Penn State Wrestling Looks to Solidify Postseason Lineup

Freshman Tyler Kasak scores an important tournament win to state his case at 149 pounds.

While their teammates were putting on a Big Ten show at Maryland, two Penn State wrestlers might have been competing for a spot in the lineup and, likely, the NCAA postseason. For Tyler Kasak, a trip to Lock Haven instead of College Park could have been the difference this season.

Kasak went 4-0 and won the 149-pound title Sunday at the Mat Town 2 Tournament, an open event at Lock Haven University. Kasak defeated teammate David Evans 4-2 in the tournament final, which likely locked his spot in top-ranked Penn State's lineup for the remainder of the season.

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said last week, before the Nittany Lions routed Maryland 42-6, that solidifying the 149-pound roster spot was a priority. "That's a weight class and a decision that we've been trying to figure out what the right solution there is to make sure everyone has a good, fair chance," Sanderson told reporters in State College at his weekly media availability. "That's something we have to resolve here quickly."

To do that, Sanderson sent Kasak, a true freshman, and Evans, a redshirt junior, to the Mat Town event to compete at 149 pounds. Kasak, the top seed, rolled into the final with a pin, major and decision. He then topped Evans 4-2 in their second close tournament bout of the season. Kasak had defeated Evans 2-1 in a 141-pound tiebreaker at the Army Black Knight Invitational in November.

When Shayne Van Ness, Penn State's returning All-American, was forced to end his season due to injury, Kasak moved up a weight class and became a national player at 149. He went 3-0 with a pair of wins over nationally ranked wrestlers to enter the InterMat rankings. Kasak reached No. 12 but did not wrestle during Penn State's road trip to Michigan and Michigan State. Evans won twice for the Nittany Lions, setting up the tournament matchup at Lock Haven.

Sanderson still has to make the lineup move official publicly, but Kasak went a long way toward sealing the spot. Meanwhile, No. 1 Penn State won eight of 10 bouts in dominating Maryland 42-6 in College Park.

Two more Penn State wrestlers won titles at Mat Town 2: freshman Josh Barr (184) and sophomore Lucas Cochran (197).

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