Dec. 10, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, is ranked No. 15 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, as compiled and released by Intermat. The full release can be viewed at www.intermatwrestle.com. Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) holds his No. 2 spot at 149 pounds.
Penn State fell two spots to No. 15 despite dominating the crowded field at the Nittany Lion Open with five champions and four other place-winners. Penn State has four individuals ranked by the NWCA but two others are ranked in other national polls.
Big Ten rival Iowa sits at No. 1 with Iowa State a close No. 2. Cornell is No. 3, followed by Nebraska and Missouri at No. 4 and No. 5. Ohio State (6), Minnesota (7), Illinois (8), Lehigh (9) and Michigan (10) round out the top ten. The Big Ten has nine teams ranked in the top 25. In addition to the five in the top ten, Wisconsin (11), Penn State (15), Indiana (18) and Northwestern (20) are ranked as well. Purdue continues to receive votes.
Junior All-Americans Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) lead Penn State's ranked contingent. Jenkins maintains his hold on No. 2 at 149 while Vallimont is ranked No. 9 at 157. Senior Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.) is now No. 19 at 184 while freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is No. 18 at 174. Despite returning to the line-up at 133 for Penn State and crushing the field at the Nittany Lion Open, senior All-America Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) is unranked by the NWCA. Strayer, however, is listed in the top ten in other national polls. Freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), who also won the NLO title at 141, is ranked by the other national polls at 141 and sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is listed in many polls at 125.
Penn State returns to action this Sunday, Dec. 14, against West Virginia. Action starts at 1 p.m. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY. Season tickets are $32 for adults and $24 for youth. Single event tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Penn State students get in FREE with a Penn State ID. All Penn State dual meets and post-season action can be heard live in the Centre Region on WRSC (1390 AM State College), WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.