Jan. 10, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
Tournament Notes in PDF Format
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, will put that lofty ranking to the test at the 2008 National Duals this coming Saturday and Sunday at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome. Penn State will face unseeded and 16th-ranked UT-Chattanooga in the first round on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 9 a.m. (central). Action continues throughout the day on Saturday and concludes on Sunday.
Penn State has received top seed at the tournament, which seeds eight squads. If the Nittany Lions defeat the Mocs, then Penn State would face the winner of No. 9 Northwestern (the #8 seed) and No. 10 Nebraska. The other first round match ups in Penn State's half of the bracket are No. 6 Minnesota (the #5 seed) against West Virginia and No. 5 Central Michigan (the #4 seed) facing No. 11 Ohio State. The two-day, sixteen team, dual meet tournament features a stunning field comprised of nine of the nation's top ten ranked teams. Thirteen of the nation's top 16 teams are in the field. Fifteen of the 16 squads are ranked in the top 25 with the 16th receiving votes.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 35-10 win over then No. 17 Cornell last Friday night in Rec Hall. Penn State used pins from seniors Phil Davis (197) and Mark McKnight (125) and junior Jake Strayer (141) as well as a forfeit at 149 to post the gaudy margin.
Top-ranked Penn State now has seven wrestlers ranked in the latest (1/10) USA Today/NWCA poll. Big Ten Wrestler of the Week David Erwin re-entered the rankings at the No. 17 spot at 174. Davis is still No. 2 at 197 and Strayer is still No. 2 at 141 while sophomore Bubba Jenkins sits at No. 4 at 149. McKnight maintains his No. 7 nod at 125 while sophomore Dan Vallimont inched into the top ten with a No. 10 ranking at 157. Junior Phil Bomberger moved up to No. 14 at 184 to round out Penn State's ranked individuals.
No. 16 Chattanooga, ironically, is the only team in the entire field that Penn State has never met in a dual. The Mocs are 5-2 on the year, coming off a tough 21-16 loss to No. 24 Northern Iowa last weekend. UTC's line-up features seven ranked wrestlers as well, including Javier Maldanodo (No. 9 at 125), Steve Hromada (No. 20 at 133), Cody Cleveland (No. 19 at 141), Joey Knox (No. 20 at 149), Seth Garvin (No. 20 at 157), Lloyd Rogers (No. 12 at 174) and Matt Koz (No. 13 at 197).
The Nittany Lions will open up Big Ten action with a dual at Iowa on Sunday, Jan. 20. Action in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 2 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State's next home dual will be on Jan. 27 when No. 15 Indiana comes to Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. match-up. 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.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (5-0, 0-0 BIG TEN)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2007-08 Record
125 #7 Mark McKnight Sr. McDonald, Pa./South Fayette 5-0
133 Tim Haas Sr. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 1-3
Mike Eagen Fr. Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls 5-8
141 #2 Jake Strayer Jr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 8-1
Garrett Scott Fr. Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley 10-2
149 #4 Bubba Jenkins So. Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial 9-0
157 #10 Dan Vallimont So. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 12-0
165 Dave Rella So. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit 7-5
174 #17 David Erwin So. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 17-2
Mark Friend Jr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 14-4
184 #14 Philip Bomberger Jr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 10-1
Jack Decker Jr. Roseland, N.J./Seton Hall Prep 15-4
197 #2 Philip Davis Sr. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 5-0
HWT John Laboranti Jr. Pittston, Pa./Pittston 15-2
Stefan Tighe So. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 4-2
All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 1/9/08
2008 NATIONAL DUALS - SCHEDULE
(seed in bold NATIONAL RANKING IN PARENTHESIS -- SEE pgs. 27-28 FOR BRACKET)
Saturday, Jan. 12
Preliminaries at 9 a.m.:
1 Penn State (#1) vs. UT-Chattanooga (#16) -- 8 Northwestern (#9) vs. Nebraska (#10)
5 Minnesota (#6) vs. West Virginia (RV) -- 4 Central Michigan (#5) vs. Ohio State (#11)
Preliminaries at 11 a.m.
3 Iowa State (#4) vs. Hofstra (#12) -- 6 Michigan (#7) vs. Northern Iowa (#24)
7 Missouri (#8) vs. Indiana (#15) -- 2 Iowa (#2) vs. Cornell (#19)
Top half quarterfinals at 1 p.m., bottom half quarterfinals at 3 p.m.
Consolations begin at 1 p.m. and run through matches starting at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Semis at 11 a.m.; Finals at 3 p.m. -- 7th place match at 9 a.m. -- 5th place match at 1 p.m. -- 3rd place match at 1 p.m.
