Dec. 17, 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. Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) makes his debut in the rankings at 141.
Penn State holds on to the No. 15 spot along with Big Ten rival Michigan. Penn State has four individuals ranked by the NWCA but two others are ranked in other national polls.
Iowa continues to hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by Iowa State at No. 2. Cornell and Nebraska are tied for No. 3 while Missouri sits at No. 5. Ohio State (6), Minnesota (7), Illinois (8), Lehigh (9) and Wisconsin (10) round out the top ten. The Big Ten has nine teams in the top 25, with Penn State and Michigan at No. 15, Indiana at No. 18 and Northwestern at No. 20. Purdue continues to garner votes as well.
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. 8 at 157. True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is No. 17 at 174 as well. Molinaro is now ranked No. 20 at 141 with his team-leading 13 wins (against only two losses). Penn State has two other grapplers who are not ranked but are listed in other national polls. Despite returning to the line-up at 133 for Penn State and crushing the field at the Nittany Lion Open two weeks ago, 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. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is listed in many polls at 125 and carries a 13-4 record. Pataky is tied with Molinaro for the team lead in wins.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 4, when it hosts No. 9 Lehigh and Lock Haven in a double-dual. The Nittany Lions tangle with Lehigh at 1 p.m. and then battle Lock Haven at 3 p.m. 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.