Cal Poly three-time All-American Bernie Truax has announced that he is transferring to Penn State for his final year of college eligibility.
The announcement comes after Truax capped off his third straight fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and the Nittany Lions won their second straight team title.
Truax leaves the Mustangs as one of the most decorated wrestlers in program history, earning an All-American spot at 174, 184 and 197 pounds. On top of that, he was a two-time Pac-12 champion during his time at Cal Poly.
After competing at 197 pounds last season, Truax confirmed that he will be wrestling in the 184-pound weight class for Cael Sanderson and Penn State.
In terms of what he will miss about wrestling at Cal Poly, Truax cited living on the Central Coast but was clear that it was the team that he would miss the most.
“[I will miss] especially the team, we’ve had so much fun together,” Truax said. “Everything together has been great over the last five years.”
Truax is joining a powerhouse in Penn State, as the program has won 10 of the last 12 team national championships dating back to 2011.
“[Penn State] will give me the best opportunity of being a national champ, a world champ and an Olympic champ,” Truax said.
According to Truax, the decision came down to Penn State, Arizona State, Iowa State, Iowa and returning to Cal Poly. However, the Nittany Lions won the sweepstakes and will add another All-American to their stacked roster.
“When you go in the room and there are four Olympic champs practicing, multiple national champs in there and you look at the success they’re having, it gets you excited to go there and see what it’s all about,” Truax said.
Truax has one year of eligibility remaining, and he will look to cap off his career with a run at his first individual championship and a three-peat for Penn State.