Penn State wrestling: NCAA releases allocations for national tournament; what does it mean for the Lions, Big Ten?

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has released its third set of rankings ahead of the start of conference tournaments. The NCAA has also listed how many wrestlers from each conference will qualify for nationals at each weight class. How does it all impact Penn State?

Let’s start with the allocations. The Big Ten, which includes the Nittany Lions, of course, will send only so many grapplers to nationals between 125 pounds and 285 pounds. And who goes is based on where they finish at the conference tournament. Here’s the breakdown of Big Ten allocations per weight class:

125 pounds: 9

133 pounds: 10

141 pounds: 7

149 pounds: 8

157 pounds: 8

165 pounds: 9

174 pounds: 8

184 pounds: 8

197 pounds: 10

285 pounds: 10

The main takeaway is that Penn State, barring injuries, should have no issue qualifying all of its starters to the City of Brotherly Love. All each has to do is finish inside of the number listed by his weight class. So, for example, defending NCAA champ Greg Kerkvliet must simply be among the top 10 at the end of Big Tens to go to nationals. It is virtually impossible to see any member of head coach Cael Sanderson’s falling out of the mix unless he is hurt or otherwise disqualified. Big Tens are March 8-9 at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The seeds will come out early next week. Those will likely come out on Monday. Stay tuned to Blue-White Illustrated for the latest on those and also complete coverage of the tournament next weekend.