Penn State wrestling to be without key Nittany Lion for ‘several weeks’ with injury, says Cael Sanderson

Penn State wrestling is off to a dominant 3-0 start this year and is barreling toward 60 consecutive dual victories. The Nittany Lions have defeated their first three opponents by a combined 131-6 and have added two top-30 wins to the team’s early season résumé. Despite the success, the injury bug has hit the Nittany Lions several times already this winter.

Cael Sanderson now has yet another key contributor sidelined, as the Penn State head coach announced this week that 157-pounder Alex Facundo has gone down with an injury.

“He tweaked something,” Sanderson said. “It could be a few weeks to several weeks. I don’t think it’s [going to require] any kind of surgery or anything, but he probably won’t be on the mat for a couple weeks.”

The news of Facundo’s injury comes after both Braeden Davis and Aaron Nagao have been sidelined already this year. While Davis has returned to the lineup, Nagao will likely miss an extended period after having surgery during the offseason.

Facundo figures to serve as the primary backup for potentially both Tyler Kasak (157) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) this season.

© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The redshirt sophomore got the start in the season-opener against Drexel, where he defeated Luke Nichter by an 8-6 decision. He then went undefeated in the Black Knight Invitational with four consecutive tech falls until losing to teammate Tyler Kasak in the 157-pound Final.

While the loss to Kasak doesn’t officially count against Facundo’s record, it did settle who would be the starter at 157. Kasak moved to 157 after placing third in the NCAA Championships at 149 last spring. Facundo dropped from 165 after taking an Olympic redshirt in 2023-24. During his redshirt freshman season in 2022-23, Facundo went 19-6 and qualified for Nationals.

Fortunately for Sanderson and Penn State wrestling, the injury doesn’t appear to be long-term. A wrestler who could easily start at another program, Alex Facundo will be needed to help the Nittany Lions keep their talented rester and ready to compete in the postseason.

Penn State wrestling travels to Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend for the Journeyman Collegiate Duals. The Nittany Lions will face Binghamton, No. 16 Arkansas-Little Rock, and No. 15 Missouri on Sunday.

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