Bo Nickal explains postseason mindset for Penn State wrestling

Penn State wrestling will look to win its third consecutive Big Ten title when the Nittany Lions take the mat in Evanston, Illinois, this weekend. If Penn State can capture the conference crown, it would be the ninth under head coach Cael Sanderson.

However, the Big Ten title isn’t the be-all, end-all in Happy Valley. On a recent episode of FloWrestling Radio Live, former Penn State wrestling star Bo Nickal gave his perspective on how the Nittany Lions prepare for the conference championship compared to the NCAA title.

NCAA Championships is the priority

Over the last decade, Cael Sanderson has turned Penn State wrestling into one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports. The Nittany Lions have been at the pinnacle of college wrestling, winning 11 of the last 13 national championships.

But despite the dominance on the national level, Penn State hasn’t won the Big Ten Championship quite as frequently. The Nittany Lions have taken the conference team title eight years out of 11 in which they won the national championship. According to Nickal, this is because Nittany Lion wrestlers often have their eyes fixed on the top prize.

“Our focus as a team at Penn State is to never be [a] Big Ten Champion,” Nickal said. “Our focus is to be NCAA Champions. That is what is hammered home. Whenever you see anyone write their goals down, they’re writing down NCAA Champion.”

While Nickal was in State College, Penn State won four national championships but only two Big Ten titles. It takes a balance of talent and skill to win the conference tournament, something the current UFC fighter thinks this year’s Nittany Lions squad has in droves.

“The Big Ten is tough to win. You have to have a stacked team, top to bottom, 125 [pounds] to heavyweight. There were teams a few years that I was on the squad that I wouldn’t say we were top heavy, but we didn’t have the depth like this team has this year.”

Penn State wrestling has an opportunity to set another record

Penn State wrestling scored 170.5 points at the 2024 Big Ten Championships, which was the seventh most in the tournament’s history. The current record of 200 points was set by Iowa in 1983. The Hawkeyes also claim point totals of 195.5 (1985), 185 (1992, 1995), and 175.5 (1984). With 174 points in 2002, Minnesota is the only other program that has scored more points than Penn State in the conference tournament.

Of course, all of these records were set when there were either 10 or 11 (1995, 2002) teams in the conference. Penn State has scored the most points in the tournament since the Big Ten expanded to 12, and later 14, teams.

This year, Sanderson’s squad will have an opportunity to move up the milestone list and set another points record in the modern version of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions earned five No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds, and two No. 4 seeds in this year’s tournament. When it’s all said and done, Penn State could have more conference title winners in its lineup than not. More importantly, this weekend’s performance could help determine the top seed in several weight classes for the NCAA Championships later this month.

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