Penn State Wrestling: Can Greg Kerkvliet make National Championship leap?

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Keystone Classic on November 18, 2018 at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Keystone Classic on November 18, 2018 at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Kicking off our weekly wrestler prediction series by first taking a look at Greg Kerkvliet and how we see his 2021-2022 shaping up

With the 2021-2022 Penn State Wrestling season quickly approaching, we thought it would be a fun idea to slap on our prognosticator hats and highlight a handful of Nittany Lions. Or more specifically, I’m going to try and predict exactly how the season is going to play out for them*.

This weekly series is going to focus on the following areas:
1) Biggest key to success in 2021-2022 season
2) Expectations for 2021-2022 season
3) Bold prediction for 2021-2022 season

First up in this series is Penn State Wrestling’s big man, Greg Kerkvliet. So with that, let’s dive into it!

Penn State Wrestling’s Greg Kerkvliet’s key to success in 2021-2022

If you followed any of Kerkvliet’s roller coaster season last year, then you would know it was anything but easy.

From starting out strong in the early fall in a Nittany Lion Club Wrestling tournament, to battling a staph infection, to then having two life threatening blood clots, to then make his debut against Maryland without training for two months, to finally overcome incredible odds and finish 7th in the NCAA Championships and earn All-American status.

It was a incredible ride for the former overall No. 1 recruit.

So what’s Kerkvliet’s biggest key to success in the 2021-2022 season? This is an easy one.

Stay. Healthy. Period.

The hard work, determination, and talent are obviously there or else Kerkvliet would not have accomplished anything close to what he did last year. But the last piece to his wrestling puzzle is to be able to train and keep himself healthy in the process.

* – please don’t hate me if I get anything wrong