Dec. 5, 2007
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The fifth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will hit the road for its first two road duals of the season this coming weekend. The Lions of head coach Troy Sunderland will visit Lehigh (4-5, 2-0 EIWA) on Friday, Dec. 7, for a 7 p.m. dual in Stabler Arena. Penn State then treks to Stillwater, Okla., to visit No. 3 Oklahoma State (5-0, 1-1 Big 12) on Sunday at 3 p.m. (Eastern).
Penn State is coming off a superb showing in the 2007 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday. Five Nittany Lions won individual titles with five more earning top six placements. Garrett Scott (141), Bubba Jenkins (149), Dan Vallimont (157), David Erwin (174) and John Laboranti (HWT) all won titles while Mark Friend (174, 2nd), Jake Strayer (141, 4th), Phil Bomberger (184, 5th), Dave Rella (165, 6th) and Brendan Herlihy (HWT, 6th) all placed. Seniors Phil Davis and Mark McKnight did not wrestle in the event. Penn State will enter the duals with six ranked wrestlers, led by senior All-American Phil Davis and junior All-American Jake Strayer. Davis is No. 1 at 197, Strayer No. 3 at 141, Bubba Jenkins No. 4 at 149, Mark McKnight No. 6 at 125, Dan Vallimont No. 10 at 157 and Phil Bomberger No. 19 at 184.
The Lehigh match will feature an innovative fan interaction that will allow fans to take part in a contest to dictate the bout order of the dual. Lehigh comes in with a 4-5 mark overall, 2-0 in the EIWA. The Mountain Hawks own wins over Binghamton, Clarion, Rutgers and American. Top match-ups in this dual feature a showdown at 184 where Penn State's Bomberger (No. 19) takes on Lehigh's David Craig (No. 17).
The dual will feature a special interactive fan contest to determine the order the bouts will be wrestled. To take part go to http://www.intermatwrestle.com/news/newsdisplay.aspx?ID=5907.
Oklahoma State will enter this weekend's dual with a perfect 5-0 mark, 1-0 in Big 12 action. The third-ranked Cowboys own wins over Binghamtom, Clarion, American, No. 13 Hofstra (20-16) and No. 21 Oklahoma (21-9). Oklahoma State has a strong line-up that sports six ranked grapplers as well. The dual could see two bouts that feature two ranked wrestlers facing off against each other. No. 3 Strayer and No. 6 Nathan Morgan of OSU could meet at 141 and No. 10 Vallimont could meet No. 20 Newly McSpadden of OSU at 157. The Cowboys' four other ranked wrestlers are Coleman Scott (No. 1 at 133), Jake Dieffenbach (No. 12 at 165), Brandon Mason (No. 4 at 174) and Jared Rosholt (No. 8 at HWT).
The Nittany Lions will host Cornell in their next dual. Penn State and the Big Red will battle on Friday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Tickets for all regular season duals are on sale now at the athletic department ticket office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Single-dual tickets are $5 for adults and seniors and $3 for students 18 and under. Penn State students with a proper student ID are admitted free! Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order single-dual or season tickets. All Penn State duals will be broadcast locally on WBLF 970 AM and WKVA 920 AM and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com. All home duals will feature a live video webcast and live scoring at www.GoPSUsports.com as well.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS - as of 12/6/07
#5 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 BIG TEN)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2007-08 Record
125 #6 Mark McKnight Sr. McDonald, Pa./South Fayette 2-0
133 Mike Eagen Fr. Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls 1-5
Tim Haas Sr. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 0-1
141 #3 Jake Strayer Jr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 6-1
149 #4 Bubba Jenkins So. Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial 7-0
157 #10 Dan Vallimont So. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 9-0
165 Dave Rella So. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit 6-3
174 David Erwin So. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 15-1
OR Mark Friend Jr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 8-2
184 #19 Philip Bomberger Jr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 7-1
197 #1 Philip Davis Sr. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 2-0
HWT John Laboranti Jr. Pittston, Pa./Pittston 14-1
OR Stefan Tighe So. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 4-1
LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (4-5, 2-0 EIWA)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2007-08 Record
125 Mitch Berger Fr. Freehold, N.J./Freehold 1-9
133 Kevin Vinh Jr. Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth (Md.) 5-7
141 Jeff Santo Sr. Wind Gap, Pa./Pen Argyl 1-6
149 Trevor Chinn Jr. Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua 10-5
157 Dave Nakasone Sr. Ellicott City, Md./Centennial 7-7
165 Mike Galante So. Ocean City, N.J./Blair Academy 7-5
174 Alex Caruso Fr. Green Brook, N.J./Mahwah 9-4
184 #17 David Craig So. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 6-3
197 Alex Iacocca So. Allentown, Pa./Emmaus 3-9
HWT Justin Allen So. Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook 9-7
#3 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (5-0, 1-0 Big 12)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2007-08 Record
125 Ben Ashmore Fr. Greenville, Tex/Bishop Lynch 11-4
133 #1 Coleman Scott Sr. Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central 8-2
141 #6 Nathan Morgan Sr. Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield 10-1
149 Quinten Fuentes Fr. Johnstown, Colo./Roosevelt 7-3
157 #20 Newly McSpadden Jr. Vinita, Okla./Vinita 9-1
165 #12 Jake Dieffenbach Sr. House Springs, Mo./Oakville 4-0
174 #4 Brandon Mason Jr. Shenandoah, Iowa/Lewis Central 7-1
184 Cody Hill Fr. Marlow,Okla./Marlow 9-1
197 Clayton Foster Fr. Kamiah, Idaho/Kamiah 10-1
HWT #8 Jared Rosholt So. Sandpoint, Idaho/Ponca City 10-0
All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 12/5/07
PENN STATE VS. LEHIGH AND OSU: THE SERIES Penn State has met Lehigh 95 times in its now-100 years of wrestling, by far the most of any opponent in Nittany Lion history. The Nittany Lions own a 60-32-3 lead over the Mountain Hawks, including the last three. Penn State downed LU 23-12 last Dec. 8 in Rec Hall and beat the Mountain Hawks twice in 2005-06. Lehigh's last victory over Penn State was a 20-16 win on Jan. 7, 2005. Penn State and Oklahoma State have met 16 times over the years with the Cowboys owning an 11-4-1 edge. The teams last met on Jan. 7, 2000, in Stillwater where OSU claimed a 32-6 win. Oklahoma State has won the last three meetings. Penn State's last victory was a 38-7 win in Stillwater on Jan. 30, 1993.
PENN STATE/LEHIGH DUAL TO FEATURE INTERACTIVE FAN PARTICIPATION! The National Wrestling Coaches Association, in cooperation with the NCAA wrestling competition committee, Lehigh University and Penn State University, will be piloting a dual meet that will wrestle weights in a non-traditional order based on each coach's decision following a completed bout. But the fan interaction takes place because fans will have the ability to talk their respective coaches into sending a set weight on to the mat. There will be an online contest for fans to pick the exact weight classes in the order their wrestled. The winner gets two tickets and hotel accommodations to the 2008 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. The take part in the contest, fans only need go to http://www.intermatwrestle.com/news/newsdisplay.aspx?ID=5907 .
FIVE NITTANY LIONS WIN TITLES AT 2007 NITTANY LION OPEN Sophomores Bubba Jenkins and Dan Vallimont led the charge as the fifth-ranked 149-pounder and 11th-ranked 157-pounder each held serve to win at their respective weights. Jenkins posted a perfect 5-0 mark (with an extra win over a non-collegiate wrestler) and Vallimont was 7-0 on the day. Freshman Garrett Scott blazed his way to a 6-0 mark at 141 and the title, including a win over teammate and second-ranked Jake Strayer in the semifinals. Sophomore David Erwin downed teammate Mark Friend, 6-2, in the finals at 174 to claim the title (his third open title of the year). Erwin went 6-0 and Friend went 4-1. Junior John Laboranti beat the 15th-ranked HWT in the nation, Kent State's Jermail Porter, in the finals to claim his title. Laboranti went 5-0 on the day. Friend's runner-up finish at 174 led Penn State's five other placers with Strayer taking fourth (he did not wrestle his third place bout and did not get a loss). No. 18 Phil Bomberger advanced to the quarterfinals at 184 before dropping a hard-fought decision to No. 8 and eventual champion Rocco Caponi of Virginia. Since only semifinal losers can wrestle for third place, Bomberger reeled off three straight wins in consolations to post a strong 6-1 mark and finish in fifth. Dave Rella went 5-2 to finish in sixth place at 165 and sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy went 6-2 overall to finish sixth in the HWT division. In addition, recently signed Nittany Lion recruit Quentin Wright claimed the tournament title at 165 pounds.
