Topics

More

Shakur Rasheed To Return To Penn State Wrestling

Shakur Rasheed’s disappointing showing at this year’s NCAA Championships won’t be the end of the road for the fan favorite, after all.

Rasheed announced on Instagram Tuesday night that he had been approved to return to Penn State wrestling for one last season.

Rasheed joins weight class contender-turned-close friend Anthony Cassar by returning to the Nittany Lions for one last season and in hopes of winning the team’s ninth national title in ten years. Both were honored on Senior Day, but throughout the season, Cassar seemed more optimistic than Rasheed about receiving a sixth year of eligibility.

The presumed medical redshirt will make up for the 2016-17 season in which Rasheed wrestled only six bouts while battling injuries and cutting down to the 165 and 174-lb. weight classes. He moved up to 197 lbs. last season and broke out as a star with a knack for pinning and scoring bonus points, before settling in to 184 lbs. to make room for Bo Nickal.

During the past two seasons, Rasheed emerged as one of the country’s most exciting and lovable wrestlers, going 44-7, finishing second in the Big Ten twice, and placing seventh at the 2018 NCAAs. In only two full seasons, he has 28 career falls, which is good enough for No. 19 in the program’s record book.

This year, recurring injuries hampered Rasheed’s would-be-senior season and kept him off the mat for most of the conference dual schedule. He had yet to lose a bout before this year’s NCAA Championships where he was seeded second, but went 1-2 and made an untimely exit.

In his Instagram post, Rasheed addresed both Penn State and Long Island. He told his hometown to “prepare for the biggest celebration of 2020 after Nationals.”

Knowing Shak, if he finally gets his title, that is one party NO ONE will want to miss.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Anthony Colucci

Anthony Colucci was once Onward State’s managing editor and preferred walk-on honors student who majored in psychology and public relations. Despite being from the make-believe land of Central Jersey, he was never a Rutgers fan. If you ever want to know how good Saquon Barkley's ball security is, ask Anthony what happened when he tried to force a fumble at the Mifflin Streak. If you want to hear the story or are bored and want to share prequel memes, follow @_anthonycolucci on Twitter or email him at [email protected]. All other requests and complaints should be directed to Onward State media contact emeritus Steve Connelly.

[Photo Story] Penn State vs Ohio State

From College GameDay to the postgame action, our photographers captured everything to see on Saturday.

Gameday Observations: Ohio State

From flyovers to the victory bell, here’s all we noticed on Saturday.

[Photo Story] College GameDay Comes To Penn State-Ohio State

After three, long years, College GameDay was back in town.

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
61.3kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Sign up for our Newsletter
Other posts by Anthony

An Open Letter To My Sedated Self: Anthony Colucci’s Senior Column

“No challenge you encounter in college will come close to the obstacles you overcame to get there. However, that drive to do things your own way and disregard for what’s seen as ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ will carry on.”

4 Lessons I Learned From Cael Sanderson After Covering Him For 4 Years

Play Penn State-Themed Family Feud