Feb. 18, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Troy Sunderland, is ranked No. 24 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, as compiled and released by Intermat. The full release can be viewed at www.intermatwrestle.com.
Penn State slipped to 8-11-2 overall, 1-5-2 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions closed out their Big Ten dual meet schedule on the road this past weekend, splitting a pair of duals in the Great Lakes State. The Nittany Lions downed Michigan State on Friday night and were beaten by Michigan on Saturday night.
Iowa continues to hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by Cornell (2), Nebraska (3), Iowa State (4) and Missouri (5). Ohio State (6), Central Michigan (7), Lehigh (8), Illinois (9) and Boise State (10) round out the top ten. Ten Big Ten teams are either ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes. Minnesota (12), Wisconsin (16), Michigan (17), Indiana (18), Northwestern (19) and Penn State (24) are ranked while Purdue is receiving votes. The Nittany Lions own wins over No. 5 Missouri, No. 13 Edinboro,and No. 17 Michigan and has tied No. 18 Indiana.
Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) is 21-0 and ranked No. 2 at 149. Senior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) is ranked at No. 9 at 133. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) sits at No. 13 at 125 and true-freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is ranked No. 16 at 174 to round out Penn State's ranked individuals.
Penn State closes out its dual meet season on Friday, Feb. 20, when No. 25 Penn comes to Rec Hall for a 7 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.