Jan. 27, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, is ranked No. 16 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, as compiled and released by Intermat. The full release can be viewed at www.intermatwrestle.com. The Nittany Lions were off last week and begin Big Ten dual meet action this weekend on the road.
Penn State, now 7-6-2 on the year after mustering two short-handed ties on the road in Big Ten action last weekend, has five individuals ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights and a sixth receiving a ranking in other national polls. The Nittany Lions are being led by a trio of All-Americans all holding down top 12 spots.
Iowa continues to hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by Iowa State (2), Cornell (3), Nebraska (4) and Ohio State (5). Missouri (6), Lehigh (T7), Illinois (T7), Central Michigan (9) and Minnesota (10) round out the top ten. The Big Ten has ten teams ranked in the top 25 as Penn State (16), Wisconsin (17), Michigan (18), Northwestern (T19), Indiana (T19) and Purdue (25) all made the grade.
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 but has made the move up to 165 for the year. All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) is still ranked No. 11 at 133. True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) checks in at No. 16 at 174 while sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is ranked No. 17 at 125 after a strong performance at the National Duals. In addition to those ranked wrestlers, freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 20 at 141 by W.I.N. Magazine.
The Nittany Lions will host a pair of Big Ten rivals this weekend, beginning on Friday, Jan. 30, when No. 10 Minnesota comes to town for a 7 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. No. 17 Wisconsin then invades the Lions' domain on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match-up. 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.