PENN STATE AT THE DUALS: THE LAST TIME Penn State last took part in the National Duals in 2004-05. That year, the Nittany Lions went 2-3 at the event to place eighth. Those duals were hosted by Cleveland State University. Penn State opened up that event with a 27-13 loss to No. 10 Oklahoma and then beat No. 22 West Virginia (34-12) and No. 11 Cornell (21-15) before falling to No. 12 Central Michigan (25-15) and Michigan (29-14). This will Penn State's first trip to Northern Iowa for the National Duals, although the Uni-Dome has been the site of the NCAA Championships. The last time Penn State won the National Duals the 1992-93 season when it was called the National Team Duals. The Nittany Lions went on to post a 22-0-1 record that year and finish as the National Runner-Up at the 1993 NCAA Championships. That year was also the last time Penn State earned the No. 1 national ranking.
PENN STATE VS. THE FIELD The two-day, sixteen team, dual meet tournament features a stunning field comprised of nine of the nation's top ten ranked teams. Thirteen of the nation's top 16 teams are in the field. Fifteen of the 16 squads are ranked in the top 25 with the 16th receiving votes.
The following list showcases Penn State's all-time record vs. teams competing in the duals: Central Michigan (0-1), Chattanooga (never met), Cornell (54-11-3), Hofstra (5-1), Indiana (12-0), Michigan (21-23), Minnesota (6-9), Missouri (2-2-1), Nebraska (4-6-1), Northern Iowa (4-0), Northwestern (9-1), Ohio State (13-7), West Virginia (24-7). Penn State has already faced two of the teams in this year's field, downing Hofstra 28-11 and beating Cornell 35-10. The Nittany Lions will also meet Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and Ohio State during the dual meet season to come.
Nittany Lion Wrestling Fans Can Follow PSU's Progress with Live Audio and Video Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the nation and the top seed at the 2008 National Duals, can follow Penn State's progress in Cedar Falls via free live streaming on the web. Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State wrestling, will once again call every Penn State dual and his broadcast can streamed live for free at www.GoPSUsports.com. Just go to the wrestling home page, click schedule and find the live audio link there. Byers' call can also be heard over the air on WBLF AM (970) and WKVA AM (920). Sunday's action will feature, in addition to the free audio stream, a free live video stream courtesy of UNI Athletics and Live Sports Video. The video webcast will begin with the semifinals at 12 p.m. (Eastern) and continue through the crowning of the 2008 National Dual Meet Champion.
ERWIN KNOCKS OFF #8 ANCERAVAGE TO LEAD PENN STATE OVER #17 CORNELL; NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK Sophomore 174-pounder David Erwin notched a thrilling 6-4 win over No. 8 Steve Anceravage of Cornell in Penn State's resounding 35-10 win over the 17th-ranked Big Red on Jan. 4. Erwin scored six points in the closing seconds of the second period to post the victory, the signature win in Penn State's fifth-straight win to open the season. For his efforts, Erwin was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 6. The honor was Erwin's first and the second of the season for Penn State (Jake Strayer won the award on Nov. 21).
THREE FALLS HIGHLIGHT PENN STATE'S 35-10 WIN OVER #17 CORNELL Penn State used three falls to build up a 14-1 edge in bonus points, plus won seven of ten bouts, to coast to a 35-10 win over visiting Cornell on Jan. 4. The bout was wrestled in front of over 3,200 fans in Rec Hall. Jake Strayer (141), Phil Davis (197) and Mark McKnight (125) each got pins, marking the first time the Lions had three falls in one dual since its 39-3 victory over North Dakota State on Jan. 12 last year (at the Virginia Duals). Penn State also got bonus points from Garrett Scott (getting a forfeit at 149), Dan Vallimont (a major at 157) and Phil Bomberger (a major at 184).
SUNDERLAND NEARING 100 CAREER WINS Penn State mentor Troy Sunderland will head to the 2008 National Duals with a 98-73 career record, needing just two victories to reach the 100 win plateau in this, his 10th year at the helm of the Nittany Lion wrestling program.
DARLING'S RUNNER-UP SHOWING AT HITCHCOCK OPEN LEADS SIX PSU PLACERS A solid group of Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers performed well on Saturday at the Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Open hosted by Millersville University. True freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) led six Penn State place winners with a runner-up showing at 149 pounds. Darling and most of his teammates were wrestling unattached. Darling went 3-0 with two major decisions to advance to the finals before falling to North Carolina's Mike Rappo 5-2 in the title bout. Junior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.), continuing to perform well at 174, went 5-0 overall, but a semifinal loss to a non-collegiate wrestler moved him to the consolation bracket where he continued his prowess to place third. Friend had three pins and a technical fall during his run. Junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) also had a solid tournament, going 5-1 with a major decision to also finish third at 184 pounds. Sophomore heavyweight Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.) posted a 4-1 record at HWT to place third as well. Three of Herlihy's four wins came in overtime. True freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) actually led Penn State in victories at the tournament, racking up a 7-1 record to finish a strong third at 165 pounds. Red-shirt freshman Mike Eagen (Wharton, N.J.) was solid at 133 pounds as well, going 3-2 and placing fourth. Eagen had two pins and a major decision.
