Penn State Wrestling To Get Away With Another Winning Gamble As They Bet Several Win Streaks Against Michigan?

The Penn State Nittany Lions have emerged as a top name when it comes to NCAA Division 1 Wrestling. The Penn State Wrestling program has been attracting excellence from all over the country and delivering great performances every year. However, while PSU has a great wrestling team, not every great wrestler is a Nittany Lion.

This has led PSU to develop several long winning streaks with hardly a team to retaliate, which is very precious to the Lions. However, Penn State Wrestling will now meet wrestlers who also bleed blue, but will be on the other side of the mat. The Michigan Wolverines have been stuck in a one-sided rivalry with PSU for a very long time and are yearning to change their fates. As both sides will clash soon, which team will have a stronger conviction to win?

The Penn State Wrestling juggernaut that constantly delivers

Penn State Wrestling is the defending champion of the 2023-24 season’s NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championship. Notably, the Nittany Lions have found themselves as the defending champions over ten times in the last 12 years. While every head coach has contributed significantly to PSU’s wrestling program, current head coach Cael Sanderson has acted as a godsend for the Lions.

Clinching the NCAA Championship four times and winning a gold medal at the Olympics, Cael Sanderson has a flamboyant wrestling career. He is enjoying an even more successful career as a head coach, with ten NCAA team title wins since he joined Penn State Wrestling in 2009. Moreover, PSU had won its last team title back in 1953 before his arrival.

Before he had stepped in, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Oklahoma State kept winning most of the time often winning for consecutive years. Today, Penn State Wrestling finds itself in the same position and is building its third four-peat under Sanderson. The progress this year is also going very smoothly, with the Nittany Lions cruising undefeated in the tournament so far.

Moreover, Penn State Wrestling has a completely star-studded lineup this year as well. Cael Sanderson and his boys will be up against the Michigan Wolverines on 19th January and look forward to another win. However, while the Nittany Lions usually raze through Michigan, the Big Ten team is planning to usurp PSU and end its longstanding losing streak.

The Michigan Wolverines threat to the winning streaks of Penn State Wrestling

The Michigan Wolverines have suffered constant defeats against Penn State Wrestling since forever. According to the records, Michigan and PSU first squared off against each other in 2008 with the Lions taking the win. This has been the case every time, and Penn State is currently enjoying an 11-match winning streak against the team.

Michigan has a lone victory against PSU and is currently trailing with a 13-1 record. But this season, the team aims to shatter this streak and power through its series of losses. The Wolverines currently hold the 11th rank in the NCAA standings and also stand firm with a record of 11-4. 

With the momentum of a two-match winning streak in their hands, Michigan plans to stomp out of its misery. Most importantly, they seem to have an answer for one of the most valuable members of Penn State Wrestling, Carter Starocci. In fact, this anti-Starocci weapon in Michigan’s arsenal is none other than Shane Griffith.

Will Michigan take out the unbeaten wrestling superstar of Penn State?

Carter Starocci is one of the most formidable wrestlers in the Penn State Wrestling lineup right now. The 174-pound wrestler is a 3x NCAA Champion and is currently on an unbeaten 59-match winning streak. This is the biggest collegiate career win streak maintained by any wrestler in the NCAA so far. Starocci is famous for securing a big chunk of his wins via technical falls.

The Michigan Wolverines, however, may have found the key to get through Starocci. Shane Griffith transferred to Michigan from Stanford this season and is the team’s 174-pound grappler. Griffith is a 3x All-American just like Starocci and has won the NCAA Championship once, and secured the runner-up position twice.

While Griffith may seem like a great match against Starocci, he does carry a problem. Griffith was previously a 165-pounder, who changed his weight class this season. Meanwhile, Starocci has always dominated this category and is currently ranked one in this division. But, this doesn’t mean that Griffith carries less flair. 

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Despite entering an elevated weight class, Shane Griffith stands at rank four and is on par with the likes of Mekhi Lewis and Edmond Ruth. If Griffith overpowers Starocci, not only will he shatter the longest NCAA winning streak, but it will also help Michigan break its losing streak and end PSU’s 2024 flawless campaign. The chances of Michigan pulling this off are quite slim, especially when all starters of Penn State Wrestling rank in the top 15 for every weight class. But, will the Wolverines strike the pivot of PSU and avenge all their losses?

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