A few nights ago, I received the press release for the upcoming Black Knight Open from Penn State Pat, and I noticed that at 165, there was a familiar name void from the lineup: Alex Facundo.
Talking to my Dad about it last night, we speculated regarding Facundo's absence from the Lions' lineup. I knew Facundo would be on the roster, but not seeing his name and seeing Mitch Mesenbrink's instead at the 165 spots brought some ideas to my head. One of which was the prospect of him taking an Olympic Redshirt to potentially prepare for a spot on the U.S. team that will trek to Paris in the Summer.
It seems Facundo will do precisely that, according to Head Coach Cael Sanderson.
This is probably the right move.
After Alex had a good regular season, holding an 18-6 record heading into the NCAA Tournament, he did not hit his stride during the biggest weekend of the year. He fell short of All-American status.
Facundo reminds me a lot of Quentin Wright, and I feel like he could have that same offensive proficiency, given he learns to trust his shots and get to his finish. He would get in and have trouble finishing a lot last year.
This is a great move for several reasons:
1) Facundo can take a year, get more experience, and hit his stride next year.
2) This will give Mesenbrink a good opportunity to wrestle at 165, and I think he is likely the better option of the two this year, just based on Facundo last year. I have no doubts he got better, but leaping to college is a big jump, and another year for Alex might be just what he needs.
3) With Starocci having his senior year this year, it opens up the Lions to be more robust and stronger next year. Mesenbrink can be at 165, Facundo can use the year to get better, put some muscle on, and take 174 next year.
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