PENN STATE ANNOUNCES THREE TV DATES The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will be featured in at least three live televised duals this year as the Big Ten Network and local affiliates WPSU-TV and WHVL-TV will all air one match in the upcoming weeks. The Big Ten Network recently announced that Penn State's home conference dual with Michigan State will be broadcast to a national audience live on Feb. 15. The dual had initially been changed to a 5 p.m. start, but scheduling changes with the BTN have allowed the match to be switched back to its original 7 p.m. start time. Penn State's Jan. 4 home dual with Eastern rival Cornell was televised live on WPSU-TV, Penn State's PBS affiliate. The Nittany Lions beat 17th-ranked CU 35-10 in front of over 3,200 fans. In addition, WHVL-TV, State College's new local television station, will follow Penn State to nearby Lock Haven University to televise Penn State's Feb. 23 road dual at Lock Haven live as well. In order to accommodate the live telecast, the dual has been moved back to an 8 p.m. start (instead of the original 7:30 p.m. start). WHVL-TV is serving a growing audience in the Centre Region and can be seen on seven regional cable systems. Check www.whvl.com for a complete list of local affiliates and channels.
DECKER CLAIMS WILKES OPEN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion junior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) stormed his way to the 184-pound title at the 2007 Wilkes Open on Friday, claiming the crown in action that finished Friday evening. Decker's performance led a strong contingent of unattached Penn State grapplers as four Nittany Lions placed at the event. Decker went 5-0 on the day including two pins in his first two bouts and added two decisions and a medical forfeit to win the title. Olympic red-shirt Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also had a strong day, going 4-1 (3-1 vs. collegiate wrestlers) with two technical falls. Pataky lost a close 4-3 decision in the finals to No. 20 Steve Mytych, unattached from Drexel. Penn State also garnered two other place-winners. True freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) had a solid 4-2 day to finish fourth, including a pin. Sophomore Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio) went 3-2 (2-2 vs. collegiate wrestlers) to finish fourth at 184. Starting 133-pounder Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) returned to action, getting his feet wet after missing the last six-plus weeks with an injury. Haas went 2-1, 1-1 vs. collegiate wrestlers, at 133. He did not wrestle in consolations as the senior looks to prepare for Penn State's bout with No. 17 Cornell on Jan. 4. His lone loss was a tough 7-5 decision to Brandon Reasy of Pitt-Johnstown in the semifinals. Reasy is ranked No. 2 in the nation at the Division II level.
PATAKY CONTINUES OLYMPIC QUEST Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), who red-shirted last season and will seek an Olympic red-shirt this year, continues to build upon his freestyle successes. A starter for Penn State during the 2005-06 season as a true freshman, Pataky has been focused solely on class and freestyle wrestling over the course of the last two years. During the 2006-07 academic year, Pataky competed in five freestyle events. He went 5-2 at the prestigious Sunkist Open, garnering three pins along the way. He followed that up with a third place finish at the Guelph Open in Canada and then winning the Brockport Open in New York. The talented Clearfield native then went 3-1 at the Dave Schultz Memorial in February of 2007, getting all three wins with pins. In June of this past summer, Pataky competed at the World Team Trials and went 1-1. This year, Pataky has competed in two events, the Sunkist Open and the NYAC Open this past November. Pataky placed sixth at the Sunkist Open, competing at 55 kg (121 pounds). He followed that performance up with an outstanding fourth place finish at the NYAC Open. Pataky went 4-2 on his way to the consolation finals where he lost a close bout to former Penn State stand-out Adam Smith. Pataky's only other loss was a close 1-0, 1-0 decision to former Arizona State All-American Danny Felix. Along the way, Pataky grabbed a superb 4-3, 8-6 win over 2006 NCAA National Champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana.
MOLINARO CLAIMS CSU OPEN TITLE Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) stormed the field at the Cleveland State Open to claim the 141-pound weight class title. The unseeded true freshman, wrestling unattached, went 5-0 at the event to win his second open tournament crown.Molinaro began the tournament with a 7-6 win over Bucknell's Luke Chohany. A pin and a decision followed. Molinaro then got a medical forfeit win in the semifinals before posting an impressive 6-1 win over top-seeded Mike Hurley of Cleveland State in the finals. THREE DAYS IN DECEMBER LOOKED A LOT LIKE `93! A 72 hour span, bookended by some interesting travel, looked a lot like 1993 for the Penn State wrestling team. On Friday, Dec. 7, Penn State shut-out Lehigh 33-0 in LU's Stabler Arena. The shutout was the first Nittany Lion shutout of Lehigh since a 39-0 whitewash of the then-Engineers on Feb. 13, 1993. Two days later, on Dec. 9, Penn State made an appearance in Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena and came away with a thrilling 21-18 win at No. 3 Oklahoma State. The win was Penn State's first over Oklahoma State since a 38-7 win at OSU on Jan. 30, 1993.
