When Nick Lee first set foot inside Penn State’s wrestling facility as a true freshman back in 2017, he was a bit starstruck by the abilities of the older wrestlers around him.

Their credentials were impeccable as Penn State had long before seized control of the college wrestling landscape.

Over the years, the fifth-year senior has grown to expect a certain level of success made possible by this type of talent pool, even though Penn State’s hold has loosened a bit. It’s one reason why Lee is so eager to kick off what will be his final postseason run as a Nittany Lion when the Big Ten begins next week.

“Whenever I was a freshman and sophomore, we didn’t lose very much,” Lee said. “I got used to that and then we graduated a lot of guys and had a younger team so obviously we took some losses and that’s part of life, but for me, it’s back to business as usual.”

The Nittany Lions went unbeaten in duals and won Big Ten and NCAA championships in Lee’s first two seasons. After the 2020 tournament was canceled and Iowa lifted the first-place team trophy last season, Lee believes Penn State has just as good of a chance to reclaim the team title.

He’ll be one of the primary driving forces if it happens. Much like he was as a gritty freshman in the 2018 tournament.

Then, Lee entered the 141-pound bracket as the eighth seed, lost in the first round and battled his way back for a fifth-place finish. Along the way, he collected a handful of bonus points that helped Penn State clinch what then was its seventh championship in eight seasons.

“A guy that stepped in as a true freshman for us and was an All-American when we needed his points and battled back after losing the first round of nationals to where he won the nationals last year,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “There just aren’t a lot of Nick Lee-type of people out there.”

Since then, Lee has become more than just an elder statesmen leader for the Nittany Lions. He’s one of the most consistent wrestlers in the entire country.

Lee has lost just two bouts since the 2020 Big Ten Championships — a pair of 6-5 nail-biters to Luke Pletcher and Jaydin Eierman.

Last season was a revenge season of sorts for Lee. He hammered his way through the NCAA field, picking up a pair of majors and a tech along the way, before besting Eierman 4-2 in sudden victory.

“He’s the same person every day,” Sanderson said. “First match of the year, last match of the year, nationals, practice, whatever, he’s consistent and I think to me, that’s greatness and that’s what I think about when I think about Nick Lee.”

No Worry For Brooks

Returning 184-pound NCAA champion Aaron Brooks sat out Penn State’s final regular-season drubbing of Rider.

But wrestling fans who are eager to watch Brooks rumble in the postseason shouldn’t worry. Sanderson described the issue that kept Brooks off the mat as “a short-term thing.”

Expect Brooks to be ready when the Big Ten tournament starts Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

Berge Drops Down

The 157-pound spot in Penn State’s lineup was ideal for Brady Berge once the Nittany Lion middleweight opted to return from a brief retirement to finish out his career. He just needed to get down to the weight safely.

Now, with two bouts at 157 under his belt, Berge appears ready to take a shot at a postseason run a bit lighter than last year. Sanderson said the goal is for Berge to earn his way into the upper seeds for the national tournament.

He needs five matches to get a more favorable seed, and thanks to Rider’s Cole McComas and the Rider coaching staff, Berge has a legit shot.

Berge and McComas wrestled twice a week ago Sunday with Berge earning major decisions in both bouts. Berge will likely have at least three matches at the Big Ten Championships.

“They were gracious enough to give us that second match,” Sanderson said. “If not, Brady probably would’ve gone and wrestled in an open tournament somewhere just to get a couple matches, but they were kind enough to set that up and help us out.”

Starocci Ready

Returning 174-pound national champion Carter Starocci returned to action and with the exception of a bulging black-and-blue welt under his left eye, looked pretty good against Rider.

Starocci missed Penn State’s previous bout against Nebraska to rest a wrist injury. The sophomore was injured during a wild tiebreak win over Iowa’s Michael Kemerer on Jan. 28 and missed duals against Ohio State and Nebraska.

In the 45-0 win over Rider, Starocci looked rested and rejuvenated in a 22-9 major over Shane Reitsma.

Sitting out was tough for the underclassmen. He was quick to respond when asked if he was ready for the postseason after missing time down the stretch.

“I’m ready right now,” Starocci said. “I’ll wrestle all 10 matches that are left. Let’s go. I’m kind of fired up.”

He added later: "It don't matter who it is. I'll take them all out. Just line 'em up."