MICHIGAN STATE DUAL MOVED TO 5 P.M. START AS BIG TEN NETWORKS AIRS THE DUAL LIVE! The Big Ten wrestling clash between No. 6 Penn State and Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 15, in Rec Hall, will be aired live to a national television audience on the Big Ten Network. The match will now begin at 5 p.m. The event is the first announced live Big Ten wrestling dual for Penn State this season and will give Nittany Lion wrestling fans the chance to be a part of a live national wrestling broadcast. The Big Ten Network has not finalized its entire wrestling schedule with more dates, both live and tape delay, to be announced later.
ERWIN AND LABORANTI CLAIM MAT-TOWN TITLES Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) and John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) claimed titles at the 2007 Mat-Town U.S.A. Open Saturday evening with three other Penn Staters (and Lion-to-be) placing as well. Erwin won the crown at 174 while Laboranti nabbed the heavyweight title. Erwin went 4-0 at 174, winning the title bout over Nittany Lion teammate Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) by a 9-8 score. Friend earned runner-up status with a 3-1 showing. Laboranti posted a 4-0 mark as well, beating Cornell's Maciej Jochem 5-3 (sv) in the finals to claim the title at HWT. He downed teammate Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) with a sudden victory decision in the semifinals. Wade, wrestling unattached, went 3-2 and took home fourth place. True freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.), also wrestling unattached, took second at 165. He lost a 7-3 decision to Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) a high school senior who recently signed on to become a Nittany Lion next fall. Wright went a perfect 4-0 in the tournament to claim the title while Bollinger also posted a 4-0 mark (his loss to a non-collegiate wrestler does not count on his record).
STRAYER NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending on Nov. 18. Strayer, a junior 141-pounder, shares the honor with Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst. Strayer, who entered last Saturday's dual with Hofstra ranked No. 7 nationally at 141, nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin before coasting to a convincing 6-1 win over the returning national semifinalist. The win helped spur No. 10 Penn State on to a 28-11 win over No. 12 Hofstra. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick was an All-American for Penn State last year at 133 but has moved up to 141 and has fared well so far this year, sporting a 2-0 record. Strayer is also a co-captain on this year's Nittany Lion squad for head coach Troy Sunderland. The weekly honor is Penn State's first of the year and the first since Aaron Anspach garnered the award on Feb. 7 of last year.
NITTANY LIONS DISMANTLE #12 HOFSTRA Getting three wins in match-ups of top ten wrestlers, Penn State won seven of ten bouts on its way to a thorough 28-11 dismantling of visiting Hofstra in a key Eastern wrestling dual. No. 2 Phil Davis majored No. 6 Joe Rovelli at 197 (12-1), No. 7 Jake Strayer nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin on his way to a 6-1 win and No. 10 Mark McKnight beat No. 7 Dave Tomasette 3-2. Pins from Stefan Tighe at HWT and No. 20 Phil Bomberger at 184, plus decisions from No. 7 Bubba Jenkins (149) and No. 12 Dan Vallimont (157) aided in the victory.
DAVIS HANDLES #6 ROVELLI OF HOSTRA Already in top form, three-time All-American Phil Davis posted his second straight big win over a top ranked opponent. No. 2 Davis beat No. 6 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra 12-1 on 11/17, posting a major just a week after a 17-2 tech. fall over the No. 8 ranked 197-pounder from Maryland.
STRAYER DOMINATES #2 GRIFFIN No. 7 Jake Strayer nearly pinned No. 2 Charles Griffin of Hofstra on 11/17, turning the defending national semifinalist to his back for a near fall and walking away with a convincing 6-1 win. The victory helped spur Penn State on to a 28-11 win over the visiting Pride.
McKNIGHT TAKES DOWN #7 TOMASETTE Senior Mark McKnight was sound in his 3-2 win over No. 7 Dave Tomasette of Hofstra on 11/17. The Lion 125-pounder, ranked No. 10 heading into the bout, scored the match-ups only takedown and did not allow Tomasette any openings. McKnight's win helped spur Penn State on to a 28-11 win.
