Jan. 7, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked #14 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, will head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the 2009 NWCA National Duals. The two day event takes place at Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 10-11. Head coach Troy Sunderland's Nittany Lions enter the tournament with a 5-3 record.
Penn State will face No. 5 Missouri in the first round on Saturday at 10 a.m. (Eastern). The other half of Penn State's quarter of the bracket pits No. 4 Nebraska and No. 20 Northwestern. The two winners will meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday while the two losers will also tangle at 2 p.m. The double-elimination dual meet tournament continues all day Saturday and concludes Sunday. Featuring one of the strongest dual fields in recent memory, 14 of the 16 teams taking part are ranked in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, including the top six teams and seven of the top ten.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 14-6 Sunday that saw them go 5-5 with No. 9 Lehigh miss out on the upset bid with a 17-16 loss and win nine of ten over Lock Haven in a 36-3 win. All-Americans Bubba Jenkins (149), Dan Vallimont (157) and Jake Strayer (133) all went 2-0 during the afternoon's action as did sophomore 125-pounder Brad Pataky and true freshman Quentin Wright (174). Wright posted one of the weekend's biggest wins with a 7-5 (sv) decision over then No. 14 Alex Caruso of Lehigh. Wright now leads Penn State in victories with 16 and is 16-5 overall. Pataky follows closely behind at 15-4 and freshman 141-pounder Frank Molinaro is 14-3. Defending national runner-up Bubba Jenkins, however, sports Penn State's best record with an unblemished 13-0 mark at 149. Jenkins has been simply dominating this year with seven majors, two pins and a technical fall. In fact, Jenkins has only been taken down three times in 13 dual meet bouts and has a 32-3 edge in dual takedowns.
Penn State brings six ranked grapplers into the tournament (four ranked by the NWCA). Senior All-American Jake Strayer is ranked No. 12 at 133, junior All-American Bubba Jenkins is ranked No. 2 at 149, junior All-American Dan Vallimont is ranked No. 8 at 157 and true-freshman Quentin Wright is ranked No. 14 at 174. Sophomore Brad Pataky is ranked No. 18 at 125 by WIN and red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro is ranked No. 20 at 141 by WIN. Missouri, Penn State's opening round opponent, comes in ranked No. 5 with an 11-0 mark. The Tigers feature six ranked grapplers as well: Marcus Hoehn (#10 at 141), Michael Chandler (#7 at 157), Nick Marable (#8 at 165), Raymond Jordan (#6 at 174), Max Askren (#5 at 197) and Mark Ellis (#2 at HWT). Nebraska is 6-0 and ranked No. 4 while Northwestern is 7-1 and ranked No. 20.
Penn State opens up Big Ten action on the road when it visits Indiana on Friday, Jan. 23, for a 7 p.m. dual. The Nittany Lions then trek to Purdue for a 2 p.m. dual on Saturday, Jan. 24. Penn State's next home dual is set for Friday, Jan. 30, when Big Ten rival Minnesota invades Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. 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 to wrestling events for free! Season tickets are $28 for adults and seniors, youth 18 and under season tickets are $21. Fans can call 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 to order tickets. All home duals will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WRSC  AM and WHUN AM.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS - as of 1/8/09 **SUBJECT TO CHANGE **
#14 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2008-09 Record
125 Brad Pataky (#18 by WIN) So. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 15-4
133 #12 Jake Strayer Sr. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 7-1
Tim Haas Sr. Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff 4-3
141 Frank Molinaro (#20 by WIN) Fr. Barnegat, N.J./Souther Regional 14-3
149 #2 Bubba Jenkins Jr. Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial 13-0
Colby Pisani Fr. Ridgway, Pa./Ridgway 0-1
157 #8 Dan Vallimont Jr. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 10-3
165 Mark Friend Sr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 2-6
Micah Bollinger Fr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 10-4
174 #14 Quentin Wright Fr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 16-5
184 Phil Bomberger Sr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 6-6
Jack Decker Sr. Roseland, N.J./Seton Hall Prep 5-3
197 Clay Steadman Fr. McKean, Pa./General McLane 4-9
HWT Cameron Wade Fr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 10-6
Stefan Tighe Jr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 0-0
Also competing: Rec. Series w/ PSU
#16 Boise State 7-1 Series: Never met
Buffalo 9-2 Series: Penn State leads 3-0
#3 Cornell 1-0 Series: Penn State leads 55-12-3
#19 Indiana 10-0 Series: Penn State leads 13-0
#1 Iowa 10-0 Series: Iowa leads 22-6-2
#2 Iowa State 5-1 Series: Iowa State leads 13-10-1
#17 Michigan 3-3 Series: Michigan leads 23-22
#11 Minnesota 6-2 Series: Minnesota leads 9-6
#5 Missouri 11-0 Series: Tied 2-2-1
#4 Nebraska 6-0 Series: Nebraska leads 7-4-1
#21 Northern Iowa 4-2 Series: Penn State leads 4-0
#20 Northwestern 7-1 Series: Penn State leads 10-1
#6 Ohio State 4-0 Series: Penn State leads 13-9
#9 Wisconsin 5-1 Series: Penn State leads 9-7
Wyoming 3-0 Series: Never met
All rankings listed are USA Today/NWCA as of 1/8/09
WRIGHT DOWNS NO. 14 CARUSO OF LEHIGH True freshman Quentin Wright, ranked No. 15 at the time, used a swift double-leg takedown in the opening seconds of sudden victory to post a 7-5 win over then No. 14 Alex Caruso of Lehigh on 1/4. The win was Wright's second over a top 15 ranked wrestler in his fifth bout against one of the nation's top opponents.
