Takedown Report

Penn State Wrestling News

Penn State Downs #24 Illinois in Big Ten Opener
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, won the last four bouts against No. 24 Illinois (3-2,  0-1 B1G) to pick up a victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams.  Penn State won six of ten bouts including the last for to notch a 22-16 win in front of yet another Rec Hall sellout crowd. 
With line-up changes brought on by the recent announcement that top-ranked heavyweight Anthony Cassar and All-American 197-pounder Kyle Conel were lost for the season and three other Lion starters out, Penn State roared back from a halftime deficit thanks to wins from two seniors and two true freshmen.  A crowd of 6,202 watched Penn State beat the Illini, Penn State’s 51^st straight sellout in Rec Hall and the 56^th of 58 at home (including five of seven in the Bryce Jordan Center).
The dual began at 125 where … Rest of the story at https://gopsusports.com/news/2020/1/10/wrestling-penn-state-downs-24-illinois-in-big-ten-opener.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

D1 Insider: Sanderson still confident despite injury woes
If Penn State is to win what would be its ninth national championship in 10 years, the Nittany Lions will have to overcome a rugged set of circumstances unlike any they’ve faced in Cael Sanderson’s tenure.  The Nittany Lions announced earlier this week that returning heavyweight champion Anthony Cassar and 197-pound All-American Kyle Conel will miss the remainder of the season with shoulder injuries that could mean the end of their collegiate careers. Meanwhile, Brady Berge, who sustained a head injury before the collegiate season began, has still not made his way back into the lineup since his lone bout on Dec. 6. Additionally, Shakur Rasheed, who’ll replace Conel at 197, is coming off March knee surgery.
“If things don’t go as planned, you just keep scrambling and keep hustling and you get to see what we’re made of,” Sanderson said. But Penn State’s coach was a bit guarded when he met with reporters earlier this week. He stopped short of labeling the current lineup as a championship favorite, a characterization Penn State has usually earned every year since 2010. “I don’t know if confidence is the word,” Sanderson said. “Our goal is always the same — we want to be the best that we can possibly be. We’re never going to give up we’re never going to put our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves or count ourselves out. We feel like if we’re in striking distance in March, we’re gonna get after it. I like our team. I think we got it. We have the potential to score a lot of points.” But can they do so in a tournament situation in March? … Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1578680825996&twSessionId=ypmxnlpdbv&postId=68293135&mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 16, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized