Penn State’s stars can be seen shining for fans in Rec Hall. Fans of college wrestling were not let down when they saw some of the best athletes in the sport on Tuesday night at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star
Classic inside Rec Hall. Among the 28 wrestlers that competed for the Nittany Lions were Shayne Van Ness (149 pounds), Carter Starocci (174), Bernie Truax (184), Aaron Brooks (197), and Greg Kerkvliet. The quintet dazzled the pro-Penn State crowd that evening, winning 4-1 overall.
It was very noisy. It was a great time. I was excited by it,” Van Ness remarked. It made me grin. I adore large gatherings of people. It’s awesome. I think you’ll see that a lot more this year (smiling), whether it’s here or anywhere just because I’m enjoying what I do. I love it and there’s nothing to not smile about.” Brooks added: “It’s fun man. I haven’t wrestled in Rec Hall since Lock Haven last year because I took that partial season. It’s been over a year since I’ve been in Rec. It felt good to be back. It’s a different atmosphere, nothing matches it, in my opinion.”Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness controls Arizona State’s Kyle Park in the during the 149 lb bout of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic at Rec Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com Van Ness was the first Nittany Lion to hit the mat against Arizona State’s Kyle Parco. The pair squared off in the NCAA Championships in March with Van Ness coming away with the win. The same happened on Tuesday. Read more at:
Scoring between the pair didn’t occur until the second period with Van Ness’ escape being the first point. Near the end of the period, they got into an upper body lock with Van Ness coming out on top with a takedown. In the third period, Parco got an escape, but Van Ness’ defense was enough to preserve a 5-1 win. “The takedown that I got at the end of the second (period) was from chain wrestling,” Van Ness said. “When I can force guys to wrestle with me and string multiple things together, that’s when I really start to open up.” Read more at:
