If you walked into Rec Hall between 2015 and 2019, you weren't just watching a wrestling meet. You were watching a demolition. Bo Nickal didn't just beat people; he erased them. Honestly, looking back at that Penn State run, it’s hard to wrap your head around how one guy could make elite Division I athletes look like they were wrestling their big brother for the first time.
He was chaotic. He was technical. Mostly, he was just plain terrifying for anyone standing across from him. By the time he finished his career in Happy Valley, Bo Nickal had cemented himself as a cornerstone of the Cael Sanderson dynasty.
The Freshman Year Heartbreak and the Myles Martin Rivalry
Most people remember the titles. They forget the 2016 NCAA finals at 174 pounds. Bo was a redshirt freshman, a lanky kid from Texas via Colorado who was supposed to just steamroll the field. He entered the finals as the favorite against Ohio State’s Myles Martin.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
In a wild scramble—the kind Bo usually wins—Martin caught him. Nickal lost 11-9. It was one of only three losses he ever took in a Penn State singlet. That loss didn't break him, though. It basically acted like rocket fuel. You could see the shift in his style afterward. He became a hunter.
The rivalry with Martin defined that era of Big Ten wrestling. They met again and again. The stakes were always high. The tension was always thick. But Bo eventually figured out the puzzle, and he didn't just solve it—he smashed it.
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Moving Up and Taking Over
One of the wildest things about Bo Nickal at Penn State was his willingness to move weight classes. Most wrestlers find a spot and cut weight like crazy to stay there. Not Bo.
- 2016: 174 lbs (NCAA Runner-up)
- 2017: 184 lbs (NCAA Champion)
- 2018: 184 lbs (NCAA Champion)
- 2019: 197 lbs (NCAA Champion)
When he moved to 184 in 2017, people wondered if the power would translate. It did. He pinned Gabe Dean of Cornell in the semifinals—a guy who was a two-time champ and looked unbeatable. That 2017 title win over Dean is arguably the moment the "Bo Nickal" legend truly went nuclear.
Then came the 2018 finals. Another date with Myles Martin. It’s the match every Penn State fan has burned into their brain. Martin gets in on a shot, looks like he’s going to score, and in a blink, Bo hits a "Houdini" move. He catches Martin in a funky elevator-to-cradle transition.
Pin. The Madison Square Garden crowd (and later the Cleveland crowd in 2018) just erupted. It was the "magic" factor. You couldn't be safe against him, even if you were winning the exchange.
The 2019 Season: Peak Dominance and the Hodge Trophy
By his senior year, Bo was essentially a cheat code. He moved up again, this time to 197 pounds. People thought, "Okay, surely the heavy hitters at 197 will give him trouble."
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Nope.
He went 30-0. He had 18 pins. He won the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is basically the Heisman of wrestling. He was so dominant that year that he was averaging 5.2 team points per match. In a sport where a pin gives you 6, he was basically pinning everyone in sight.
Why He Was Different
It wasn't just the wins. It was the how. Bo wrestled like he didn't care about losing. That sounds weird, but it's true. Most guys at that level are so scared of giving up a point that they wrestle "tight." Bo wrestled "loose." He would put himself in bad positions just to bait you into a scramble.
His pinning combinations were legendary. He didn't just use a standard half-nelson. He used cradles from everywhere. He used his long legs to trap arms. If he got his hands locked, the match was basically over.
The Final Numbers
- Career Record: 120-3
- Pins: 59 (Second all-time at Penn State)
- Bonus Rate: Ridiculously high (scored bonus points in almost 75% of his matches)
- Team Titles: 4 (He was part of the perfect 4-for-4 team run)
The Cael Sanderson Connection
You can't talk about Bo Nickal Penn State history without talking about Cael. Sanderson's philosophy is all about "having fun" and "scoring points." It’s a relaxed intensity. Bo was the perfect avatar for that style.
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While other teams were drilling the same three takedowns for hours, Bo was in the Penn State room playing with "funk" moves. He and Jason Nolf—his teammate and fellow legend—pushed each other to be more creative. It changed the way college wrestling looked. Suddenly, every kid in high school wanted to wrestle like Bo.
Life After the Nittany Lions
Even though he’s moved on to the UFC and is currently a top-tier middleweight contender, the "Penn State Bo" remains a specific archetype. He’s the guy who showed that you can be the most technical wrestler in the room while also being the most unpredictable.
He didn't just win trophies; he changed the vibe of the sport. He made wrestling look like an art form where the canvas happened to be another human being’s back.
What You Can Learn From Bo’s Run
If you’re a wrestler or just a fan of elite performance, Bo’s career offers a few real-world takeaways. First, don't fear the scramble. If you’re well-conditioned and technically sound, chaos is your friend. Second, don't let a loss—like his 2016 freshman heartbreaker—define you. Use it to find the holes in your game.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the pinnacle of his Penn State career, go watch the 2018 NCAA final against Myles Martin. Pay attention to the three seconds before the pin. It’s a masterclass in spatial awareness and leverage that few humans on earth can replicate. After that, look up his 2019 Southern Scuffle highlights to see how he handled the jump to 197 pounds with zero friction.