Dec. 5, 2007
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of veteran head coach Troy Sunderland, has moved to No. 5 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll as compiled and released by Intermat Wrestling. Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) is the new No. 1 ranked grappler at 197, leading a charge of six ranked individuals.
Penn State's move to No. 5 comes on the heels of a strong showing at last weekend's Nittany Lion Open and season opening dual match wins over ranked foes Maryland and Hofstra. Penn State won those duals by a combined score of 62-14. Iowa State is the new No. 1, followed by Big Ten foe Minnesota. Oklahoma State, Penn State's Sunday road opponent, is No. 3 with Iowa and Penn State rounding out the top five. Central Michigan, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and Wisconsin comprise the bottom half of the top ten.
In all, nine Big Ten teams are listed among the top 25, with Ohio State checking in at No. 13, Indiana poised at No. 17 and Illinois right behind at No. 18. The Big Ten dominates the rankings with six teams in the top ten and three (including PSU) in the top five.
Davis, 2-0 on the year, sits atop the 197-pound rankings and is one of five Penn Staters ranked in the top ten and six ranked Lions overall. Joining Davis with a lofty position is fellow All-America Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), who is No. 3 at 141. Strayer is 6-1 on the year. Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) is ranked No. 4 at 149 and sports a perfect 7-0 mark and senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), also 2-0, is ranked No. 6 at 125. Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) is No. 10 at 157 with his prefect 9-0 record. Junior 184-pounder Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) is ranked No. 19 and sports an 8-1 mark.
Penn State will hit the road for its first action away from Rec Hall this weekend. The Nittany Lions will visit Lehigh on Friday night for a 7 p.m. dual and then trek to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 3 Oklahoma State on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Central). This weekend's action can be heard live locally on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA (920 AM).