DAVIS' PIN CLINCHES 21-18 WIN AT OKLAHOMA STATE Senior All-American Phil Davis picked up his first pin of the year, getting a fall over Oklahoma State's Clayton Foster (5:50) to clinch the Nittany Lions' 21-18 win at OSU on Dec. 9. The victory was Davis' fourth straight to start the 2007-08 campaign.
VALLIMONT TAKES DOWN #20 McSPADDEN AS LIONS DOWN COWBOYS IN GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA While over ten ranked grapplers were set to battle when then No. 5 Penn State visited then No. 3 Oklahoma State on Dec. 9, only one of the dual's ten bouts featured two ranked wrestlers facing each other. Penn State sophomore Dan Vallimont, ranked No. 10 nationally at 157, downed No. 20 Newly McSpadden of Oklahoma State 5-4 to help Penn State secure a 21-18 win in OSU's Gallagher-Iba Arena.
SCOTT MAKES PSU DUAL MATCH DEBUT Penn State true freshman Garrett Scott made his Penn State dual match debut on 12/9 by taking on Oklahoma State senior Nathan Morgan, who was ranked No. 6 at 141 pounds. Scott, filling in for starter Jake Strayer, battled the returning All-American tough but came away with a 6-3 loss to the veteran Cowboy.
BOMBERGER TAKES DOWN #17 CRAIG TO LEAD PENN STATE TO 33-0 SHUT-OUT OF LEHIGH Junior Phil Bomberger, ranked No. 19 in the nation at 184 at the time, downed then No. 17 David Craig 9-5 to help Penn State post a 33-0 shut-out of Lehigh in the Mountain Hawks' Stabler Arena on 12/7. The victory was Bomberger's first over a ranked opponent this year.
LABORANTI MAKES DUAL MATCH DEBUT AT LEHIGH Junior HWT John Laboranti made his Penn State dual match debut in fine fashion with a solid 12-5 win over Lehigh's Justin Allen on 12/7. The win helped Penn State post a 33-0 shut-out win at Lehigh.
EAGEN GETS FIRST DUAL MATCH WIN AT LEHIGH Red-shirt freshman Mike Eagen, filling in for starting 133-pounder Tim Haas, got his first Penn State dual match debut at Lehigh on 12/7. Eagen posted a 4-3 victory over the Mountain Hawks' Kevin Vinh to help PSU secure a 33-0 shut-out at LU.
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 BACK TO ORIGINAL 7 P.M. START TIME AS BIG TEN NETWORKS AIRS THE DUAL LIVE! The Big Ten wrestling clash between No. 3 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 start at its original scheduled time of 7 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 HOFSTRA 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. The victory, being in an exhibition, does not count towards Davis' season record. However, in the span of nine days, Davis began 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, posted a 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.
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 #1 IN USA TODAY/NWCA POLL; SEVEN INDIVIDUALS RANKED AS WELL The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, fresh off a 35-10 win over Cornell on Friday night, has ascended to the No. 1 spot in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, as compiled and released by Intermat at www.intermatwrestle.com, where the full ranking release can be viewed. The top ranking marks the first time since the 1992-93 season that Penn State has been ranked at the top of the list. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, received eight of the 12 first place votes with No. 2 Iowa getting two. Oklahoma State, coming off a win at Iowa on Saturday, is No. 3 with Iowa State sitting at No. 4. Central Michigan is ranked No. 5 while defending national champion Minnesota is No. 6. Both CMU and Minnesota each received one first place vote. Michigan (7), Missouri (8), Northwestern (9) and Nebraska (10) round out the top ten. With five teams ranked in the top ten, the Big Ten once again has nine teams ranked with Ohio State checking in at No. 11, Wisconsin tied for No. 12, Indiana at No. 15 and Illinois at No. 17.
Phil Davis is No. 2 at 197 and Jake Strayer is No. 2 at 141 to lead a host five Penn Staters ranked in the top ten and six ranked Lions overall. Sophomore Bubba Jenkins is ranked No. 4 at 149,senior Mark McKnight is ranked No. 7 at 125 and sophomore Dan Vallimont is No. 10 at 157. Junior 184-pounder Phil Bomberger is ranked No. 14 and sophomore David Erwin re-entered the rankings with a No. 17 nod at 174.
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 95-19 overall. He is just five 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' 46 dual wins is just one 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 24 pins (Davis is 24-1 in matches decided by a fall) is currently 11th all-time at Penn State. The Nittany Lion has competed in 114 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.