Defending national champion Penn State wrestling got a boost for its 2023-24 lineup on Wednesday with a commitment out of the transfer portal from a three-time All-American.
Former Cal Poly wrestler Bernie Truax announced on Twitter that he is transferring to the Nittany Lion program.
“I am official committed to Penn State!” Truax wrote. “It has been a dream of mine to wrestle for this program since I was a little kid!”
A graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, Truax went 18-3 in 2022-23, including a win over Penn State’s Max Dean, en route to a fourth-place finish at 197 pounds in March at the NCAA Championships. He previously earned fourth-place national finishes at 174 and 184 pounds.
Having reportedly weighed in at 190-192 pounds this past season, Truax told Cal Poly student news outlet Mustang News on Wednesday that he expects to wrestle at 184 pounds for the Nittany Lions. If that’s the case, it means defending national champion Aaron Brooks would move up to 197 pounds, a weight class that sees the departure of Dean after two years as the starter for Penn State.
