Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Wrestling: Top 10 Nittany Lions of All-Time

By Chris Snyder

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 23: Anthony Cassar of the Penn State Nittany Lions is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 23: Anthony Cassar of the Penn State Nittany Lions is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 10
Next
Penn State Wrestling
Bo Nickal of the Penn State Nittany Lions  (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

No. 3

Bo Nickal
Career Record: 120-3
B1G Titles: 3 (2016 & 2018-2019)
NCAA Titles: 3 (2017-2019)
All-American: 4 (2016-2019)

Awards
-2018 Dan Hodge Trophy Finalist
-2018 Schalles Award Winner
-2019 Dan Hodge Trophy Winner
-2019 Schalles Award Winner

Bo’s freshman year is as impressive as they come for any collegiate wrestler. He amassed a record of 33-2, won his first B1G Title, and lost in the 2016 NCAA finals against Ohio State’s Myles Martin. This won’t be the last time you hear his name.

Nickal then plowed through his sophomore season and had a combined 19-0 record heading into a B1G Championship match against none other than Ohio State’s Myles Martin. Once again Martin got the best of Nickal and he was left with a disappointing 3rd place finish in the 2017 B1G’s.

In the 2017 NCAA’s, Nickal proceeded to pin everyone in sight on his way to a finals clash against Cornell’s Gabe Dean. Hmm. He sounds familiar.

Bo pulled off the incredible upset and was crowned the 2017 NCAA Champion at 184.

This vaulted Bo to go onto finish his junior season a perfect 31-0 which included his 2nd B1G Title and 2nd NCAA Championship. And remember Myles Martin? In the 2018 season, Bo beat Martin not once, not twice, but three times. This included victories in the B1G finals and the NCAA finals. Ah, sweet, sweet revenge.

The One-Man-Bo show continued his senior season as he once again was perfect with a combined 30-0 record on the season. This included his 3rd B1G Title, 3rd NCAA Title, 4th All-American selection, and more importantly, his first Hodge Trophy.

During his career at Penn State, Bo Nickal was awarded the Schalles Award twice (nation’s best pinner 2018-2019), was a Dan Hodge Trophy finalist once (2018), and won the Dan Hodge Trophy once (2019).

While donning the blue and white singlet, Bo certainly backed up his famous “This is what we do” words by his actions on the mat.

Home/Penn State Nittany Lions