DAVIS HANDLES TAMILLOW AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC EXHIBITION Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, posted a 6-2 decision over No. 3 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern in the 2007 NWCA All-Star Classic, held at the University of Oregon. Davis and head coach Troy Sunderland attended the exhibition event in Eugene, Ore. Davis found himself on the defensive early as Tamillow nearly scored on three different occasions in the first period. But Davis' maneuverability on top allowed him to escape each Tamillow scoring threat and keep the bout scoreless after one period. Davis chooses down to begin the second period and quickly turns his choice into not a one point escape, but a two point reversal. The three-time Nittany Lion All-American built up some solid riding time before Tamillow managed to scramble out for an escape. Still, Davis led 2-1 with 1:00 left in the middle stanza. Tamillow once again got in on Davis' ankle after the restart halfway through the second, but Davis keeps Tamillow at a distance and his other leg free to avoid giving up any points and taking the 2-1 lead into the third. The Wildcat 197-pounder chooses down to begin the third period and begins to work into Davis' riding time edge. But Davis, always dangerous on top, locks Tamillow into a cradle. Davis gets three near fall points with the move and clinches the riding time point. The Lion senior would maintain control of Tamillow until the Wildcat grappler escaped to a 5-2 deficit with just :20 left. Davis tacked on the riding time bonus point at the end to post a convincing 6-2 victory over third-ranked Tamillow. The victory, being in an exhibition, does not count towards Davis' season record. However, in the span of nine days, Davis has begun his 2007-08 season with wins over the eighth, sixth and third ranked wrestlers in the country by a combined score of 35-5. Davis is 2-0 on the year with wins over No. 8 Hudson Taylor of Maryland (a 17-2 tech. fall) and No. 6 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra (a 12-1 major).
MOLINARO CLAIMS ESU OPEN TITLE AT 141 Penn State freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) made his debut at the collegiate level count, claiming the 141-pound title at the 2007 East Stroudsburg Open on Saturday. Wrestling unattached, Molinaro blazed to a 6-0 record with two pins. Freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.), junior Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) and sophomore Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) were all solid as well, advancing to the quarterfinals at their respective weights.
PENN STATE HOME DUALS TO FEATURE LIVE VIDEO WEBCASTS AT GOPSUSPORTS.COM! Marrying the audio from Jeff Byers' outstanding radio broadcasts with a live video feed from center mat in Rec Hall will allow Penn State fans all over the world to watch each and every home dual meet live at www.GoPSUsports.com. Every Penn State home dual will feature the live webcast and is free to the public. Just go to GoPSUsports.com's wrestling home page, click on schedule and follow the live links!
LIONS WIN NINE OF TEN TO TAKE DOWN TALENTED TERRAPINS Penn State won nine of ten bouts to take down a young and talented Maryland Terrapin team. Senior Phil Davis got a technical fall at 197, junior All-American Jake Strayer and sophomore Dan Vallimont got majors at 141 and 157 while sophomore Bubba Jenkins thrilled the crowd with a pin at 149. Mark McKnight (125), Dave Rella (165), Mark Friend (174), Phil Bomberger (184) and Stefan Tighe (HWT) all grabbed major decisions in the victory.
DAVIS HAMMERS #8 TAYLOR FOR ROUSING SEASON OPENING WIN No. 2 Phil Davis met No. 8 Hudson Taylor of Maryland in his first action of the year on 11/11. What many expected to be a battle of titans turned into a short-lived bout as Davis piled on back-points and more back points on his way to a 17-2 technical fall over the talented Terrapin sophomore in only 4:12.
STRAYER MAJOR'S #20 PINTO No. 7 Jake Strayer, an All-American at 133 last year and making his collegiate debut at 141, gave notice to the nation with a resounding 14-0 major decision over No. 20 Charlie Pinto in Penn State's season-opening dual match win over Maryland.
ERWIN AND LABORANTI WIN MSU OPEN TITLES Not letting defeat in Wrestle-Offs last weekend dampen their aspirations at national glory this season, two Penn State sophomores traveled to East Lansing, Mich., this past weekend and came away with titles at the MSU Open. Sophomores David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) and John Laboranti (Scranton, Pa.) won titles at 174 and heavyweight, respectively. Erwin, ranked No. 11 nationally at his new weight of 174, posted a 5-0 record with two major decisions, giving notice that the Lion sophomore is still a factor on the national scene. Laboranti went 4-0 at HWT with a major as well. True freshman Cameron Wade (Mayfield, Ohio), wrestling unattached, advanced to the semifinals at HWT before falling 3-1 to Tate. Wade went 2-3 and placed sixth in his first collegiate event.
