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STATE COLLEGE -- Penn State will open up the 2023-24 wrestling season at the individual round-robin portion of the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday. The event will be held at Freedom High School in Bethlehem and starts at 9 a.m.
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 in InterMat's Tournament Power Index.
Penn State is coming off winning its 10th NCAA championship under head coach Cael Sanderson and its 11th overall. Last year's Nittany Lions also won the Big Ten Regular Season and Big Ten Championships. The Nittany Lions returning eight All-Americans (including two transfers) and ten NCAA qualifiers to this year's squad.
Coach Cael Sanderson's squad heads into the season with 10 wrestlers ranked by InterMat. Sophomore Robert Howard begins the season ranked No. 20 at 125. Sophomore transfer Aaron Nagao is ranked No. 3 at 133. Senior Beau Bartlett is No. 2 at 149 and sophomore Shayne Van Ness is No. 2 at 149.
Sophomore Levi Haines is ranked No. 2 at 157 and sophomore Alex Facundo is No. 13 at 165. Senior Carter Starocci is No. 1 at 174 and grad transfer Bernie Truax is No. 2 at 184. Senior+ Aaron Brooks is No. 1 at 197 and senior Greg Kerkvliet is No. 1 at 285.
Not all Penn State's ranked wrestlers may compete on Sunday.
Penn State will have a full roster of competitors at the event on Sunday, with the following listed as possible participants: Gary Steen and Braeden Davis at 125; Baylor Shunk and Sean Wang at 133; David Evans and Tyler Kasak at 141; Connor Pierce at 149; freshman transfer Mitchell Mesenbrink, Terrell Barraclough and Matt Lee at 165; Aurelius Dunbar at 174; Donovon Ball and Josh Barr at 184; and Lucas Cochran at 197.
Penn State's final entrants will be official the morning of the event and are subject to change.
The Nittany Lions will continue tournament action next weekend when they head to West Point, N.Y., for the Army Black Knight Invite on Sunday, Nov. 19. Two days later, Penn State serves as the host site for the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic. The event, held in Rec Hall, is an exhibition, not part of Penn State's season ticket package, and does not count toward any wrestler's official NCAA record or results.