Takeaways: Penn State wrestling thumps No. 3 Iowa in statement win

No. 1 Penn State wrestling dominated No. 3 Iowa 29-6 Friday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Nittany Lions rolled to wins in eight of the 10 bouts, and silenced a tough road environment in what was undoubtedly a statement win for Cael Sanderson and Penn State in 2024. What can we take away from yet another incredible dual victory?

Learning experience for the true freshmen

No. 2 Braeden Davis picked up his first loss of the season when he fell by a 4-2 decision to No. 7 Drake Ayala. Davis gave up a first-period takedown and never was able to get his offense going. This will be an important learning experience for the true freshman. While a loss, the early takedown was really the only mistake he made in the bout.

Davis will most likely drop a little in the rankings this week, but wasn’t physically dominated and certainly has the ability to win in a rematch. We have seen plenty of Penn State wrestlers in the past pick up one or two losses in the dual season only to turn it on for the postseason. With how wide open 125 pounds is this season, don’t count out the true freshman to make a deep run in the NCAAs.

No. 10 Tyler Kasak had a little bit of a different learning experience. The freshman found himself down 3-0 after the first period and 6-2 after the second. But Kasak turned on the offense in the third to force an 8-8 tie and sudden victory. However, No. 12 Caleb Rathjen was able to get the takedown in overtime and secure the 11-8 victory.

Like Davis, Kasak will certainly have things to build on moving forward. The offensive production is particularly promising as the postseason approaches. Kasak remained aggressive throughout the match, and that should bode well in the NCAA Tournament. A podium finish is certainly within reach for the true freshman.

Bartlett is a clear No. 1

There was a major discussion in the wrestling community over whether or not Beau Bartlett should have even wrestled against Real Woods of Iowa on Friday. With Woods being upset last week, Bartlett was in position for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. A strategic play would be to rest Bartlett and have him face Woods in a potential Big Ten semifinal or final.

But much to the delight of wrestling fans, Cael Sanderson sent his national title contender out there and he delivered. Bartlett controlled the match from start to finish and never let Woods get anything going offensively.

Beau Bartlett will retain his No. 1 ranking this week. The ranking is well-earned, as he has taken down No. 3 Jesse Mendez and No. 2 Real Woods in back-to-back weeks. While it may have been a strategic play for Cael Sanderson to rest the veteran wrestler against Woods, the upside of getting the win has solidified him as the favorite at 141 pounds for the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.

Levi Haines returns to form

Levi Haines has been more inconsistent in 2024 than perhaps Penn State wrestling would like. He has had a couple of close calls against lower-ranked and unranked opponents that aren’t typical for a No. 1 ranked wrestler. But Haines looked to return to his 2023 self with a dominant 12-0 major decision over No. 5 Jared Franek Friday night.

Haines controlled the match and used the athleticism that the Nittany Lions expected coming into the season. Friday night, Levi Haines proved why he was preseason No. 1 at 157 pounds. He never let the experienced Franek breathe and silenced the Iowa fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

There is likely one more challenger for Haines before the postseason, and that will be next weekend against No. 7 Peyton Robb of Nebraska. He will have to wait until the NCAA Tournament for a possible matchup with fellow sophomore No. 2 Vince Zerban, who is also undefeated.

Cael Sanderson wins No. 200

Cael Sanderson has been the most dominant coach in college wrestling for over a decade, and now he has picked up his 200^th win at Penn State. The funny part about it is that Sanderson doesn’t really care about duals that much. This milestone probably could have come sooner if he did.

Sanderson has always cared about putting his wrestlers in the best position to have success in the postseason. If that means losing a few duals along the way, so be it. Obviously, the juggernaut that he has built in recent years can withstand resting a few starters, as demonstrated by the now 53 dual win streak.

The gap between Penn State wrestling and the field widens

It couldn’t have been more evident just how big the gap is between Penn State wrestling and the rest of the field on Friday night. Iowa was dismantled in its own building, despite having plenty of good wrestlers throughout the Hawkeyes lineup. The Nittany Lions were two close matches away from even putting up a shutout over the No. 3 dual team in the country.

This team is so good that there are two potential records in jeopardy during this year’s NCAA Tournament. The first is the winning margin between first and second place, which was set by Iowa in 1986. That record currently sits at 73.25 points. The latest tournament projections from InterMat currently have the Nittany Lions with a stunning 82.5-point differential over second-place Michigan.

The other record that would be a little tougher is the points record, also set by Dan Gable’s Iowa Hawkeyes, in 1997. That currently sits at 170 points. The closest Penn State has ever gotten was in 2017, with 146.5 points. That year, the Nittany Lions had five individual National Champions. A similar result would have to happen this season to put the record within reach.

Records aren’t the most important thing; at the end of the day, winning Big Ten and NCAA team and individual titles is what matters. However, with the widening gap between Penn State wrestling and the rest of the country, records may be the only intriguing storyline in the 2024 team title race.

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