JENKINS AND STRAYER DOWN RANKED LEHIGH FOES All-Americans Bubba Jenkins and Jake Strayer each dominated their ranked Lehigh opponents in Penn State's bout with the Mountain Hawks on 1/4. Jenkins dominated No. 11 Trevor Chinn on his way to a commanding 7-2 win at 149 while Strayer gave No. 20 Matt Fisk little breathing room in a textbook 6-1 win at 133.
JENKINS' PIN OF FITTERY HIGHLIGHTS ROUT OF LOCK HAVEN No. 2 Bubba Jenkins was handling talented Lock Haven 149-pounder Matt Fittery in the second period, leading on the scoreboard with just :10 left in the middle stanza, when the Penn State All-American caught Fittery (who was 19-2 at the time) in a cement mixer and quickly tossed him to the mat for a pin at the 4:56 mark. The victory helped Penn State hand Lock Haven a 36-3 defeat, winning nine of ten bouts on 1/4.
DECKER AND BOLLINGER GET DUAL MEET WINS VS. LHU A senior and a freshman came through with solid dual meet wins in Penn State's 36-3 victory over Lock Haven on 1/4. Senior Jack Decker downed Lock Haven's Tom Kocher 10-4 at 184 for his first dual meet win since the 2004-05 season (when Decker stepped in at 149 due to an injury to starter James Woodall). Decker is now 5-3 on the year with a 1-1 dual meet mark. Red-shirt freshman Micah Bollinger, who made his dual meet debut against West Virginia on 12/14, won his second straight dual match bout with a 10-4 win over LHU's Aaron Ernest. Bollinger is now 10-4 on the year with a 2-0 dual meet record at 165.
BOMBERGER CLAIMS WILKES TITLE Nittany Lion senior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) went a perfect 5-0 with three majors to claim the 2008 Wilkes Open title at 184 pounds. The returning national qualifier was one of three Penn State starters to place at the event. Bomberger posted a perfect mark and notched three majors on his way to the Wilkes crown. Joining Bomberger with top four finishes was red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), who went 3-1 at HWT to take second place and true freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), who posted a stellar 7-1 mark to take third place. Wade had a pin and a technical fall on his way to the finals, where he dropped a close 2-1 decision. Wright, ranked No. 15 at 174 nationally, suffered an upset loss in the second round bout true to form, did not quit, reeling off six straight wins in consolations to take third place. After the upset loss, Wright was untouchable an ended the tournament with two pins, two majors and a technical fall. Red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) was Penn State's fourth starter wrestling attached at the event, going 2-2 with a pin at 197. While the above foursome wrestled in their Blue and White singlets and amassed an outstanding 17-4 combined mark, ten other Nittany Lions competed at the event unattached. Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) went 0-2 at 125; Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) went 1-2 at 133; Jarret Freeman (Maspeth, N.Y.) went 0-2 at 149; Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) went 2-2 at 157; Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.) went 2-2 at 157; Nick Venditti (Berwick, Pa.) led PSU's unattached grapplers with a 3-2 mark and a pin at 165; Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) went 1-2 at 165; Matt Dodds (Leola, Pa.) went 1-2 at 174; J.R. Brown (Bellefonte, Pa.) went 1-2 at 197 and Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.) went 0-2 at 197.
