Jan. 2, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 4 nationally, will host No. 17 Cornell on Friday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual, always one of the premier Eastern wrestling duals in the country, promises to be a close-fought affair as the teams combined to bring in 11 ranked grapplers. The match will be televised live on WPSU-TV in addition to its normal radio coverage.
Penn State is coming off a a three week break after its whirlwind road trip through the Lehigh Valley and an ice storm-stricken Stillwater, Okla. Penn State shut-out Lehigh 33-0 on Dec. 7 and then posted a stunning 21-18 win at then-No. 3 Oklahoma State on Dec. 9. Since that victory, 4-0 Penn State has moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings. Penn State has won its first four duals by a combined score of 116-32, having won 31 of 40 bouts.
Cornell is coming off a solid third-place finish at the 2007 Reno Tournament of Champions in mid-December and a strong fourth place showing in the Southern Scuffle this past week. At Reno, the Big Red trailed only two top ten teams, Central Michigan and Oklahoma State. Jordan Leen won the title at 157 and Mack Lewnes won the crown at 165. At the Southern Scuffle, CU trailed only Minnesota, Edinboro and Hofstra in the team standings and nudged out Maryland by half a point for fourth place. Freshman Mike Grey took second place at 133, losing 5-4 to Minnesota's Mack Reiter in the finals. Mack Lewnes went 6-0 at 165 to claim the crown for the Big Red while Steve Anceravage (3rd at 174) and Zach Hammond (4th at HWT) also placed. Cornell's only dual match to date was a hard-fought 21-18 loss to No. 13 Wisconsin.
While the bout features 11 ranked wrestlers, the potential tightness of the match-up is highlighted by the fact that only one potential bout will feature two ranked grapplers. Four of Penn State's six ranked grapplers are in the top ten while all five of Cornell's ranked individuals are among the top ten. At 157, Penn State's Dan Vallimont, ranked No. 11, should meet No. 7 Leen of Cornell. Penn State's other ranked individuals are No. 2 Phil Davis at 197, No. 2 Jake Strayer at 141, No. 3 Bubba Jenkins at 149, No. 7 Mark McKnight at 125 and No. 15 Phil Bomberger at 184. Cornell's other ranked wrestlers are No. 3 Lewnes at 165, No. 10 Zach Hammond at HWT, No. 8 Steve Anceravage at 174 and No. 7 Mike Grey at 133.
The Nittany Lions will take part in the 2008 National Duals on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 12-13, at the University of Northern Iowa. 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.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS - as of 1/2/08
#4 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (4-0, 0-0 BIG TEN)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2007-08 Record
125 #7 Mark McKnight Sr. McDonald, Pa./South Fayette 4-0
133 Tim Haas Sr. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 1-2
Mike Eagen Fr. Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls 2-6
141 #2 Jake Strayer Jr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 7-1
Garrett Scott Fr. Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley 9-2
149 #3 Bubba Jenkins So. Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial 9-0
157 #11 Dan Vallimont So. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 11-0
165 Dave Rella So. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit 7-4
174 David Erwin So. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 16-2
184 #15 Philip Bomberger Jr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 9-1
197 #2 Philip Davis Sr. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 4-0
HWT John Laboranti Jr. Pittston, Pa./Pittston 15-1
OR Stefan Tighe So. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 4-2
#17 CORNELL BIG RED (0-1)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School
125 Frank Perrelli Fr. Delbarton, N.J./Delbarton School
OR Mike Rodriguez Sr. Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin
133 #7 Mike Grey Fr. Rockaway, N.J./Delbarton School
141 Adam Frey So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Blair Academy
149 D.J. Meagher Fr. Bow, N.H./Bow
157 #7 Jordan Leen Jr. Soddy Daisy, Tenn./The Baylor School
165 #3 Mack Lewnes Fr. Annapolis, Md./Mt. St. Joe's Prep
174 #8 Steve Anceravage Jr. Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg
184 Nate Holley So. Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley
197 Taylor Moore So. Kansas City, Mo./Oak Grove
HWT #10 Zach Hammond Jr. Galloway, N.J./Absegami
All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 1/2/08
PENN STATE VS. CORNELL: THE SERIES Penn State and Cornell have met 67 times in the prior 99 years of wrestling in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions own a 53-11-3 edge in the all-time series. Penn State's first ever wrestling match was against Cornell in 1909, a loss and the only dual Penn State wrestled that year. The Nittany Lions have won their last three meetings with the Big Red, including last season's 18-12 victory in Ithaca. Cornell's last win was a 19-14 victory on Jan. 23, 2000, at the National Duals hosted by Penn State.
PENN STATE FINALIZES 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 will be televised live on WPSU-TV, Penn State's PBS affiliate. Action in Rec Hall begins at 7 p.m. as No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 17 Cornell in what should be a hotly contested dual. The event will also serve as a celebration of Penn State's first ever dual match, a meeting with Cornell 100 years ago. WPSU-TV serves a large statewide audience from Clarion to Williamsport and includes parts of southern New York and northern Maryland. 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 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. 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, 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.
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 #4 IN USA TODAY/NWCA POLL; DAVIS AND STRAYER CHECK IN AT #2 The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of veteran head coach Troy Sunderland, is ranked No.4 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 No. 2 ranked grappler at 197 while fellow All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) is No. 2 at 141. Penn State is 4-0 on the year by a combined score of 116-32 and has won 31 of 40 bouts. Big Ten foe Iowa is No. 1 after followed by No. 2 Iowa State. Minnesota follows at No. 3 followed by Penn State at No. 4 and Central Michigan at No. 5. Oklahoma State sits at No. 6 with Michigan close behind at No. 7. Missouri (8), Big Ten entry Northwestern (9) and UT-Chattanooga (10) round out the top ten. In all, nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 with Ohio State sitting at No. 12, Wisconsin at No. 14, Indiana at No. 15 and Illinois at No. 18. Davis is No. 2 at 197 and Strayer is No. 2 at 141 to lead a host four Penn Staters ranked in the top ten and six ranked Lions overall. Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) is ranked No. 3 at 149 and senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) is ranked No. 7 at 125. Sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) is No. 11 at 157 and junior 184-pounder Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) is ranked No. 15.
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 94-19 overall. He is just six 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' 45 dual wins is just three 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 23 pins (Davis is 23-1 in matches decided by a fall) is currently 13th all-time at Penn State. The Nittany Lion has competed in 113 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.