Bo Nickal

Bo NIckal Interview (BASCHAMANIA Podcast)

2020-01-17

Bo Nickal was recently on the BASCHAMANIA Podcast as he caught up with Justin Basch about his Penn State career and his plans for the future in both wrestling and MMA. The interview also focuses in on the importance of God in his life and when and what he learned the most from God. Listen here or below:

Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal reveals plans about his MMA future

2019-11-13

Bo Nickal (197 lbs) sits with coach Cael Sanderson before his match at the 2019 Division 1 NCAA Wrestling Championships, at the PPG Paints Arena on Friday, March 22. Photo by James Leavy/Daily Collegian

Right now, Bo Nickal's focus is making the United States Olympic team in 2020.

The three-time NCAA champion is fresh off a U23 World gold medal at 92 kg and just won his third NCAA title back in March.

But there had always been speculation that the Allen, Texas, native had his sights set beyond wrestling.

On Monday, Nickal appeared on SiriusXM's "The Luke Thomas Show," where he shed some light on his MMA plans, which will likely keep the Penn State star close to home.

"My plan right now is to start a gym in State College, Pennsylvania at Penn State and partner with American Top Team," Nickal said on the radio show.

MMA on SiriusXM?@MMAonSiriusXM

@NoBickal shares his plans to start an American Top Team gym in Pennsylvania as he makes his eventual transition to MMA #TLTS @lthomasnews

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Nickal also talked about bring Penn State wrestling "more close to the MMA world" — which currently features former Nittany Lions Bubba Jenkins, Ed Ruth, Jimmy Lawson and Phil Davis — as well as wanting to improve the level of wrestling in MMA and provide wrestling training for fighters who may not have it.

The interview comes a day after First Round Management CEO Malki Kawa announced via Twitter that Nickal signed to a management contract.

Check out The Daily Collegian for more Penn State wrestling coverage.

DAILY COLLEGIAN: Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal claims U23 Senior World championship crown at 92 kg

2019-10-30

Nickal, a four-time All-American, three-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner, continued his dominance on Tuesday when he was crowned the U23 Senior World Champion at 92 kg in Budapest, Hungary.

Former Nittany Lion wrestler Bo Nickal earns a spot on the U23 World Team

2019-07-18

Former Nittany Lion Bo Nickal might have fallen short of his goal of representing the U.S. at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships, but will still have a chance to represent his country on the international stage.

The three-time national champion and reigning Hodge Trophy winner bested Oklahoma wrestler and U23 World Team Trials champion Jake Woodley 2-0 in a best-of-three special wrestle-off Tuesday in Fargo, North Dakota.

Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf Sign with ScrapLife

2019-04-23

Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf Sign with ScrapLife

Whippany, New Jersey.April 22, 2019. - The ScrapLife family is growing! Today, ScrapLife, the company behind the popular Under Armour Wrestling line of apparel, proudly announces that it has signed three-time national champions Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf to long-term endorsement contracts. Nickal and Nolf join fellow Penn State alums David Taylor and Zain Retherford in the ScrapLife stable.

“Bo and Jason are two of the sport’s best competitors and ambassadors,” said ScrapLife partner Don Beshada. “Hard working, bright, talented, and humble - the qualities that any company looks for in strategic partners, and qualities they share with David and Zain. Given where they all come from, that is hardly surprising,” continued Beshada. “We’re proud that Bo and Jason chose to represent the ScrapLife brand, and we’re happy we can assist them with the transition to the next phase of their lives. We like to say that Bo and Jason are additions to the family, but in reality, they are part of the beginning of something that we believe will be special.”

The agreements are for an undisclosed number of years, but well into the next Olympic cycle. They are full, exclusive head-to-toe agreements, including wrestling-specific accessories and footwear.

“To me, the decision on which brand to align with came down to quality of the product, company vision, and feel,” said Nickal. “ScrapLife has the best product, so that part was easy from the get-go. But, I also wanted to ensure that ScrapLife’s vision for the company, and my vision for me and my career, were 100% aligned. They are, and I think you’ll see some unique product and content coming from us at ScrapLife.”

Nickal concluded: “Finally, the people were very important to me. And, let’s face it, these guys are my longtime teammates, and we’ve enjoyed an incredible amount of success together. Adding that to the ScrapLife business team, we feel very confident in the short and long term direction of the company, and I look forward to having a lot of fun!”

Nolf echoed Nickal’s sentiments: “I’m a very loyal person, and I viewed this as an agreement that I was signing for the rest of my career. So, I think that speaks volumes about how I feel about ScrapLife as a company, its product line, and the people here.”

Nolf continued: “I’m used to having fun and competing. I’m used to doing that in my own kind of way. I wanted to represent a brand that reflected those things, and that also had a brand strategy and plan that was unique. ScrapLife has those things, and its long-term brand strategy lines up with my own.“

Nolf concluded: “I expect to compete for a long time, with the people I’ve been around for the last 5 years. My teammates at ScrapLife are the same teammates that I’ve had fun with and competed with for years, and we’ve been blessed to enjoy some success as a team. I only see that continuing at ScrapLife, and I can’t wait to move forward with our plans.”

Nolf and Nickal are part of a very small handful of wrestlers to make 4 NCAA finals, with each winning the last 3 years. Between them and David Taylor and Zain Retherford, the ScrapLife athlete team has won 5 Hodge trophies (including the last 3) and 11 NCAA championships.

Limited first edition Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf apparel is now available at ScrapLife.com.

“We’re not a big believer in bold and brash statements or predictions,” Beshada concluded. “We’ll simply say that we feel very lucky to have the team we have, and we're confident in our plans for the future.”

ABOUT SCRAPLIFE

ScrapLife is a lifestyle company focused on Olympic and collegiate style wrestling and combat sports. It is the distributor of the popular “Under Armour Wrestling” line of products, and is the official apparel and footwear company of 2018 World Champion David Taylor, and 3-time NCAA champions Zain Retherford, Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf. ScrapLife is the official teamwear provider of Cornell University and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, amongst other elite programs and clubs.

Penn State wrestling: Bo Nickal wins the Hodge Trophy

2019-04-01

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 1, 2019 – (Portion of release, including quotes, courtesy Bryan Van Kley, WIN Magazine) Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) has won the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the top collegiate wrestler in the nation by ASICS. The Hodge Trophy has been awarded since 1995. The three-time NCAA champion finished first in the voting, just ahead of teammate Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.). A Nittany Lion has now won the last three Hodge Trophy awards.

Penn State wrestling's Bo Nickal picks up third Big Ten title in continued dominance at 197 pounds

2019-03-10

Bo Nickal has already cemented himself in Penn State wrestling history by winning and pinning opponents at a prolific rate.

He currently ranks second all-time in pins and sixth all-time in bonus point wins and now, he can add another accolade to his collection.

With his win in the 197 pound final of the 2019 Big Ten tournament, Nickal became just the sixth Penn State wrestler ever to claim three or more Big Ten titles.