March 3, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team heads to the 2008 Big Ten Championships this weekend in Minneapolis and all ten PSU grapplers have received tournament pre-seeds. Three time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) and sophomore Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) lead the way with No. 2 seeds at their respective weights.
From top to bottom in head coach Troy Sunderland's line-up, the Nittany Lions have ten seeds at the national qualifier. Senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) is the No. 6 seed at 125. McKnight heads into the tournament with a 12-6 record (all in duals) and was 3-4 in Big Ten duals. The top seed at 125 is Minnesota's Jayson Ness.
Senior co-captain Tim Haas (Camp Hills, Pa.) is the No. 8 seed at 133. Haas went 6-12 overall this year but posted a solid 3-5 record in Big Ten duals. The top seed at 133 is Illinois' James Kennedy.
True freshman Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) is the No. 5 seed at 141. Scott, who grabbed the starting spot at 141 late in the season, posted a superb 16-3 overall mark, including a 7-2 dual meet record and a 4-1 record in conference duals. The top seed is Michigan's Kellen Russell, who Scott defeated earlier this year.
Sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) is seeded No. 4 at 149. Jenkins went 20-3 this season, including a 15-3 mark in duals and a 6-2 record in conference action. The top seed at 149 is Iowa's Brent Metcalf.
Vallimont is the No. 2 seed at 157 after posting a superb 24-1 record in his first year at 157 pounds. Vallimont went 17-1 in duals and 7-1 in conference duals. His only loss this year was a close 6-3 decision to tournament top seed Mike Poeta of Illinois.
Sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) is the No. 7 seed at 165. Rella went 13-12 this year and was 8-10 in duals overall. He posted a 4-3 mark in conference duals as well. The top seed at 165 is Iowa's Mark Perry.
Sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) is the No. 6 seed at 174. Erwin posted a 23-8 record this season, including an 8-8 mark in duals. He went 4-3 in conference action. Michigan's Steve Luke is the top seed at this weight.
Junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) is the No. 5 seed at 184. Bomberger posted an outstanding 17-6 record this year and was 12-5 in duals. He went 5-2 in conference duals. Ohio State's Mike Pucillo is the No. 1 seed at 184.
Three-time All-American Davis is the No. 2 seed at 197. Davis posted a superb 17-1 record this year (all in duals) and was 6-1 against the Big Ten in dual meets. His only loss was to tournament top seed Mike Tamillow of Northwestern.
Junior heavyweight John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) earned the tournament's No. 7 seed at HWT. Laboranti went 22-7 in his first season as a starter for Penn State. He was 8-6 in duals overall and 3-4 in conference duals. Ohio State's J.D. Bergman is the No. 1 seed at this weight.
The 2008 Big Ten Championships is the national qualifier for the nation's largest wrestling conference. The two-day event, hosted by the University of Minnesota, takes place this Saturday and Sunday at UM's Williams Arena. For more on the tournament, go to www.gophersports.com. The tournament will be streamed live at www.gopsusports.com and can be heard locally on WBLF (970 AM).