Pair of Penn State wrestlers rise in latest rankings, tournament projections reach yearlong peak

Penn State wrestling is again looking to finish an undefeated regular season with three duals left on the schedule. The Nittany Lions have dominated opponents this season and have a wrestler at all ten weight classes who is in contention to finish as an All-American at the NCAA Championships this March.

The Blue and White had a pair of wrestlers move up this week in the latest rankings from InterMat. At 149 pounds, Shayne Van Ness has the potential to finish on top of the podium in Philadelphia in a month, moving up one spot to No. 2. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr rose another spot to No. 3  at 184 pounds after his upset win over Michigan’s Josh Cardenas.

The rankings change from both wrestlers increased the Nittany Lions’ projected NCAA Tournament points to 147, the highest of the season. The projected point total doesn’t include any bonus points that Penn State wrestlers may pick up, but it is similar to where Cael Sanderson’s squad was at this point last season.

Shayne Van Ness rebounds from first loss

Only about a month ago, Shayne Van Ness was stunned in a dominant 10-2 major decision loss to Ridge Lovett of Nebraska. At the time, Van Ness was ranked No. 2 per InterMat.

Since then, Van Ness has returned to form and has risen back up to his preseason ranking. Over the last month, the redshirt sophomore has a 17-6 major decision over then-No. 2 Kyle Parco (Iowa), a pair of 17-2 tech falls, and a 7-1 decision.

The victory over Parco proved even more impressive after the Hawkeye knocked off Lovett by a 3-2 decision a week ago. The win was part of why Van Ness bounced back up to No. 2 in this week’s rankings.

What is becoming more evident is that the Big Ten Championships will not only declare a conference winner but could potentially provide the favorite for the NCAA Championships. It is hard to imagine that Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech won’t get the No. 1 seed if he runs the table and remains undefeated. However, the Big Ten champion will likely have only one loss to another top-four wrestler, which could possibly be enough to earn the top seed.

Whether Van Ness or someone else gets the No. 1 seed, they will likely still have to wrestle two top wrestlers to take home the title.

Penn State wrestling’s freshman phenom continues to climb

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering the season, the expectations for redshirt freshman Josh Barr were relatively low by Penn State wrestling standards. He entered ranked No. 23 at 197 pounds, the lowest of any Nittany Lion starter outside of true freshman Luke Lilledahl, who had yet to wrestle a college match. There was also uncertainty about how Barr would physically handle to move from 184 to 197.

But so far, Barr has exceeded the early season projections. Following his upset win against Cardenas and a 17-2 tech fall over Maryland’s Chase Mielnik last weekend, Barr is 14-1 on the season. With an 80% bonus, there are only three duals this year where he didn’t score extra points: a 4-1 sudden victory over No. 7 Stephen Little (Little Rock), a 4-1 loss to No. 1 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa), and a 3-2 tiebreaker over No. 4 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan).

There are no top-10 opponents left on the schedule for Barr, this regular season. The Big Ten Championships will give more data points on where he stands. How Barr performs in rematches against Stephen Buchanan and Jacob Cardenas will provide a clearer picture of how much of a chance he has of finishing atop the podium in Philadelphia at the end of March.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned and operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on social media.