Henckel won’t be wrestling for Penn State this season

Southbury’s William Henckel and Penn State teammate Cole Mirasola (285) won’t be on the Penn State wrestling roster, head coach Cael Sandersen said in a news conference on Tuesday in State College.

Henckel and Mirasola will each be taking a religious mission this year and won’t be on the roster, Sandersen said.

“Will Henckel and Cole Mirasola are strong men of faith and it will be a good opportunity for them to go out and share that with the world,” Sandersen said.

Henckel, a graduate of New Jersey’s Blair Academy, went 9-0 at 174 a year ago wrestling for the Nittany Lions. He probably wasn’t to see much mat time at the varsity level this season with two-time national champion Mitchell Mesenbrink scheduled to wrestle at 174 pounds.

Mesenbrink, who won a national title at 166 a year ago, was the outstanding wrestler at last year’s NCAA championships. He was 27-0 a year ago and is 80-1 in his three years at Penn State.

Mirasola would have been battling to wrestle with his twin brother Connor, who won the U23 national championship in May.