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Penn State Wrestling: Inside the Singlet – Wrestler Profiles for 125 and 133

By Chris Snyder

Chambersburg's Karl Shindledecker, top, wrestles Wallenpaupack's Gunnar Myers in a 120-pound quarterfinal bout at the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championship at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Shindledecker won by decision, 4-0.Hes Dr 031321 Piaadaytwo
Chambersburg's Karl Shindledecker, top, wrestles Wallenpaupack's Gunnar Myers in a 120-pound quarterfinal bout at the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championship at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Shindledecker won by decision, 4-0.Hes Dr 031321 Piaadaytwo /
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Reynolds’ Gary Steen, top, wrestles Hamburg’s Parker Davidson in a 120-pound quarterfinal bout at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championship at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 12, 2021. Steen won by tech fall, 16-1, at 4:57.Hes Dr 031221 Piaadayone
Reynolds’ Gary Steen, top, wrestles Hamburg’s Parker Davidson in a 120-pound quarterfinal bout at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championship at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 12, 2021. Steen won by tech fall, 16-1, at 4:57.Hes Dr 031221 Piaadayone /

Gary Steen

Year: Freshman
Weight: 125
Major: Division of Undergraduate Studies
Hometown: Hermitage, Pa.

Penn State Career

In Steen’s first year at Penn State (2021-2022), the talented recruit was redshirted by the Nittany Lion coaching staff. Gary then went on to compete in 10 matches that season between the Clarion Open, David Lehman Open, and Mat Town Open.

For the 2022-2023 season, Steen is the starter for Penn State at 125. The gritty and tough nosed grappler has 11 total matches under his belt which includes a third-place finish in the 2022 Black Knight Invite.

Prior to Penn State

While wrestling for Reynolds High School, Gary compiled an incredible 168-9 record, he was a four-time state place winner, finished third twice, and he was a PIAA State Champion twice. Steen was a four-year letterman, and he was a big reason for Reynolds High School winning multiple team titles during his tenure.

His 168 career victories place him eighth on the all-time wins list at Reynolds and he holds the highest career winning percentage at 94.9%. Steen is also one of only seven Reynolds wrestlers who won at least two PIAA titles and he’s one of 10 who were a four-time state medal winner.

"“I’ve always loved the sport of wrestling, but coming here has made me love it even more. Who doesn’t want to go out there are have fun and wrestle in Rec Hall?” -Gary Steen"

Along with wrestling for his high school team, Gary was also a member of the Bad Karma Wrestling Club in Greenville, Pa. Other notable members of the private club were teammates Carter Starocci and Connor Pierce as well as Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson.

Steen indicated the biggest transition from high school wrestling to collegiate wrestling was learning to manage his weight in a healthy way while at the same time remaining in peak condition. Gary recognizes it’s an ongoing learning process and that he has wrestled in some matches where he wasn’t 100% from a physical standpoint.

But he indicated the coaching staff has been extremely helpful teaching him about nutrition and hydration and how they can affect his performance.

Gary admits he is a bit undersized for the weight class he’s wrestling in, and he realizes the importance in getting his body into the best shape as possible. It’s all about taking small steps each day to get better in the long run.

And Steen feels himself making progress each week.

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