The NCAA wrestling title will return to Happy Valley for the 10th time in the last 12 years.
Penn State had an impressive quarterfinal run on Friday afternoon, which advanced seven wrestlers to the semifinals on Friday night. Five of these semi-finalists advance to Saturday night’s final,
The Nittany Lions started the day with a 39.5-point lead over Iowa, the only other team with a chance to come out on top. He needed just 9.5 points to seal the deal. It dropped to a point when Spencer Lee of Iowa had a medical seizure before wrestling began on Saturday morning.
The title victory came when Beau Bartlett defeated Clay Carlson of South Dakota State, 12–3.
“That’s why I came back to get the title for that team. I am happy that my decision paid off.”
It was the program’s 11th overall title, and 10th under coach Cal Sanderson. Penn State captured its first title under Sanderson in 2011 and went on to win the next three titles. After taking a one-year hiatus from the top of the team podium, it went on to win four more titles in a row from 2016–2019.
Now, it appears that the Nittany Lions may be in the midst of another run of consecutive NCAA titles, as they have won back-to-back crowns.