FORMER LIONS CUMMINS AND SMITH COMPETE AT INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Former Penn State wrestling stand-outs Pat Cummins and Adam Smith competed in the Hargobind International Wrestling Championships held in Surrey, British Columbia, no Nov. 2-3. Former HWT All-American Pat Cummins brought home a Bronze Medal at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Former Lion stand-out and Director of Operations Adam Smith took placed fifth at 55 kg/121 lbs.
NEARLY 1,800 CHEER WRESTLE-OFFS Nearly 1,800 fans filled Rec Hall as the 2007-08 wrestling season had its table set with Penn State's annual Wrestle-Offs. Twenty five Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season. Head coach Troy Sunderland's two returning All-Americans, Phil Davis at 197 and Jake Strayer at 141, did not wrestle in the event. Davis, ranked No. 2 nationally at 197, was the only wrestler entered at his weight while Strayer, ranked No. 7 at 141, did not compete due to a slight injury. Still nine of ten weight classes featured exciting action. Junior Mark Friend (at 174), junior Phil Bomberger (184) and sophomore Stefan Tighe (HWT) won the three most competitive weight classes in the exhibition.
DAVIS, HAAS AND STRAYER NAMED 2007-08 TEAM CAPTAINS Three of Penn State's most respected wrestlers have been named team captains for the upcoming 2007-08 season, Nittany Lion head coach Troy Sunderland announced. Seniors Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) and junior Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) will be tri-captains during the upcoming campaign. Davis is a three-time All-American at 197 and is trying to become only the fourth four-time All-American in Penn State's 100 years of wrestling. Strayer earned All-America honors at 133 last season, placing seventh in Detroit and going 27-8 on the year. An outstanding talent, Haas has a 22-8 career record, including a 14-7 mark two years ago at 125.
LIONS RANKED #5 IN USA TODAY/NWCA POLL; DAVIS #1 TO LEAD SIX RANKED INDIVIDUALS 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.
DAVIS MOVING UP CAREER LISTS! Senior Phil Davis heads is nearing the 100 win mark. Entering his senior year with 90 wins, Davis is now 92-19 overall. He is just eight wins shy from becoming the 24th member of Penn State's 100-win club. When he reaches 100 wins he will tie current Nittany Lion head coach Troy Sunderland on that illustrious list of all-time win leaders in Penn State history (Sunderland has 100 career wins). Davis' 43 dual wins is just five shy of moving into a tie for 14th place all-time, equalling the mark of 47 held by both Dan Mayo and Andy Voit. The Harrisburg native's 22 pins (Davis is 22-1 in matches decided by a fall) is currently 16h all-time at Penn State. The Nittany Lion has competed in 111 career matches, giving him a shot at reaching Glenn Pritzlaff's career total of 135, which would be 20th all-time in PSU history.
TOP RECRUIT QUENTIN WRIGHT SIGNS NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT Penn State Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland got some outstanding news on day one of the National Letter of Intent early signing period with the signed letter from Bald Eagle Area product Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.). Wright, who is defending his 2007 PIAA state championship this year, projects at 184 for the Nittany Lions and is the first wrestler to sign with Penn State during the early signing period. "Quentin will be an outstanding addition to this team and the entire Penn State community," said Sunderland. "His skills on the mat are equaled only by his work ethic in the wrestling room and his commitment to family and community make him a perfect fit for this program. Quentin's character, judgment and integrity exemplify what we look for in a recruit. He will represent Penn State University and our wrestling program with dignity and class. Furthermore, he will carry on our tradition and make our former alumni Penn State proud." A five-star recruit according to Intermat, the national wrestling source has Wright tabbed as the No. 12 overall recruit (regardless of weight) in the entire nation and top three at either 160 or 171. His high school accolades are outstanding. As stated, he claimed the PIAA AAA state title last year and completed his junior campaign with a perfect 41-0 record. A year before, he was a PIAA Runner-Up. Wright also claimed the 2006 Beast of the Championship and was a Cadet Freestyle All-American. As a high school junior, Wright competed in a number of collegiate level open tournaments, including a fifth place finish at last year's Nittany Lion Open and the title at the Millersville Invitational.