Coming off its dominant win over Oklahoma, No. 1 Penn State wrestling still has plenty of lineup decisions to be made. Head coach Cael Sanderson said during Tuesday’s press conference that the upcoming Black Knight Invitational will play a major role in how lineup battles play out.
“Black Knight Open is always a deciding factor,” Sanderson said. “Depending on how things go there, then figure out what we’re going to do.”
Sanderson also said that it was good to get back into the season after an eventful preseason.
“When the season’s rolling, that’s when we have the most stability and structure in what we do.”
Penn State is allowed to bring 20 wrestlers to the open tournament, giving plenty of wrestlers the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a roster spot, with several matches throughout the day. Sanderson said that’s something he values, especially early in the season.
“Just get matches in. Just compete,” Sanderson explained. “Practice competing the way we want to compete,” he said. “The name of the game is just keep getting better.”
Sanderson is also using the invitational as an opportunity to watch younger wrestlers compete and get some experience on the mat, specifically referencing freshmen Nate Desmond and PJ Duke.
“I love watching these guys wrestle. They’re a lot of fun,” he explained. “It’s fun as a coach, but they still have to make a decision on who they are, and you know how they’re gonna go out there and take care of business or not. And it’s fun to see them step up in those big moments.”
As for injuries, Sanderson mentioned that national runner-up Josh Barr is “getting close” to returning to the lineup, but won’t wrestle this weekend. He has been dealing with a rib injury since the U23 World Championship in October. Sanderson also added that Levi Haines, who left his match in the dual against Oklahoma briefly to go into concussion protocol, is healthy and good to go this weekend.
Sanderson also said that Masanosuke Ono will not wrestle this weekend due to his preparation for an event in Japan that will take place in December.
The Black Knight Invitational is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, in West Point, New York.
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