Penn State wrestling extends dual win streak with season-opening blowout

No. 1 Penn State wrestling extended its nation-leading dual win streak to 57 with a 41-3 defeat of Drexel at Rec Hall Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions dominated from start to finish despite several starters resting after competing in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday.

What did we learn from our first look at the Nittany Lions in the new year, and what is Cael Sanderson taking away from his team’s season-opening win?

Davis injured in first bout at 133

Braeden Davis started his 133-pound debut quickly, scoring an early takedown in the first period to grab the lead.

But at some point during the next sequence, Davis appeared to have injured his lower leg, possibly around the ankle area. While deciding to continue, Davis never looked the same. He ended up having to squeak out a 7-5 win over Drexel’s Kyle Watterman.

It was almost a catastrophic loss for the No. 7 ranked wrestler in the country. The unranked Watterman had a chance for a takedown during a scramble in the final 20 seconds of the match but wasn’t awarded the points. The Drexel bench challenged the no-call but wasn’t awarded with the score after review.

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I don’t have the answer to that,” Sanderson said after the dual when asked if there’s reason for concern about Davis’ status. “I think he’ll be fine. If you’re able to finish the match and he just had to, you know, kind of wrestle through that.

“We’ll take care of it and make sure he has the time he needs to get back to full speed if he’s not full speed soon. But it’s early November. So, I don’t think they’ve given him a full look yet. So, we’ll figure it out.”

Cochran gets the start over Barr at 197

Aaron Brooks’ graduation left some uncertainty at 197 pounds for the 2024-25 season. Former top-10 recruit Josh Barr made the move up to 197 from 184 after finishing his redshirt season undefeated 15-0. However, while Barr entered the season ranked No. 23 in the country at 197, junior Lucas Cochran got the start against Drexel.

Cochran didn’t disappoint, dominating from the start en route to an 18-1 tech fall win over Drexel’s Ethan Wilson at the 3:27 mark. Obviously, the competition wasn’t the highest that Penn State wrestling will see this season. Still, it certainly set the standard for how deep the weight class is for Cael Sanderson. Heading into the dual, there had been much discussion over who was winning inside the room, with many believing Cochran had won the job.

Sanderson made it clear during media day that the starting spot is and will remain undetermined for the first few months of the season. Barr and Cochran will both have plenty of opportunities to earn the starting role as the competition intensifies in the coming weeks.

Luke Lilledahl’s true Penn State wrestling debut put on hold

Penn State wrestling fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see No. 1 overall recruit Luke Lilledahl take the mat in Blue and White. A notoriously tough weight class to sustain, Lilledahl won by forfeit Sunday afternoon after Drexel couldn’t send a 125-pounder to the mat due to injuries.

“I think Luke, you know, we were really excited to watch him wrestle,” Sanderson said. “I think a lot of the crowd was. But 25 is just one of those weights where they had two guys, and I think they were both injured. And we figured everyone would be a little disappointed.

But Luke’s just been awesome for the program. He brings in very positive energy all the time. Doesn’t take a lot to make him smile. He’s obviously an incredible wrestler, and we’re super happy that he’s in our program and will be in our lineup. Yeah, he’s really a great, great kid.”

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Penn State wrestling returns to the mat at the Army Black Knight Invitation next Sunday, November 24, starting at 10 a.m. ET. The next dual will be Sunday, December 8, in Allentown against Lehigh. The Nittany Lions won’t return to Rec Hall until next month, Sunday, December 15, against Wyoming.

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