Penn State Wrestling: **Revisiting** Who Will be The Guy at 157?
About a week and a half ago I made a prediction of who would be the 157 starter for Penn State Wrestling.
In between housing several cans of Philly Cheesesteak Pringles, I think I made several compelling points as to why it should play out that way:
–Alex Facundo is a darn good wrestler
-His length and experience at 165 during the 2022-2023 should give him a decided advantage at 157
-It allows Tyler Kasak to redshirt and ease into his body at 157 after starting out last year at 141
There was also an unconfirmed report that Facundo beat Kasak several weeks ago in the Nittany Lions’ pre-season wrestle-offs. So yeah, things were certainly looking to go a certain way in terms of who would be the starter.
Even though it was Kasak and not Facundo who made an appearance at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic.
Well, all of that stuff can be balled up, thrown in a microwave, set on fire, tossed out the window, and run over by a dump truck.
157 Finals at the 2024 Black Knight Invite
Both Tyler and Alex blitzed their way through the 157 bracket at this year’s Black Knight Invite.
Following a first-round bye, Kasak piled up back-to-back technical falls before taking down Army’s Dakota Morris 18-5 for the major decision win in the semifinals.
Facundo walked through the first two rounds with technical falls that each ended during the opening seconds of the second period. He then crushed Binghamton’s Fin Nadeau (17-2) and Gardner-Webb’s Drew Pepin (24-2) to punch his ticket to the finals where he would face his teammate, Tyler Kasak.
Thus, it set up one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the entire tournament.
But even though I made some good points as to who the starter should be at 157 pounds. And regardless of who won the wrestle-off a little bit ago, the results of this match can be summed up in one word: Definitive
Was the final score close?
Sure it was, I mean it was “only” 5-2.
However, the match was way more one-sided than the score indicated. Just as Penn State Wrestling fans saw two years ago, Alex Facundo could get to his offense against anyone in the country. But the most glaring weakness in his arsenal was that he was unable to power through and actually land takedowns against top-level guys.
And it was Kasak, not Facundo, who landed the decided takedown late in the first period. Additionally, it was Kasak who looked strong in the top position as he was able to secure the riding time point late in the third period.
What does this mean for Penn State Wrestling?
230318 Ncaa Final Wr 156 Jpg
Well for starters, Tyler Kasak is the starter at 157. That much is for sure.
At least for now.
But what does this mean for Alex Facundo? Because I even questioned this in last month’s “5 Random Thoughts” article.
With Mitchell Mesenbrink locking down the spot at 165 and with Levi Haines moving up to 174, the only logical place for Alex was at 157. That is until Tyler had something to say about the matter.
This is just an example of one of those “good problems to have”. When you bring in supreme talent year in and year out, there’s bound to be guys who get squeezed out.
Penn State Starting Offensive Lineman Out with ‘Long-Term’ Injury
Just look at Seth Nevills, Michael Beard, and Terrell Barraclough. Each one of those guys could have transferred pretty much anywhere and been the immediate starter.
Now I’m not saying this is going to be Alex Facundo’s future. Only he can answer that.
But it certainly looks like a possibility if Tyler Kasak continues to be on the Penn State Wrestling Team. And especially if he continues to grow and improve.
If this is the case, then Cael Sanderson and his coaching staff could be looking at yet another national champion to add to their growing collection.
MORE: True Freshman Shines in Stellar Debut for Nittany Lion Wrestling
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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- Penn State Wrestling: **Revisiting** Who Will be The Guy at 157? - November 26, 2024