still ahead

Reflecting on his starter at 184 after Sunday’s dual, Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson expressed that Bernie Truax is just a few minor tweaks away from changing his season.

“Bernie just has to stay on the legs and finish, and maybe kind of get that pace going a little earlier,” Sanderson said. Truax did seem to gain the advantage in the third period. Had he gotten his offense going a little sooner, the result may have been different against Pinto.

Although Bernie Truax has lost three matches this year, his bouts against Pinto and Munoz – two of the best wrestlers at 184 – were within one score. The third was an unfortunate pin to Rogotzke in a match that Truax was leading early.

Despite the difficult stretch, Cael Sanderson believes that Truax’s best wrestling is still ahead of him. “Bernie’s fine; he knows his best wrestling is going to be at the national tournament,” Sanderson said.

Sanderson appears to be confident that Sunday will be another learning experience for the graduate transfer, and that his previous tournament success will once again shine in March. The postseason for Bernie Truax will start in a few weeks at the Big Ten Tournament in College Park.

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