FRESHMEN LEAD NITTANY LIONS TO WIN OVER WVU The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team started five freshmen in its dual meet against West Virginia on 12/14 and three of them came away with wins to help spur the Nittany Lions on to a 27-10 victory over the visiting Mountaineers. Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro won a decision at 141, red-shirt freshman Micah Bollinger posted a 5-2 decision at 165 and red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman got a 12-3 major at 197. True-freshman Quentin Wright lost a close 3-2 decision to No. 14 Kurt Brenner at 174 and red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade lost a close 6-3 decision at HWT.
BOLLINGER AND STEADMAN GET FIRST DUAL MEET WINS Red-shirt freshmen Micah Bollinger and Clay Steadman each got their first Penn State dual meet wins in the Nittany Lions' 27-10 victory over West Virginia on 12/14. Bollinger, making his Penn State dual debut at 165, posted a 5-2 decision over Christian Mory and Steadman notched a 12-3 major at 197 over Brandon Boyer.
FIVE LIONS GO UNDEFEATED TO CLAIM NITTANY LION OPEN TITLES; FOUR OTHERS PLACE Five Penn State grapplers went undefeated to earn titles at the 2008 Nittany Lion Open on 12/7. Penn State swept crowns from 133 through 157 and grabbed the HWT gold as well. Senior Jake Strayer posted a perfect 6-0 mark (one against a non-collegiate foe) to win the title at 133 with three majors and three pins. Freshman Frank Molinaro went 5-0 (one against a non-collegiate foe) to win the the crown at 141 with three pins and a major. Bubba Jenkins went 5-0 with four majors (including one over #7 Bryce Saddoris of Navy in the finals) and a tech fall to win at 149. Dan Vallimont went 5-0 with a pin, two majors and a tech fall to win at 157. Senior John Laboranti, wrestling unattached at HWT, went 5-0 to win the HWT crown (with a 5-2 decision over #11 Rashard Goff of Cleveland State in the finals). Vallimont, Jenkins and Laboranti each repeated as NLO champs from last year while Strayer and Molinaro claimed their first NLO titles. True freshman Quentin Wright also had an outstanding day and advanced to the finals at 174. Wright went 4-1, with his finals loss coming to two-time ACC Champion Mike Letts of Maryland (who is red-shirting this year). Sophomore Brad Pataky went 6-1 to take fifth at 125, junior Adam Lynch went 5-2 to place sixth at 133 and Tim Darling went 5-1 to take fifth at 165.
LIONS 3-0 AT SPRAWL AND BRAWLS; ONLY PERFECT TEAM The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team posted a superb 3-0 mark at the 2008 Sprawl and Brawl Duals, hosted by Binghamton University on Sunday, Nov. 23. In a field featuring No. 13 Boise State, No. 15 Edinboro, No. 24 Virginia and eastern rival West Virginia, the Nittany Lions were the only squad to post a perfect 3-0 mark. Penn State opened with a 19-14 win over No. 24 Virginia, then downed No. 15 Edinboro 24-16 and closed with a 36-8 pounding of host Binghamton.
JENKINS PINS #17 GILLESPIE OF EDINBORO; GOES 4-0 IN NEW YORK SWING Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins posted a perfect 4-0 mark during Penn State's swing through New York on the weekend of Nov. 21-23. The No. 2 ranked 149-pounder in the nation, Jenkins opened with a 16-7 major of Cornell's Grant Daffin on Friday, Nov. 21. He followed that up with three outstanding performances in Penn State's three wins at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 23. Jenkins majored talented Virginia Cavalier Kellon Balum 12-4 and then pinned Edinboro's Torsten Gillespie in just 1:20. Gillespie was ranked No. 17 at the time. The Nittany Lion co-captain then beat Binghamton's Matt Kaylor 10-3. In all, Jenkins notched a pin and two majors during the weekend trip, outscored the three opponents he did not pin 38-14 and picked up 17 dual match points.
MOLINARO HAMMERS #3 MIKE GREY OF CORNELL; GOES 3-0 IN NEW YORK SWING Freshman Frank Molinaro gave notice that his Penn State debut against Hofstra was more of a bad day than trend with an 8-3 pounding of No. 3 Mike Grey of Cornell. Molinaro followed that resounding victory up with two wins at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals in Binghamton. The talented 141-pounder majored Edinboro's Joel Webster and then pinned Binghamton's Anwar Goeres. He picked up 13 dual match points on the weekend.
