By Allen Smith, PSWC Website Committee member
Do you have Penn State wrestling “moments” that are etched in your memory bank forever? I am sure
avid Nittany Lion wrestling fans all do. And the further back in time one’s fanship goes, the more
memories they have, at least in theory. I was daydreaming one day not long ago, recalling MY favorite
memories. I’m not a young man, by any stretch, and I can surely recall literally hundreds of moments, to
be honest. But for this article my focus is on those unique moments I remember where a Penn State
wrestler faced adversity and overcame that adversity. Not all are “moments in time”; some were
months in the making, but all have the common basis of overcoming significant adversity. Again, these
are MY memories, yours may be different.
While I have my favorites, each story has been written and is presented in alphabetic order, by wrestler
last name. And because my pool of stories number something north of 10, I’ve decided to split them into
three separate writings, so this is Part 1 of 3. Enjoy!
ANTHONY CASSAR DEFEATS THE “UNBEATABLE” GABLE STEVESON NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!!
The year was 2019, and Anthony Cassar was coming off the 2018 season when he wrestled at 197
pounds. 2018 was an up-and-down year for Cassar and the coaches ended up selecting Shakur Rasheed to represent the Lions in the post-season. It was a major disappointment for Cassar, but one he used as motivation. Moving up to heavyweight in 2019, the previously oft-injured Lion, who was among the lightest heavyweights in the country, settled in at his new weight class, only losing once during the
regular season; to Derek White of Oklahoma State. Cassar had as attributes an amazing combination of
strength and speed that had fans thinking of past Penn State great Kerry McCoy.
Gable Steveson, the Minnesota Golden Gopher had it all; size, speed, agility, and a wrestling skill set that
most fans believing Steveson was “nearly” unbeatable, even many Penn Staters. At the Big Ten
Wrestling Championships, Steveson would be undefeated and seeded No. 1, while Cassar, also
undefeated in Big Ten action would be seeded No. 2. As expected they met in the finals. Cassar would
win an exciting 4-3 decision that was every bit as close as the score, much to the delight of Lion faithful.
It was Steveson’s first collegiate loss. The anticipation for a rematch at the NCAA Wrestling
Championships was high. Cassar was seeded No. 2 and Steveson No.3. As they were on the same side of the bracket, they ended up meeting in the NCAA semifinals. Steveson won his three previous bouts by
Technical Fall and two Major Decisions, while Cassar was coming off a tight 4-0 win. These were
certainly NOT the prototypical “dancing bears”, as many called heavyweights years prior. These were
part of a new breed; lean, quick, AND very talented on a wrestling mat! My memory of this bout is very
clear to this day. The lead-up for me, between sessions, was many discussions with Minnesota fans,
some congenial, some not as they supported their favorite son. At bout-time, most eyes were surely on
this bout, despite other bouts going on at the same time. In the end, Cassar would win again by a 4-3
score as the mostly dazed crowd looked on. These would be Steveson’s only two collegiate losses, as he
would win an individual championship in 2021 and 2022, going undefeated on the way. He was also
undefeated in 2020, the COVID-shortened year. Interestingly, Steveson has returned this season for his
final season of eligibility, so his story is incomplete at this time. We do know, at the moment I am writing
this, Steveson is 86-2, with both of those losses coming at the hands of Anthony “Ant the Champ”
Cassar. Oh, and by the way, Cassar would go on and win the national championship in 2019, winning in
the finals by Major Decision 10-1 against Derek White, avenging the earlier season loss. This is one of my
favorite Penn State wrestling stories!
JORDAN CONAWAY BEATS TYLER GRAFF IN REC HALL
The date was January 18, 2013 and the Nittany Lions were wrestling against the Wisconsin Badgers in
Rec Hall. At 133 pounds, the match-up was Jordan Conaway, Penn State’s redshirt freshman with a 7-4
record on the season against Tyler Graff, Wisconsin’s two-time All-American (he ended as a 4-time All-
American for the Badgers) who was undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the country. Graff was a HUGE
favorite on paper, but as we all know, wrestling bouts are not wrestled on paper – and this night
belonged to Conaway! As I remember, Graff opened up a four or five point lead, and appeared to be
coasting. However, one could feel the momentum shift in the third period, as Conaway’s stamina (for
which his Penn State career would be noted) started taking over while Graff’s energy waned. Two
Conaway takedowns late in the third period made the bout 8-8. The bout would go to Sudden Victory,
Conaway racing to the center of the mat ready to go while Graff took his time hoping to recover from
Conaway’s third period onslaught. Early in Sudden Victory, Graff got hold of a single leg, Conaway
fighting it off for nearly 30 seconds before a stalemate was called. Then on the whistle, Conaway
executed a perfect go-behind, sealing the 10-8 victory for the young Lion. The crescendo from the Penn
State faithful built to a frenzy at this final takedown, as the moment is etched in my memory as one of
the loudest Rec Hall moments ever.
JAMES ENGLISH EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS IN 2014
The JAMES ENGLISH moment occurred in 2014, when the Lion 149 pounder became an All-American.
The story of getting to that point is one of perseverance, commitment and dedication that is second-to-
none in my opinion. It took a total of six years before English would realize his dream. I love this story!
