UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With three older brothers shaping collegiate heavyweight culture, Seth Nevills knew he had big shoes to fill. However, the 285-pound freshman is focused on paving his own path as a Nittany Lion – but not without a little help from his friends.
After All-American and national champion senior Anthony Cassar's season-ending injury, the Lions were left with a spot of contention in the fractured lineup. Fans only had moments to grieve the loss before a redshirted Nevills assumed the coveted heavyweight position.
"The coaches make each opportunity pretty special for each person, so when one guy leaves, they want you to be yourself," Nevills said. "With me, they said to go out, do my thing and they'd support me 100 percent. The plan from the beginning was to wrestle this year, so the training really helped my adjustment."
While moving from the sunny beaches of California to the overcast valleys of State College seems daunting in theory, Nevills felt prepared – as he watched Zach, Nick and A.J. each leave to pursue their wrestling careers across the nation.
Growing up the youngest of three brothers forced Seth to seek an individualized journey that was merely crafted by the guidance of his older siblings.
"There was a lot of play-wrestling growing up, which always turned into fights. In the beginning, it didn't look like they were helping me, but as I got older I can look back and see they were always making me tougher and shaping me into a better wrestler," Nevills said. "I never understood what they were doing, but it's pretty cool now to look back on it."
Seth wasn't the first brother to venture from the West Coast, as All-American Nick Nevills found his niche at Rec Hall, graduating just a year before Seth would make his Nittany Lion debut.
"It was nice that my brother was here, but I chose Penn State for my own reasons. There are limitless people here to get better with and train with. But, it would've been a lot worse if I didn't have Nick out here. He kind of showed me what to do, what not to do and even how to drive on ice," Nevills laughed. "Having him here for me made the transition a lot easier."
The continued brother dynamic coupled with newfound friendships aided Nevills in adjusting to life both inside and outside the wrestling room. And since the move to Penn State, Nevills found the most comfort in his relationship with grey shirt freshmen Michael Beard and Joe Lee.
"We call ourselves the greyshirt gang," Nevills said. "And after taking my redshirt, the two big guys that gave me the biggest support were Mike and Joe. We do everything together. If you ask anybody, they'd always tell you were together and you can't separate us."
Nevills said his teammate's support has helped in his success so far this season. The freshman boasts a 4-0 dual meet record for the Nittany Lions, helping secure Penn State victories over Illinois, Northwestern, Rutgers and Nebraska. In his recent match against the Cornhuskers' Christian Lance, Nevills sealed the deal at 285, clinching a 4-0 decision and another dual meet win. His contribution to the team's victories have proven to be essential, often serving as the turning point for the Lions in the last bout of the night.
Despite the pressures to succeed, Nevills doesn't let Cassar's heavyweight legacy, nor his brother's rise to fame affect his performance when he steps on the mat.
"I've found that being grateful for everybody here who's given me support is the biggest key. It's just something that we do around here – go out and wrestle hard and enjoy it," Nevills said. "That's something that gives everyone a little bit of peace. If you go out there and wrestle hard, then they can't really ask much more of you."
