Penn State NCAA Champion Gives Honest Reason to Leave Wrestling School

The big news that’s been coming out of Penn State wrestling program is that Cael Sanderson will start the 2025-26 season without one of his champions. There have been a few big names that the defending NCAA champions have seen walk away. The reasons have been different. While David Taylor has successfully transitioned to a coaching role, Beau Bartlett is pursuing his pro wrestling career at the New York Athletic Club.

And just like Bartlett, 2024 NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet has found his next career pathway, which has taken him to Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC. The 2024 Big Ten Champion himself put all speculation to rest to reveal the reason behind his decision. Rock Harrison, the Collegiate wrestling analyst for ESPN, shared a clip from his X account on September 24. There, Greg Kerkvliet introduced himself as the new member of the Lehigh RTC. And he shared his next goal for the upcoming years: “I’ll be up here for the next 4 to 8 years trying to make some Olympic teams.”

But that still doesn’t say why he traded the Nittany Lions Wrestling RTC for Lehigh. Well, he did reveal how he ended up here. “I have some buddies that are up here before, like Ben Honis. So he got me talking and interested in the door,” the Penn State alum said. For the ones who don’t know, Ben Honis is an All-American Cornell University alum who also wrestled in the same weight class as Kerkvliet.

They must have met at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center, where Penn State and Lehigh Valley send their wrestlers for duals and training sessions. Being in contact with Honis must have given Greg Kerkvliet some idea about the work done at Lehigh Valley RTC.

Moreover, the fact that Lehigh specializes in training wrestlers for World Championships and Olympics probably swayed the Penn State Champion to give it a try. Kerkvliet came up to the Grace Hall and “worked out with a lot of the guys.” And guess what? It just clicked. Kerkvliet shared, “I just love the atmosphere. It’s a great room full of a bunch of great guys. Everybody’s super cool.” He concluded by saying, “I mean, it doesn’t get much better for me and my situation. So I love it here.”

Most people know Lehigh for its heavyweight wrestling, which Penn State doesn’t have the most authority, at least as much as they have on the lightweights and the middleweights. Greg Kerkvliet really wants an RTC that can support his Olympic and World Championship ambitions. He thinks Lehigh is the place to be. Whether he could be the next Troy Letters, Rob Rohn, Darryl Burley, and Mike Caruso remains up to him.

So, for now, that brings his Nittany Lions chapter to a close. But it was a glorious five years at the Rec Hall, during which he helped his college dominate the NCAA scene.

A special Penn State chapter ends

The COVID-19 pandemic disruption came when the NCAA allowed collegiate wrestlers an extra year of eligibility. Greg Kerkvliet, a four-time state champion, was a redshirt freshman in 2020-21. In his first NCAA season, he finished 10-4, earning All-American honors and finishing 7th in the NCAA Championships.

In the next season, the Penn State sophomore finished 4th in the NCAA Championships, falling to #1 Gable Steveson in the semifinals. The Big 10 campaign saw him defeat #2 Mason Parris as Kerkvliet’s popularity continues to soar. In the 2022-23 season, he went better in the NCAA Championships, finishing 2nd, falling only to #1 Mason Parris. Another All-American honors bagged.

In fact, Greg Kerkvliet was a four-time All-American at that time, a distinction only shared by Penn State teammates Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks. In 2023-24, after the near misses of previous years, Greg Kerkvliet clinched his NCAA gold with a 13–4 major decision over #10 Lucas Davison in the finals. The champion finished the season 20-0, showcasing his wrestling prowess. In 2024-25, he promised another crack at the title, but entered the NCAA Championships with a knee injury, leading to a sixth-place finish. He was a Big 10 finalist, beaten by Gable Steveson in the final. Overall, he finished college with a 92-13 career record.

Now, he starts preparations for a new journey. Greg Kerkvliet, one of the best talents out there, will now want to add a senior Worlds medal. Hopefully, Lehigh Valley Wrestling RTC can guide him to his goal.