Penn State wrestling dominates Black Knight Invitational

Penn State wrestling put together another dominant performance over the weekend, as the Nittany Lions won the Black Knight Invitational. It is the last tournament-style event that Penn State will participate in until the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the season. The Nittany Lions put together a complete performance at multiple weight classes, and will look to continue that momentum into the dual schedule.

Multiple Nittany Lions take home individual titles

Many of the top Penn State wrestlers didn’t participate in the Black Knight Invitational, as they prepared for the upcoming NWCA All-Star Classic on Tuesday in Rec Hall. But that didn’t stop the Nittany Lions from winning 5 individual titles and having 12 of their 17 wrestlers placed in the event.

True freshman Braeden Davis at 125 went a perfect 4-0 to win the tournament title. He picked up two ranked wins after taking down No. 31 Tristan Lujan from Michigan State in the semifinals and No. 30 Ethan Berginc from Army in the final. It looks like the Nittany Lions may finally have the 125-pounder of the future that fans have been hoping for.

Sophomore Aaron Nagao lived up to his No. 3 ranking and dominated the invitational. The 133-pounder went 4-0 with a pin, 2 tech falls, and a major on his way to winning the Black Knight title.

Senior Beau Bartlett, currently ranked No. 2 at 141, collected a couple of pins en route to a title and a perfect 4-0 on the day. It was an all-Penn State wrestling final at 141, with true freshman Tyler Kasak going 3-1 in the tournament before falling to his highly-ranked teammate 4-1 in the finals. Cael Sanderson showed just how deep his team is at 141, with junior David Evans also going 4-1 in the tournament and placing 5^th.

Redshirt freshman No. 17 Mitchell Mesenbrink finished a perfect 4-0 and won the invitational title at 165. He collected two tech falls and pinned No. 22 Anthony White from Rutgers in the semifinals. Similar to 141, it was an all-Penn State final at 165, with Mesenbrink having to beat out teammate senior Terrell Barraclough 8-5 for the title. Barraclough finished 3-1, with a pin over No. 9 Caleb Fish of Michigan State.

True freshman Josh Barr went a perfect 4-0 at 184 en route to the individual title. The perfect record featured a 2-1 win over No. 13 Jacob Nolan of Binghamton in the semifinals. This was another performance that should excite Penn State wrestling fans for what is still to come down the road.

Tournament shows depth of Penn State wrestling

This tournament showed just how deep Penn State wrestling is as a team. The Nittany Lions didn’t wrestle anybody at 157, 195, and 285, but still won the tournament with ease. Overall Penn State went 47-20 in the event and posted 9 pins, 9 tech falls, and 10 majors.

The Nittany Lions had both finalists at both 141 and 165 and plenty of true freshmen talent all over the mat. Penn State wrestling had 2 true freshmen and 1 redshirt freshman win their weight classes and finish perfect. At the same time, another true freshman finished as a runner-up, only because his teammate is a senior ranked No. 2 nationally. The great depth not only gives Cael Sanderson some flexibility for this season, but also shows that the dynasty run likely isn’t ending anytime soon.

What’s next for the Nittany Lions?

The next event will be the NWCA All-Star Classic on Tuesday at Rec Hall. Currently, 5 Nittany Lions are planning on competing in the event. The event is considered an exhibition, so the results won’t count against the wrestlers’ record or RPI.

The first dual meet of the season will take place Sunday, December 3, when Penn State wrestling hosts Lehigh at Rec Hall. That match will be broadcast at 2 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.

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