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Nickal attributes much of his success to his long-time coach and mentor, his father Jason Nickal, who has been in his corner since he first stepped on the mat. Nickal is the assistant wrestling coach at Allen High School. “Watching Bo wrestle has been one of the great joys of my life. Every time he stepped onto the mat I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do next,” Jason Nickal said. “We traveled all over the U.S. from the time he was a youth until he graduated and made some great memories. Dropping him off a Penn State was difficult but I knew that is where he now belongs and I am extremely excited to see what the future holds.”
Nickal plans to compete at 174 or 184 pounds next sea- son for the Nittany Lions as his quest for an NCAA title begins.
With aspirations of winning NCAA championships and Olympic gold in the forefront of his mind, Nickal approaches each match with the same, relaxed mentality in order to perform at his highest level.
“When people overthink big matches they don’t do as well, so I just don’t think about much. I just go out there and let it loose,” Nickal said. USA Wrestling Assistant Coach Bill Zadick, a 2006 World champion for the U.S., foresees big things on the horizon for Nickal.
“Bo is one of the most exciting kids coming into the col- lege ranks, with an amazing passion for wrestling,” Zadick said. “He is a very intelligent athlete, focused and wants to learn.
“I love the way he wrestles. I think he has the potential to win anything he puts his mind to at any level.”
31 USA Wrestler
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