Progrums

Penn State Passes on Tulsa Showdown…Again!

For the second straight year, Penn State’s five-time defending NCAA wrestling champions have given the National Duals Invitational a hard pass. Despite a $1.23 million purse and a star-studded 16-team lineup in Tulsa, Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions simply aren’t interested. Sanderson cites athlete workload, recent world championship fatigue and the fact that Penn State prefers its own tried-and-true scheduling formula. Meanwhile, Ohio State and 15 other programs gear up for December’s dual-style tournament, ready to wrestle for a $250,000 first prize—one Penn State would almost certainly snag if it showed up.

Oh, the drama of collegiate wrestling! It’s almost poetic that the sport built on brute strength and mat-side smidgens of respect is now fraught with egos too delicate for a lucrative tournament. One can only imagine Cael Sanderson in a velvet smoking jacket, swirling an imaginary brandy, muttering, “No thank you, I have plans to alphabetize our trophy case.” Meanwhile, Paycom’s purse sits lonely, wondering why it’s even invited. Fear not, Tulsa: with Penn State AWOL, the rest of the field gets to argue over who’s runner-up—because at least someone will collect the consolation prize of feeling slightly less amazing than the Nittany Lions would have.