The 2009 season started with an injury that derailed young English’s dreams and set the tone for a most
unlikely comeback nearly six years later. It was a theme that played out often, sadly, in his time with the
Penn State program, only to end in a most jubilant way. 2010 was spent mostly in tournaments as
English honed his skills to the tune of a 20-7 record and feeling good after the injury year. 2011 was
spend behind Andrew Alton (141) and Frank Molinaro (149) as English, feeling good physically ended
with a 13-4 record and spent the early part of the season filling in as starter for a recovering Molinaro. It
was a great learning experience. Then came more heartache, as another injury caused English to miss
the entire 2012 season, his second missed season as a Lion. While rehabbing, English had plenty of time
to think about his future, and he never blinked in making the decision to fight on. 2013 started in
promising fashion, with English as the starter. That continued through mid-January, when English was
replaced in the starting line-up. English received what is called a medical redshirt after the 2013 season,
and his college career continued for one more season. 2014 started with a 3-1 record, but an injury
sidelined English in mid-November, barely two weeks into the season. He wrestled one bout in
December, but the comeback was short-lived, and most thought the worst. Nothing was disclosed, but
the general consensus was a likely end to a once-promising career. However, rehabbing was successful
enough that English and the coaches agreed to enter him into a late-season tournament to test his
readiness. On February 8, 2014 English faced five opponents, going 4-1, and proving he had a shot at
handling the rigors of the post-season. English wrestled at Senior Day after two weeks off, with the Big
Ten Wrestling Championships two weeks away. The final decision was made – English would wrestle for
Penn State in the post-season! At Big Ten’s, English lost his first bout to the No. 2 seed. With his back
against the wall, he won three of four in wrestlebacks to finish fifth and earn a spot at the NCAA
Championships!! English’s health held up during the conference tournament, and he entered the NCAA
Championships full of hope, but unseeded (i.e. not in the top-16) so the path would not be easy. English
finished the tournament with a 5-2 record, defeating the No. 12, No. 10 and No. 4 seeded wrestlers along the way to finish in seventh place, good enough for All-American honors. It was a storybook
ending to a journey full of adversity.
JOHN LANGE and TYLER KASAK WIN SEVEN IN A ROW TO FINISH 3 RD
The years were 1998 and 2024. Twenty six years apart, John Lange (158 pounds) and Tyler Kasak (149)
had their backs against the wall – big time – yet turned their collective disappointment at a loss on the
mat into a remarkable recovery, not blinking in the face of adversity. Let us start with John Lange. At the
1998 national championships, Lange was the seven seed, but lost in the first round to unseeded David
Wells of Cal Poly. Lange didn’t just lose a close bout; it was by major decision 15-5! I remember the
disappointment in Lange’s face as he walked off the mat. Sometime between that moment and the start
of the second session Thursday evening, surely with help from the coaching staff, Lange mustered as
much positivity as possible as he started the journey to a third place finish and earning All-American
honors. Lange won his first consolation match Thursday evening, and then rested for Friday’s two
sessions, where he could wrestle up to four bouts, but it was also a win-or-go-home scenario. Friday
started well, Lange winning both bouts in session three by bonus to move onto Friday evening. Sledding
would get tougher as the field was whittled down to the best-of-the-best in the country. Win once
Friday evening, and Lange could finish no worse than eighth, meaning All-American honors – though he
wanted much more. In the round-of-12, Lange’s bout was tied 3-3 in regulation, but he found the
strength to get a takedown in Sudden Victory to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the consolation
bracket. There he would face the very same first round opponent, David Wells, who dominated Lange
15-5. The Lion would earn the pin near the end of the bout he was also winning on the scoreboard, as
Lange moved onto Saturday morning and session five, still with a chance for a third place finish. Waiting
opposite Lange on Saturday morning was the No. 5 seed. Win and Lange would wrestle for third, lose
and he would wrestle for fifth. After regulation, the bout would be tied 6-6, and again Lange found the
strength to get a takedown in Sudden Victory to move into the third place bout, held later Saturday
morning. The No. 6 seed would be waiting and Lange would win 6-5 in an exciting back-and-forth bout
to finish the tournament in Third Place!
Tyler Kasak’s journey was similar to Lange’s. Kasak, a true freshman and seeded No. 7, would lose his
first bout to the No. 26 seed at the 2024 national championships. The emotions felt by Kasak were
surely similar to those noted above for Lange. The long road back started with a major decision at
Thursday evening’s session two, and the Lion freshman would move onto Friday’s sessions. Kasak won
handily Friday morning, with a quick pin (37 seconds) and a major decision. By now 21 wrestlers were
eliminated from the tournament in each weight class and of the remaining 12, eight would become All-
Americans, but only half (four of eight) wrestling in the consolation bracket would earn All-American. As
a true freshman, one year out of high school, it is hard to imagine what he was feeling. But Kasak
showed he was a cool customer, with control of his emotions beyond his years, beating the No. 3 seed
5-4 in his first bout in session 4 on Friday evening. He was an All-American, as the win guaranteed Kasak
a finish no worse than eighth. Later Friday evening Kasak would defeat his opponent by major decision
and move onto Saturday morning’s session five. Waiting Saturday morning was a familiar opponent, No.
1 seed Ridge Lovett of Nebraska. Lovett had beaten Kasak in a dual meet 7-3 and at the Big Ten
Championships 4-0. Kasak would win the bout on the biggest stage — by major decision 10-1, and earned a spot in the consolation finals later in session five! There he faced No. 5 seed Ty Watters, Kasak winning a tight 3-2 bout against the funky Mountaneer. Kasak finished third to earn his first All-American honor!
There you have it. Two Penn Staters, facing tremendous adversity and staring down major
disappointment after losing their first bout at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Both turned in rare
performances that may be less well-known than many of these stories, but in my opinion are certainly
not less worthy of our collective recognition. Both wrestlers started as No. 7 seeds, both wrestlers won
seven bouts in a row in consolation, both finishing as All-American 3 rd Place finishers.
More coming in Part 2 of this series!
