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The Curse?

GogglesPaizano

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2018
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I thought talk of the curse was simply banter on this board alone. Well I will take it as a positive that team members view not winning a national championship at a weight for a 6 year span as a curse. Most teams go longer before they get a single NC at any weight over that time period.


"Steen, who went 5-5 his true freshman year, is the likely starter this year in the 125-pound weight class for the Nittany Lions. Steen mentioned that he hopes to “break the curse” at 125, as the Nittany Lions haven’t won a championship at that weight since 2016."
 
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Only PSU can go AA less at a weight and it be a curse but I analyzed this before:
2017 - Suriano was a Top 2 guy before injury
2018 - Suriano transfers in the summer and Kuhn was the spring fill in, not really much you can do on that short notice.
2019 - Cael recruits Teske/Howard for the future (I think Howard was the main man of destiny) but we didn't need 125 points so we went with Devin Schnupp again
2020 - Teske is hobbled in the Fall and is homesick so he transfers, Meredith scraps. I know we kicked the tires with Richie Figs around this time.
2021 - Howard goes, solid true freshman season going R16 with less than 2 months of mat time before injury
2022 - Howard injured, Hildebrandt portals here. He was looking pretty good but I heard the cut is what got to him at the end.
2023 - Howard injured

So long story short, really Suriano transferring then Howard's injuries is just pure bad luck. Signs of Howard's injuries were there since high school unfortunately. I think he is redshirted in a free year also.

125 is a tough weight to handle, finding someone who can hold that through 4-5 years of college isn't easy.
 
Only PSU can go AA less at a weight and it be a curse but I analyzed this before:
2017 - Suriano was a Top 2 guy before injury
2018 - Suriano transfers in the summer and Kuhn was the spring fill in, not really much you can do on that short notice.
2019 - Cael recruits Teske/Howard for the future (I think Howard was the main man of destiny) but we didn't need 125 points so we went with Devin Schnupp again
2020 - Teske is hobbled in the Fall and is homesick so he transfers, Meredith scraps. I know we kicked the tires with Richie Figs around this time.
2021 - Howard goes, solid true freshman season going R16 with less than 2 months of mat time before injury
2022 - Howard injured, Hildebrandt portals here. He was looking pretty good but I heard the cut is what got to him at the end.
2023 - Howard injured

So long story short, really Suriano transferring then Howard's injuries is just pure bad luck. Signs of Howard's injuries were there since high school unfortunately. I think he is redshirted in a free year also.

125 is a tough weight to handle, finding someone who can hold that through 4-5 years of college isn't easy.
Yep, curse. Thanks for the walk down curse lane.
 
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Only PSU can go AA less at a weight and it be a curse but I analyzed this before:
2017 - Suriano was a Top 2 guy before injury
2018 - Suriano transfers in the summer and Kuhn was the spring fill in, not really much you can do on that short notice.
2019 - Cael recruits Teske/Howard for the future (I think Howard was the main man of destiny) but we didn't need 125 points so we went with Devin Schnupp again
2020 - Teske is hobbled in the Fall and is homesick so he transfers, Meredith scraps. I know we kicked the tires with Richie Figs around this time.
2021 - Howard goes, solid true freshman season going R16 with less than 2 months of mat time before injury
2022 - Howard injured, Hildebrandt portals here. He was looking pretty good but I heard the cut is what got to him at the end.
2023 - Howard injured

So long story short, really Suriano transferring then Howard's injuries is just pure bad luck. Signs of Howard's injuries were there since high school unfortunately. I think he is redshirted in a free year also.

125 is a tough weight to handle, finding someone who can hold that through 4-5 years of college isn't easy.
Don’t forget Gavin!
 
Only PSU can go AA less at a weight and it be a curse but I analyzed this before:
2017 - Suriano was a Top 2 guy before injury
2018 - Suriano transfers in the summer and Kuhn was the spring fill in, not really much you can do on that short notice.
2019 - Cael recruits Teske/Howard for the future (I think Howard was the main man of destiny) but we didn't need 125 points so we went with Devin Schnupp again
2020 - Teske is hobbled in the Fall and is homesick so he transfers, Meredith scraps. I know we kicked the tires with Richie Figs around this time.
2021 - Howard goes, solid true freshman season going R16 with less than 2 months of mat time before injury
2022 - Howard injured, Hildebrandt portals here. He was looking pretty good but I heard the cut is what got to him at the end.
2023 - Howard injured

So long story short, really Suriano transferring then Howard's injuries is just pure bad luck. Signs of Howard's injuries were there since high school unfortunately. I think he is redshirted in a free year also.

