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Making The Case: Can Penn State Wrestling do what no other team has ever done?

By Chris Snyder

Penn State's Aaron Brooks celebrates after defeating Michigan's Myles Amine for the 184-pound title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.Syndication The Des Moines Register
Penn State's Aaron Brooks celebrates after defeating Michigan's Myles Amine for the 184-pound title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.Syndication The Des Moines Register /
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Mar 18, 2022; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota wrestler Gable Steveson (left) shakes hands with Penn State wrestler Greg Kerkvliet (right) after defeating him in a 285 pound weight class semifinal match during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Cesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2022; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota wrestler Gable Steveson (left) shakes hands with Penn State wrestler Greg Kerkvliet (right) after defeating him in a 285 pound weight class semifinal match during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Cesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

2. It’s finally time for Kerk Kong.

Greg Kerkvliet’s collegiate wrestling career got off to a rather interesting start, to say the least.

Kerkvliet originally committed to in-state Minnesota, then switched gears to Oklahoma State, before finally signing his National Letter of Intent in November 2018 to commit to Ohio State. His bags are unpacked in Columbus and he’s ready to settle in, right? Nope. Just a month after signing with Ohio State, Kerkvliet announced he would be transferring from Ohio State to their Big Ten rival Nittany Lions.

Then in the shortened 2021 season, it appeared the Penn State faithful wouldn’t get a glimpse of the promising giant as Cael Sanderson indicated he might be shelved for the season.

But as we now know, Kerk did hit the mat. And while he looked good at times and not so good at other times, at the end of the day Kerkvliet became an All-American by finishing seventh in the 2021 NCAA Championships. Oh, and he did it with basically both of his hands tied behind his back.

Then this past season Nittany Lion fans finally got to see what a fully healthy Greg Kerkvliet was capable of. And my goodness was it impressive.

Kerk compiled a 22-3 record, finished fourth in the 2022 NCAA’s, became a two-time All-American, and he did all of this with a lower body injury which almost sidelined him for the latter rounds of the NCAA Championship.

Greg Kerkvliet is a warrior and he’s proven he can overcome adversity thrown at him from every direction. And now it’s his time to shine.

Gable Steveson left his shoes on the mat at the conclusion of the 2022 NCAA’s. Which goes a long way towards Kerk finally making it to the top of the collegiate wrestling mountain. And let me also make this clear, this isn’t a knock on Kerkvliet, because there isn’t a human being on the planet who can go toe to toe with Gable Steveson. He’s a once in a generation type of wrestling talent.

And yes, I also know two of Kerk’s losses this past year came against Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi. Well I firmly believe those issues will be rectified this coming season and I firmly believe Greg Kerkvliet will hoist the trophy once the dust settles on the 2022-2023 wrestling season.

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