Penn State wrestling delivered a strong performance at the Southern Scuffle this weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a select group of Nittany Lions battled through tough competition and several advanced deep into the brackets. The team capped off the event with five wrestlers claiming individual titles across multiple weight classes and capturing the team title.  

Highlighting the event were Connor Pierce, Joe Sealey, Will Henckel, Asher Cunningham, and Josh Barr, all taking home titles in their respective weight classes.   

Aaron Nagao – 141 pounds

Aaron Nagao was one of two Penn State starters who competed in this weekend’s tournament. Nagao has been a major point of discussion for the Nittany Lions as he continues to work his way back from an ongoing injury and hasn’t competed since November. Nagao opened the tournament with a 4-0 decision over Raymond Adams of Duke before medically forfeiting the remainder of the event.  

Kyison Garcia – 141 pounds

Kyison Garcia went 1-2 in the tournament. The sophomore opened with a 6-1 loss to Ramone Salazar of Northern Colorado before rebounding with a 5-3 decision over Ryan Luna of Presbyterian in the consolation bracket. Garcia was eliminated from the tournament following a 4-2 loss to Duke’s Raymond Adams.    

Cael Nasdeo – 141 pounds

Cael Nasdeo became the second Nittany Lion to medically forfeit out of the tournament. He finished the event with a 1-2 record after opening with a 5-1 loss to No. 5 CJ Composto of Penn. In the consolation bracket, Nasdeo rebounded with a dominant 15-1 major decision over Noah Kachmano of Duke before medically forfeiting his next match.  

Connor Pierce – 149 pounds

Connor Pierce had an undefeated run at 149 pounds, with an impressive series of victories. Pierce won three matches in a row before advancing past Anderson Heap of Davidson in the quarterfinals with a 5-2 decision. In the semifinals, he earned an 8-2 victory over Max Peterson of North Dakota State and capped off his perfect tournament with a 13-3 win over No. 26 Brock Herman of Little Rock in the finals.

Joe Sealey – 157 pounds

Redshirt freshman Joe Sealey went 6-0, claiming the 157-pound title. He opened with back-to-back 17-2 tech falls over Pablo Macias of Campbell and Wyatt Stout of Penn. Sealey narrowly edged Tanner Peake of Davidson 4-3. Sealey secured another tight 4-3 decision over Javion James of Little Rock to advance to the semifinals, where he defeated Kyrel Leavall of Citadel in an 11-2 major decision. Sealey closed out his title run with a 10-8 win over Daniel Zeppeda of North Carolina State.

Ty Watson – 165 pounds

Ty Watson finished the tournament with a 1-2 record. He was defeated 9-3 by American’s Austin Craft in his opening bout, but bounced back in the consolation bracket with a pin against Pete Winterstein of North Carolina State. Watson was later eliminated after an 18-7 major decision loss to Jack Conley of Michigan State.  

Sean Degl – 174 pounds

Sean Degl posted a 1-2 record. He opened with an 11-2 major decision loss to Grant Odell of Bellarmine. In the consolation bracket, Degl advanced with a medical forfeit win over Dom Solis of Maryland but was narrowly defeated 5-4 in a major decision by Hunter Hohman of American. 

Will Henckel – 174 pounds

True freshman Will Henckel went 6-0 on the weekend to win the 174-pound weight class. He began with three commanding wins to advance to the quarterfinals. Henckel continued his strong run in the quarterfinals with a 10-2 major decision over Liam Carlin of Penn and followed that with an 8-3 win over Aidan Wallace of Duke in the semifinals. He sealed the championship with a 5-0 decision over Caden Bellis of Penn.

Asher Cunningham – 184 pounds

Asher Cunningham went 5-0, winning the title at 184 pounds. The true freshman had a pin and two major decisions to start his tournament run. In the semifinals, Cunningham defeated Tomas Brooker of Appalachian State by fall. In an action-packed final bout, Cunningham was able to secure the 12-9 decision over Caleb Compos of American.

Mason Ellis – 197 pounds

Mason Ellis went 1-2 on the weekend, kicking off the tournament with an impressive 17-5 major decision over Daniel Elyash of Davidson. Ellis then faced a tight battle with Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso, falling just short in a 4-2 decision. His run ended in the consolation bracket with another close 4-2 loss to Martin Cosgrove of Penn.  

Josh Barr – 197 pounds

Josh Barr returned to action after only wrestling one match this season due to injury and wasted no time making an impact. He opened with an 18-2 tech fall over Adam Ortega of The Citadel, then earned a pin against Kendrick Curtis of Tennessee Chattanooga. Barr continued his dominant streak in the quarterfinals with a 20-5 tech fall over Payton Thomas of Navy, followed by a fall in the semifinals over Branson John of Maryland. He finished the tournament defeating No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock with a decisive 9-3 victory in the finals to claim the 197-pound title.

Dawson Bundy – 285 pounds

Dawson Bundy posted a 1-2 record. He started with a hard-fought 8-4 loss to Daulton Mayer of Bellarmine but bounced back in the consolation bracket with an impressive 9-0 major decision over Everest Oullette of North Carolina State. Bundy’s tournament ended with an 11-3 major decision loss to Kaden Darwin of Little Rock.  

Lucas Cochran – 285 pounds

Lucas Cochran went 3-1 on the weekend, with his only loss coming from a medical forfeit. He opened the tournament with a dominant 15-0 technical fall over George Hopkins of Presbyterian. He followed that with a 4-0 decision over Alex Semenenko of Brown and then earned a 5-0 victory against Bracy Colbert of Army in the quarterfinals. Cochran’s impressive run came to an end when he was forced to medically forfeit his semifinal bout.  

What’s Next?

Penn State wrestling will be back in action against Rutgers in the first Big Ten dual of the season at 4 p.m. on January 10 in Rec Hall. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.