125 is a tough weight to handle, finding someone who can hold that through 4-5 years of college isn't easy.
And before Suriano, we had Nico who went 1, 3, 2, 2. We're kind of spoiled. :)
 
“Dean is a two-time national champion”

Umm… what? Is the author already including 2023?
 
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I thought talk of the curse was simply banter on this board alone. Well I will take it as a positive that team members view not winning a national championship at a weight for a 6 year span as a curse. Most teams go longer before they get a single NC at any weight over that time period.


"Steen, who went 5-5 his true freshman year, is the likely starter this year in the 125-pound weight class for the Nittany Lions. Steen mentioned that he hopes to “break the curse” at 125, as the Nittany Lions haven’t won a championship at that weight since 2016."
That doesn't prove the team thinks that way.

Onward State is The Collegian without a faculty advisor. Inserting their own thoughts ambiguously to look as though the subject said it, is a low-grade journalism error for them.

If Steen actually said that, then it'll appear in a more reputable publication.
 
I'd be shocked if the writer quoted Steen with something he didn't say (even for Onward State)

I mean the guys check social media, no doubt they see stuff. Maybe Gary said it tongue in cheek as a joke.
 
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Only PSU can go AA less at a weight and it be a curse but I analyzed this before:
2017 - Suriano was a Top 2 guy before injury
2018 - Suriano transfers in the summer and Kuhn was the spring fill in, not really much you can do on that short notice.
2019 - Cael recruits Teske/Howard for the future (I think Howard was the main man of destiny) but we didn't need 125 points so we went with Devin Schnupp again
2020 - Teske is hobbled in the Fall and is homesick so he transfers, Meredith scraps. I know we kicked the tires with Richie Figs around this time.
2021 - Howard goes, solid true freshman season going R16 with less than 2 months of mat time before injury
2022 - Howard injured, Hildebrandt portals here. He was looking pretty good but I heard the cut is what got to him at the end.
2023 - Howard injured

So long story short, really Suriano transferring then Howard's injuries is just pure bad luck. Signs of Howard's injuries were there since high school unfortunately. I think he is redshirted in a free year also.

125 is a tough weight to handle, finding someone who can hold that through 4-5 years of college isn't easy.

I don’t think it changes your point, but your Howard/Teske chronology is wrong.

Teske arrived on campus in 2018, Howard in 2020. When Teske transferred from Penn State to Northern Iowa, Howard was a senior at Bergen Catholic.
 
I don’t think it changes your point, but your Howard/Teske chronology is wrong.

Teske arrived on campus in 2018, Howard in 2020. When Teske transferred from Penn State to Northern Iowa, Howard was a senior at Bergen Catholic.
I believe he meant Teske/Teasdale in 2018. Gavin Teasdale went off the rails even quicker than Teske.
 
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To be honest, the injury concern with Howard's shoulder was there from high school. He got surgery on it after winning NJ States as a senior. Shoulders are tricky and often times never completely heal (or they just get injured way easier)

I know Cael kicked the tires on Richie Figs but COVID made it tricky since he couldn't even visit.
 
BTW - how does the 9.9 work relative to injury?

Both for an injury year where the athelete is declared out for the year, and if it ends up being career ending, is the kid left with no scholy to finish out his years without participation in the sport that caused the injury?

Obviously this may have a direct effect on a team's ability to fill the gap via the portal both in the immediate and longer terms.
 
If I recall correctly Figs was gonna commit PSU but then his mom changed his mind at the last minute.

Looking ahead, next year 125 and 133 could be "holes" (meaning we don't qualify the weights). Hopefully Cael is kicking some other lightweight tires and there will be some nice surprises for our lower weights.
I think we have an NQ level guy in the room in Evans. Can’t say he’d be a scorer but NQ-yes. But he’s at 141 this year. I have to think he’s given Beau a competitive wrestle-off. Can/will he go back down to 133 next year?
 
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