PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling welcomes No. 26 Wyoming to the BJC

No. 1 Penn State wrestling returns to State College to take on No. 26 Wyoming on Sunday afternoon. Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions will look to extend their dual winning streak to 59 in front of the Bryce Jordan Center crowd, which will now host the bout due to scheduling conflicts with the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regional between Penn State volleyball and Creighton at Rec Hall later in the day. 

What should we expect from Penn State as it prepares to face a top-30 team for the second consecutive week?

Penn State wrestling vs. Wyoming preview

The Nittany Lions will face Wyoming for the first time in Penn State wrestling history when the Cowboys roll into the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday.

Penn State enters with a 2-0 record after a dominant 36-3 win over No. 23 Lehigh in Allentown last weekend. After falling to Oklahoma 27-6 two weeks ago, Wyoming is now 2-2. The Cowboys competed in the Cliff Keen Invitational last weekend, finishing 12th out of 30 teams.

This will be the second straight dual that Penn State enters with all 10 of its wrestlers ranked. More impressively, after last weekend’s upsets by Josh Barr and Luke Lilledahl, all 10 wrestlers in the starting lineup are ranked inside the top 12 of the latest InterMat polls. Cael Sanderson’s team is quietly approaching the previously insurmountable goal of having All-Americans at each weight class.

On Friday, Wyoming announced that its top wrestlers, No. 7 Jore Volk (125) and No. 14 Joey Novak (197), will not travel to Happy Valley. The situation takes some of the intrigue out of the matchup, as both would have been solid tests for freshmen Luke Lilledahl and Josh Barr.

However, the Cowboys still enter the weekend with three top-30 wrestlers: No. 28 Cole Brooks (141), No. 22 Gabe Willochell (149), and No. 19 Jared Hill (157).

Match to watch

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

197: No. 4 Tyler Kasak 4-0/Alex Facundo 5-0 (PSU) vs. No. 19 Jared Hill Jr. 6-2 (WYO)

The only potential top-20 matchup on Sunday, the competitiveness of this match will depend on who starts for Penn State wrestling. Tyler Kasak and Alex Facundo have nearly identical resumes so far this season, but Kasak does have the head-to-head win over Facundo.

Jared Hill has only lost twice this year, falling in a 5-4 decision to No. 7 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) and via an 8-3 decision against No. 14 Peyten Kellar (Ohio). At 6-2 this year, Hill has proven that he can be competitive against quality opponents.

This match has the biggest potential for Penn State wrestling to lose and give up points. The eventual Nittany Lions starter will certainly be the favorite, but it could become close depending on who gets the nod from Sanderson.

I think Kasak is the better lock to win, as he hasn’t given up a takedown all season. Facundo showed a little bit of vulnerability in his first match of the season, an 8-6 win over Drexel’s Luke Nichter. Although it occurred over a month ago, the match is still part of the limited resume we currently have on both wrestlers.

Projected Lineups:

125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl 4-0 (PSU) vs Jack Braman 1-4 (WYO)

133: No. 11 Braeden Davis 1-1 (PSU) vs Stockton O’Brien 5-3 (WYO)

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 5-0 (PSU) vs No. 28 Cole Brooks 4-4 (WYO)

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness 5-0 (PSU) vs No. 22 Gabe Willochell 4-4 (WYO)

157: No. 4 Tyler Kasak 4-0/Alex Facundo 5-0 (PSU) vs No. 19 Jared Hill Jr. 6-2 (WYO)

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 6-0 (PSU) vs Cooper Voorhees 3-4 (WYO)

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 5-0 (PSU) vs Riley Davis 0-2 (WYO)

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 5-0 (PSU) vs Quayin Short Jr. 0-1 (WYO)

197: No. 7 Josh Barr 4-0/Lucas Cochran 4-0 (PSU) vs Ethan Ducca Sr. 0-0 (WYO)

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 5-0 (PSU) vs Kevin Zimmer 2-5 (WYO)

Penn State vs. Wyoming predictions:

125: No. 12 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) by pin

133: No. 11 Braeden Davis (PSU) by decision

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) by decision

149: No. 2 Shayne Vane Ness (PSU) by tech fall

157: No. 5 Tyler Kasak/Alex Facundo (PSU) by decision

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) by tech fall

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) by tech fall

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) by pin

197: No. 7 Josh Barr (PSU) by tech fall

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) by pin

Final Score: Penn State  47 – Wyoming 0

This dual got significantly less exciting with both Volk and Novak out for Wyoming. While Novak is ranked seven spots behind Josh Barr, it still would have been another test for the redshirt freshman to see where he stacks up in the weight class. Jore Volk, at 125 pounds, was probably the best chance for Wyoming to score in this dual. With him out, the likelihood of shutout is higher.

I expect a dominant shutout by Penn State wrestling, with only the final score being determined by the lineup. The four weight classes to watch will be 133, 141, 157, and 197. The first two are primarily because Braeden Davis and Beau Bartlett don’t typically score many bonus points, even when facing inferior competition.

Ultimately, we could see some rotation from the Nittany Lions starting lineup, especially with the Journeymen Collegiate Duals on the horizon for next weekend.

With Penn State coming in as a heavy favorite, the question is how high will the Nittany Lions push the point total. I think somewhere in the 40-50 range feels the most accurate.

How to watch?

Date: December 15, 2024

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN+

Location: Bryce Jordan Center

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