PATAKY PERFECT IN NEW YORK Sophomore Brad Pataky was superb during Penn State's four matches in New York on the weekend of Nov. 21-23. The 125-pounder went 4-0, getting a 9-6 win over Cornell's Frank Perrelli, beating Virginia's Frank Gitomer 4-2, hammered Edinboro's Kyle Fluke with an 18-3 technical fall and followed that up with another technical fall over Binghamton's Tyler Malmberg (16-0 in under two periods). Pataky outscored his four opponents 47-11 and picked up 16 dual match points in the process.
WADE SECURES NITTANY LION WIN OVER #24 VIRGINIA Freshman heavyweight Cameron Wade downed Virginia big man Jack Danilkowitcz to secure Penn State's 19-15 win over No. 24 Virginia in the first round of the 2008 Sprawl and Brawl Duals. With the match on the line (and Penn State looking for its first win of the season, the Penn State rookie battled Danilkowitcz even through the first period, chose down and escaped in the second and then rode the Cavalier heavyweight out for the entire third period to pick up the 2-0 decision. Wade went 2-2 during the swing through New York, getting a pin against Binghamton as well. His only losses were close decisions to No. 10 Zach Hammond of Cornell (7-6) and No. 8 Joe Fendone of Edinboro (6-2).
HAAS DOWNS #15 DEUBEL; FAST START PROPELS LIONS TO WIN OVER #15 EDINBORO The Nittany Lions won their first four bouts against No. 15 Edinboro in the second round of the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 23 to bolt out to an 18-0 lead and coast to a resounding 24-16 win over the ranked Fighting Scots. Each of the first four victories were big, either in bonus points or as an upset. Brad Pataky got a technical fall at 125 before Tim Haas downed No. 15 Ricky Deubel of Edinboro 5-4 at 133. Freshman Frank Molinaro then majored Joel Webster before All-American Bubba Jenkins pinned No. 17 Torsten Gillespie midway through the first period to give the Nittany Lions an 18-0 lead. Freshman Quentin Wright added a pin of Fighting Scot Paul Paddock to help the Nittany Lions grab the victory. The fall was Wright's first collegiate pin.
LIONS WIN EIGHT OF TEN TO DOWN BINGHAMTON Closing out a perfect 3-0 day at the 2008 Sprawl and Brawl Duals, the Nittany Lion wrestlers won eight of ten bouts to cost to a 36-8 win over host Binghamton on Nov. 23. Penn State got pins from freshmen Frank Molinaro at 141 and Cameron Wade at HWT, technical falls from Brad Pataky at 125 and Tim Haas at 133, majors from Mark Friend at 165 and Quentin Wright at 174 and decisions from All-Americans Bubba Jenkins at 149 and Dan Vallimont at 157. BU's only wins came as No. 17 Josh Patterson downed Nittany Lion Phil Bomberger at 184 and 197-pounder Corey Waite posted a 10-3 decision over reserve Nathan Andrews, who was making his Penn State dual meet debut.
LABORANTI TAKES SECOND AT MAT-TOWN TO LEAD THREE PSU PLACE WINNERS Senior heavyweight John Laboranti took second place at the 2008 Mat-Town Open on Saturday, Nov. 29, at Lock Haven University. Laboranti went 3-1 on the day, losing in sudden victory in the championship bout to Pittsburgh's Ryan Tomai. Sophomore Adam Lynch rebounded from an opening round loss to post five straight wins in consolations to take third at 133 while red-shirt freshman Micah Bollinger went 5-2 at 165 to take fourth. His winners' bracket loss was a 5-2 decision to No. 15 Rex Kendle of Michigan State, the eventual tournament champion.
HAILE OUT INDEFINITELY Penn State suffered the loss of a second starter in the season's opening week when junior 197-pound starter Andrew Haile suffered an injury in his dual meet debut against Hofstra on Sunday, Nov. 16. Haile underwent successful surgery and is likely lost until at least February (if not for the entire season).
WRIGHT TOPPLES #6 LUCAS IN COLLEGIATE DEBUT True freshman Quentin Wright, thrust into the Penn State line-up just days before the Lions' season opening dual vs. Hofstra, downed returning All-American and 6th-ranked Alton Lucas 4-3 in his collegiate debut. Wright used a last second takedown to send over 3,200 Rec Hall fans into a frenzy and claim the victory on 11/16.
