It’s been two full months since Penn State last wrestled within the confines of Rec Hall, and it finally makes its return Friday night.

With 11th-ranked Nebraska heading to State College the 7 p.m. dual meet could feature up to 19 ranked wrestlers, as the Cornhuskers have a nationally-rated wrestler at every single weight class.

“We’ve only had one match in Rec hall so far this year, so I’m just looking forward to doing that again,” said Penn State's top-ranked 149-pounder Zain Retherford. “It’s always fun to wrestle in Rec Hall.”

Retherford, who boasts a 17-0 record on the season, is set to face two top-five ranked wrestlers this weekend. When Nebraska comes to town Friday, Retherford is expected to draw No. 5 Jake Sueflohn, a senior All-American with a 20-2 mark.

Perhaps Retherford’s most anticipated match of the regular season, however, could come Sunday when the Nittany Lions travel to Evanston, Ill., for a 2 p.m. match against Northwestern.

At 149, the No. 25-ranked Wildcats boast a NCAA champion in Jason Tsirtsis. However, the Northwestern junior has been limited in action this season, wrestling to a 5-3 record and having to default due to injury last week against Iowa. Penn State is holding out hope that Retherford and Tsirtis, ranked No. 4 in the country, will be able to go head-to-head.

Said head coach Cael Sanderson, “It’s an exciting opportunity for Zain to get to wrestle him.”

Bo knows

After rolling to a Southern Scuffle championship and earning the No. 1 ranking in the country earlier this month, standout redshirt freshman Bo Nickal suffered his first defeat of his young career Sunday.

Competing against No. 11 Nate Jackson of Indiana, Nickal was put to his back in the first period after attempting a throw – “He tried going up for body locks, instead of staying down on the legs,” Sanderson said – and was unable to overcome the deficit. Despite a strong third-period effort, Nickal fell, 7-6.

This season college wrestling instituted a new 4-point near-fall rule. (In previous years, 3 points was the maximum per pinning combination.) It’s worked to Nickal’s advantage previously this year. Five different times in dual meets Nickal has turned his opponent for 4 near-fall points. This time, though, he was on the opposite side of the ledger, as that one extra near-fall point made the ultimate difference in the match.

“Those are the rules, but Bo has the ability (to bounce back), Sanderson said. “He’s definitely benefitted greatly form the back points – the four-point exposure – so it’s not something that we can really complain about. I’m not too worried about Bo or our team. It’s tough and you hate losing, but Bo is very, very good, so we’re just excited about the future.”

Ready to go?

Two of Penn State’s starters who have been battling injury are nearing a full recovery.

After battling through an ankle injury at the Southern Scuffle, 141-pound Jimmy Gulibon returned to the mat Sunday against Indiana for an 11-3 win over Cole Weaver. Sanderson said the Penn State junior “is getting back to full speed” and “should be good to go” this weekend.

184-pound Matt McCutcheon re-aggravated a back injury at the Scuffle and was held out of action during the two dual meets last weekend.

At practice Tuesday, McCutcheon could be seen working out intensely with teammate Nickal inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. “He’s full go today,” Sanderson said. “But I’m not sure if I’m going to wrestle him on Friday or not. We’ll see.”

Rasheed's big weekend

Having struggled with weight management earlier this season, redshirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (165) said he is now “getting my weight under control.”

He appeared to be at his best during a Big Ten road trip last weekend at Purdue and Indiana. Against the Boilermakers, Rasheed pinned No. 5-ranked Chad Welch, who had recently won a championship at the Midlands tournament. Following the early-season struggles, which included five losses, Rasheed’s fall by cradle might be the highlight of his young career.

“I had a lot of people texting me congrats,” he said, “but it’s one match. It does mean a lot to me because it shows me that if I follow and listen to my coaches and be coachable, I can achieve whatever I want, but at the same time it’s one match. It’s not the Big Tens. It’s not the NCAA tournament, and that’s the main goal.”

Heavyweight note

In a weight class that has been bitten by the injury bug this season, Penn State is hoping to add another contender at heavyweight soon.

Junior Wes Phipps is listed on the official roster at 184, but he has been adding weight while recovering from an injury that happened before the 2014-15 season.

“He’s getting back to full speed and he’s getting big,” Sanderson said. “He’s thinking heavyweight. He’s been asking about wrestling off for that spot, so it’s something that might come up here in the near future.”

Not only is Phipps bulking up physically, he’s also been growing his hair, and that’s something Sanderson was also sure to point out before practice Tuesday.

“He’s got a nice mullet,” Sanderson joked. “He can wear it. He does a nice job with the mullet.”