Penn State wrestling is getting ready for a tough weekend on the road, facing off against a pair of top-ten teams in No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 6 Minnesota. However, like any dual, the competition on the day of the match is nothing compared to what the Nittany Lions have brewing in the wrestling room.
The Nittany Lions have been taking advantage of a competitive practice room to prepare them for the tough weekend ahead.
Two of Penn State’s up-and-comers, 157-pounder Bo Pipher and heavyweight Seth Nevills, have had the privilege of learning in this room, which features some of the world’s premier talent. They both discussed on Tuesday how there’s nothing like working with the wrestlers in their own room.
“Wrestling those guys in here five days a week makes it so that no matter who you are seeing on the weekend, it’s not going to compare to who you are wrestling in here,” Pipher said.
With past national champions like Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal all training in the same room with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Penn State’s wrestlers are always able to practice with top competition.
Since taking over as head coach, Cael Sanderson has coached 35 All-Americans and 23 national champions and Penn State has won eight out of the last nine national championships. In the process, Sanderson has molded one of the most competitive wrestling rooms in the country.
Nevills, a true freshman heavyweight, has his work cut out for him this weekend as he gets set to face a pair of top-five wrestlers in No. 5 No. 5 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin and No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota. However, he had a certain level of confidence about him while talking about this weekend and the rest of the season.
Since making his Nittany Lion debut in early January, Nevills has wrestled in three dual-clinching bouts. He’s 2-1 in those matches, and his poise in those situations at such a young age can partially be attributed to the grueling and often humbling workouts in such a talented room.
“These guys in here are some of the best around the country, so when you go to wrestle the guys out there you feel pretty confident in what you can do,” Nevills said. “It just sets you up for a lot of success.”
Penn State starts its road trip on Friday when it travels to Madison to face off against No. 4 Wisconsin at 9 p.m.. The Nittany Lions then travel to No. 6 Minnesota for a 2 p.m. meet on Sunday. Both meets will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