WADE WINS IN HIS PENN STATE DUAL MEET DEBUT Red-shirt freshman heavyweight Cameron Wade was solid in claiming a 4-2 win over Hofstra's Jordan Enck in his Penn State dual meet debut. Wade claimed one of Penn State's five wins in the dual in front of over 3,200 cheering Rec Hall fans on 11/16.
VALLIMONT DOWNS #15 BONILLA-BOWMAN OF HOFSTRA Penn State All-American Dan Vallimont, ranked No. 3 in the nation, downed No. 15 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman of Hofstra 11-8 in his season opening action against the Pride on 11/16.
DECKER AND BOLLINGER PLACE AT ESU OPEN The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team had nine wrestlers compete in the East Stroudsburg Open yesterday, six attached and three unattached. Senior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) led Penn State with a fifth place finish at 184 while red-shirt freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) placed seventh at 165. Decker went 2-1 at the event and received a bye in the fifth place bout to claim fifth. His only loss was a quarterfinal defeat to Tom Shovlin of Penn, who placed second. Bollinger went 3-2 with a pin to tie for seventh place as the seventh place bout was not contested. Also wrestling attached for Penn State were freshman Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.), who went 1-2 at 125; classmate Adam Smetana (Valencia, Pa.), who went 1-1 at 125; freshman Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.), who was 2-2 at 157; and sophomore Nathan Andrews (Spring Mills, Pa.), who was 2-2 at 197. Wrestling unattached were true freshman Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.), who was 2-2 at 133; classmate Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.), who was 0-2 at 133; and Shane Donnelly (East Smithfield, Pa.), who was 2-2 at 165.
ERWIN TO MISS 2008-09 SEASON Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) will miss the entire 2008-09 season after suffering an injury on Nov. 9 at the Michigan State Open. The junior 174-pounder was ranked No. 18 nationally at his weight at the time. Erwin's injury forces the two-year Penn State starter to end his campaign with a 3-0 mark. Erwin was hurt in the semifinals at the MSU Open and took an injury forfeit before the finals bout. With Erwin out, true freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) will forgo a red-shirt season and man the 174-pound spot. Wright, a two-time PIAA State Champion from nearby Bald Eagle Area High School, was one of the nation's top recruits coming out of high school.
ERWIN LEADS 14 NITTANY LIONS AT MSU OPEN; MOLINARO AND PATAKY PLACE AS WELL Junior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) took second place at 174 pounds at the MSU Open, leading three Nittany Lions who placed at the event. In all, 14 Nittany Lions competed at the event for head coach Troy Sunderland. Five of Penn State's projected dual meet starters took part, including two of the Nittany Lions' six ranked grapplers. Erwin, ranked No. 20 nationally, went 3-0 to start the tournament but did not wrestle in the finals, taking an injury default after his semifinal win. Erwin's 3-1 finish was good enough for second place. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), ranked No. 20 at 125, advanced to the semifinals before losing to No. 4 Brandon Precin of Northwestern. Pataky went 2-2 on the day and placed fourth. Freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) was also solid at 141, advancing to the semifinals before losing to No. 18 Ryan Williams of Old Dominion. Molinaro wrestled back well, went 5-1 on the day and took third place.
HAAS, STRAYER, JENKINS, VALLIMONT NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2008-09 SEASON The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team has named a talented foursome as co-captains for the 2008-09 season. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.), junior Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), senior Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) and junior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) will share team leader duties this year. Haas, a sixth year senior who was given an extra year of eligibility due to having two seasons shortened by injuries, will wrestling at 133 this year after going 7-15 last season. Haas was 5-11 in duals with a solid 3-5 Big Ten dual meet record. Haas has a 29-23 career record. Jenkins is the defending national runner-up at 149. The Virginia-native went 26-6 last season, including a 4-1 showing at nationals and an appearance in the NCAA title tilt. The All-American, who is now 49-18 overall at Penn State, has a 10-6 career Big Ten dual meet record, including a 6-2 mark last season. Jenkins begins his run at a national title with 82 career dual meet points. Strayer was a 2007 All-American at 133 and moved up to 141 last season where he went 11-5. A two-time NCAA qualifier (he reached the `Round of 12' at 133 in 2006), Strayer returns to 133 this season. Strayer has a 64-19 career record, including a 53-14 mark at 133 pounds. Strayer's 39-9 career dual match record his highlighted by a 30-5 mark at 133 (12-4 in Big Ten action). He has 133 career dual match points.Vallimont earned his first All-America honor last year with a superb third place finish at 157 pounds. It was the New Jersey-native's first season at 157 pounds. Vallimont posted a superb 32-3 mark last year, including a 5-1 performance at nationals to take third place. Vallimont, who reached the `Round of 12' at nationals at 149 in 2007, has a 54-15 career record including a 29-8 dual match mark (12-4 in Big Ten action). He has 100 career dual match points as well.
