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Two-time NCAA Champion, MMA star picks only one Penn State title winner at NCAAs

Former two-time NCAA Champion Ben Askren only has one Nittany Lion winning a title in Philadelphia this week. Which Penn State wrestler does he see reaching the top of the podium?

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Oct 26, 2019; Singapore, SINGAPORE; Demian Maia (red gloves) fights Ben Askren (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Singapore Indoor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Miller-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State wrestling has been the standard of the sport for well over a decade. Cael Sanderson has turned the program into an absolute machine, winning 11 of the past 13 national championships. Over that time, Nittany Lion wrestlers have gobbled up individual titles, with the program often having multiple competitors finishing atop the podium each March.

Once again, Penn State has multiple top seeds heading into this week’s NCAA Championships. However, two-time NCAA Champion and MMA star Ben Askren only has one Nittany Lion returning from Philadelphia with a title.

Appearing recently on FloWrestling Radio Live to give his predictions for the national tournament, Askren picked 165-pound star and former Askren Academy standout Mitchell Mesenbrink as the only Penn State wrestler to win an individual championship.

Askren wasn’t hesitant to pick against Penn State. However, he did note that several Nittany Lions were close runner-ups, such as Tyler Kasak at 157 pounds.

How often has Penn State wrestling had only one national champion?

Having only one wrestler win a national title has been a rarity for Penn State under Cael Sanderson. In Sanderson’s 14 seasons in Happy Valley, the feat has only happened three times: 2010, 2011, and 2015. While 2010 and 2011 were Sanderson’s first two seasons at Penn State, 2015 was the famous punt year where he redshirted Bo Nickal, Jason Nolf, and Zain Retherford to help set up for a four-year championship run.

This year, Penn State wrestling heads to Philadelphia with four No. 1 seeds and nine wrestlers ranked inside the top four of their respective weight classes. The team is projected to smash the points record set by last season’s squad. The Nittany Lions would get within 10-20 points of the record if seeding holds, not including the usually high amount of bonus points collected throughout the tournament’s multiple rounds.

The NCAA Championships will kick off with Session 1 starting at 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU. The Finals will take place at 7:00 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.



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Former contributor at Nittany Central, Patrick joined Basic Blues Nation in 2023 as the Social Media Director, Penn State Wrestling beat writer, and producer of the Penn State Roar Room spaces. Patrick is also a contributor of Penn State football, basketball, and ice hockey news for the site.

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