By Andy Elder

For the Mirror

UNIVERSITY PARK — Cael Sanderson put a new spin on a Shakespearian expression during the Penn State wrestling team’s media availability on Tuesday in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex.

Shakespeare’s Antonio said in The Tempest that “what’s past is prologue.” And while the Nittany Lions’ past success under Sanderson has usually portended greater success in the future, the coach said that was true to varying degrees for two groups of his wrestlers.

Following the annual break in competition for the Thanksgiving holiday, No. 1 Penn State (1-0) hits the road this weekend to resume its schedule. The Nittany Lions trek to Trenton, New Jersey, for a 7 p.m. Friday dual meet against Rider in CURE Arena. Then, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Penn State resumes its long in-state rivalry with No. 18 Lehigh in Stabler Arena in Bethlehem.

Sanderson spent much of his time Tuesday talking about the Nittany Lions’ most recent competitions, dominating performances from a 13-man contingent at the Black Knight Open at West Point, New York (Nov. 20), and three sparkling wins from Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Austin, Texas (Nov. 22).

“The All-Star match was just for fun for those guys. It was an opportunity to be part a special event. Not too many years ago the NWCA All-Star match was a big deal and something that kids really wanted to compete in. It meant you were a top title contender. So, I thought it was great,” he said.

“The guys wrestled pretty darn good. I thought our guys were awesome (against) tough competition. And to get that right away early. You just got to make sure that’s a blessing for us so we can kind of learn and get better and improve.”

Starocci, the two-time defending NCAA 174-pound champion defeated 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis from Virginia Tech, 2-0, in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA final. Brooks, a two-time defending NCAA 184-pound champion, handled Northern Iowa All-American Parker Keckeisen, 12-8. And, at 285 pounds, Greg Kerkvliet notched his first collegiate win over Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi, 8-5.

Sanderson said there were more pros than cons to those elite matchups.

“It’s a tricky match. I mean, those are potential NCAA final matchups. I mean, you gotta win every match to get there and that’s easier said than done. What happened in November won’t really mean anything the next go-round,” he said. “I don’t think that counts on the record or anything along those lines. So, it was just for fun. But as a competitor, you’re always looking back and I think our guys are looking back and just trying to figure out how they can improve upon that as we move forward and wrestling great competition like that will definitely show you your areas of focus.”

Two days prior to the All-Star meet, Penn State crowned five champions and had eight wrestlers in the finals, featuring three PSU vs. PSU matchups, at the Black Knight Open.

“I think our guys looked good at Army as well. It’s November. You’re looking more for effort and just the way they’re competing … little things you can fix along the way to help them. But I think the guys wrestled well for the most part and showed good effort, good energy at Army and it was a chance to get a bunch of matches,” he said.

Barraclough still a starter?

One of those Lion vs. Lion matchups at Army happened at 157 pounds where true freshman Levi Haines nipped junior Terrell Barraclough, 2-1, in the final. Sanderson complimented both wrestlers, but seemed to indicate that Barraclough may continue to be the starter at that weight.

“We knew those guys are close and Levi’s a great competitor. He’s tough kid. He’s gonna wrestle great in big matches. And being young he should continue to improve; he’s got the right mindset. But Terrell’s wrestling really well also and I think he’s a different wrestler than he was a year ago,” he said.

“We’re just hoping to see him just believe in himself enough that he can make a jump and kind of get over the edge there. I think that’s something we’ll just kind of let play out over the year.”

RBY to see limited action

Roman Bravo-Young, the two-time defending NCAA 133-pound champion, hinted in a preseason interview that he would see limited action this season. RBY said that maintaining 133 pounds for five consecutive years while adding muscle is more challenging than ever.

On Tuesday, Sanderson seemed to confirm that general philosophy while not tipping his hand about which dual meets, exactly, Bravo-Young would compete in.

“For the most part, we kind of looked at the schedule early and just kind of said, ‘Hey, these are the matches we’d like you to wrestle in and we’re probably going to need you in’ but ultimately it kind of comes down to him and what he wants to do as a kid that’s coming back for another year,” he said.

“I want to wrestle everybody every match because why wouldn’t you want to do that? Right? But you know, it’s probably not gonna happen.”

Looking ahead to the weekend

Penn State will wrestle Lehigh for the 110th time since the series started in 1911, the most of any Nittany Lion opponent. PSU leads the series 72-34-3. Rider, on the other hand, will mark only the eighth time it has squared off against Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead that series, 7-0.

Lehigh announced Monday that Stabler Arena has already sold out of tickets. A large contingent should be on hand for the Rider dual, as well.

Sanderson said the Nittany Lions should expect good competition in each dual.

“I think they’re competitors. They’ve wrestled in big matches their whole lives. So, I wouldn’t expect them to be anything other than themselves. And that’s all we would ever hope or ask for from anybody is just be yourself,” he said.

“It should be a great environment both Friday and Sunday against some some tough teams and a lot of tough kids and we’ll just see how we do.”