PENN STATE RANKED NO. 14 IN USA TODAY/NWCA COACHES POLL The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, has moved to No. 14 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 will face No. 5 Missouri in the first round of the 2009 National Duals on Saturday morning. The Nittany Lions moved up two spots after last weekend's solid double-dual performance against then No. 9 Lehigh and Lock Haven. Penn State, 5-3 overall, posted a 5-5 split with Lehigh but lost a close 17-16 decision on bonus points and then hammered LHU 36-3. Iowa continues to hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by Iowa State at No. 2. Cornell checks in at No. 3 and Nebraska is No. 4 while Missouri sits at No. 5. Ohio State (6), Illinois (7), Lehigh (8), Wisconsin (9) and Oklahoma (10) round out the top ten. The Big Ten is well-represented once again with a total of nine teams ranked. Minnesota (11), Penn State (14), Michigan (17), Indiana (19) and Northwestern (20) give the conference nine ranked teams while Purdue is receiving 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. 8 at 157. All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), returning to the Penn State line-up at 133, has returned to the national rankings as well, checking in at No. 12. True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) moved up to No. 14 at 174 as well, giving the Nittany Lions four wrestlers ranked by the NWCA. Penn State has two other grapplers ranked in the top 20 in other polls: Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is ranked No. 18 and red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 20 at 141 by W.I.N. Magazine.
NITTANY LIONS SIGN HARRISBURG STAND-OUT EDWARD RUTH TO NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of head coach Troy Sunderland, has signed Harrisburg-native Edward Ruth to a National Letter of Intent. Ruth will join the Nittany Lions next season for the 2009-10 campaign. The talented 171-pounder wrestled at Susquehanna Township High School from his freshmen to junior years and has since moved on to the Blair Academy in New Jersey where he will compete this year and matriculate this spring. "We are very excited that Edward has chosen to continue his career with us at Penn State," said first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Matt Dernlan. "He is a unique talent and has been blessed with a God-given skill set that few possess. These talents, combined with our tradition, could translate into a truly special career. With Edward's commitment and the talent on our team now, we believe Penn State Wrestling has solidified its status as one of the nation's elite wrestling teams." Ruth is a two-time PIAA Triple-A place-winner, finishing fourth and fifth in his final two years at STHS. Ruth fell to current Nittany Lion 174-pound starter Quentin Wright in the state semifinals each of those seasons. In 2008, he won the NHSCA High School Junior National Championship. "Edward has shown that he has all the ability in the world and his work ethic and attitude make him a great fit for our squad," Sunderland said. "We're very pleased to welcome him to the Penn State wrestling family and look forward to him donning the blue and white singlet." Ruth was coached by Joey Scott at Susquehanna Township and is being coached by Jeff Buxton at The Blair Academy this season. He is the son of Eddie and Thanayi Ruth. The Ruth's reside in Harrisburg, Pa., home of four-time All-American and 2008 National Champion Phil Davis.
PENN STATE WRESTLING RADIO! All Penn State wrestling duals and the post-season will be aired live locally on WRSC (1390 AM State College) and regionally on WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and streamed live at GoPSUsports.com. Jeff Byers will once again serve as the voice of Penn State wrestling!
LIVE AUDIO WEBCASTS ONLY $9.95 PER MONTH! All of Penn State's wrestling duals, the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships (as well as the Troy Sunderland Show), will once again be webcast live at www.GoPSUsports.com. Fans just go to GoPSU and click on All-Access. From there, just sign up for the All-Access package of your choice for as little as $9.95 per month. The All-Access package gives fans all of Penn State's audio and video feeds for every Penn State sporting event that features audio or video, not just wrestling!
THE Troy Sunderland SHOW! Penn State head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland will once again host his weekly coaches show. This year's show will be broadcast each week on WMAJ (1450 AM State College). The starting date is set for Wednesday, December 9, at 6 p.m.
PENN STATE & TAKEDOWN RADIO This year, Penn State is a proud premier sponsor of the nation's top wrestling radio network, Take Down Wrestling Radio. The Nittany Lions have joined forces with TDR and will be featured regularly on the national network. Fans can listen to TDR simply by visiting www.takedownradio.com.