Penn State's 44-3 dominance of local rival Lock Haven was an impressive way to start off the season. The Lions took nine of ten bouts in their opening meet of the year, with plenty of points scored and pins recorded, it was, all-in-all a great performance.
There were five things I took away from the dual, some good, some not-so-good.
1. Beau Bartlett is at a weight he will find success in
While Beau was at 149 last year, you could tell he definitely did have the talent, just not the size. One of the more impressive showings was against Sammy Sasso of tOSU in the BJC last year, where Beau lost a narrow decision to the two-time All-American.
He continued to struggle with the size of other opponents and Beau didn't quite make the podium last year in Detroit. However, with the introduction of Shayne Van Ness at 149, Beau made his 141 debut last weekend and dominated. An impressive performance on top capped off a 10-0 major decision
With that being said, Beau still has some hesitancy to shed at his new weight. It was hard finishing shots with 149ers on top of him last year, we hope that his technique will help finish shots on the smaller 141-lbers.
2. Shayne Van Ness? More like Shayne Finesse
Wow. What a performance from SVN. Over my years of coming to Rec Hall, there are only a handful of performances that indicated someone would have a successful college career after just one match in Rec Hall. Nico Megaludis is one that comes to mind.
SVN was no different. He was impressive. He was fast. He was decisive. All ingredients for a rock-solid Rec Hall debut.
No reason SVN cannot be a finalist this year.
3. Terrell Barraclough's strength is on top
Long and lengthy Terrell Barraclough comes into the season with unclear expectations, but he showed on Friday night that he is perhaps the Nittany Lions' hidden gem.
TB accumulated plenty of riding time on his way to a 3-1 decision, and sometimes, wrestling is about using the strengths you have genetically to beat other opponents. I hope to see a quickly-evolving top game from TB that could eventually be one of the biggest strengths for PSU heading into the intermission.
4. The Champs pick up right where they left off
RBY, Starocci, AB, and Max Dean all picked up dominating victories on Friday night. We probably all knew they would come out firing on opening night, but Clay and I were having some good conversations on how many starts Brooks would get, and how often RBY would enter the lineup.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see the NCAA Champions returning from last year not skip a beat. Nobody expected them to, and it didn't happen. It was just impressive all around from each of them, and it should be a lot of fun to see where the unorthodox attacks and technique end up throughout the year against some top-tier opponents from Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, and others.
5. 125 - Gary Steen's Territory
We all finally thought Robbie Howard was ready to go, but persistent injuries will keep him sidelined throughout the year. Gary Steen started for the Lions on Friday and lost a tough major decision to returning NCAA Qualifier Anthony Noto 14-4.
Steen looks small for 125, and our observations seemed to indicate he could still be adjusting to the speed. It's not easy running out onto the mat in Rec Hall, so hopefully, Steen's early-season jitters contributed on Friday. However, other options are available for the Lions at the weight. Tim Levine and Marco Vespa are listed on the Lions' roster at 125.
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