March 12, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
**FAN ALERT**
The Penn State Athletics Communication Office is now `twittering' for Penn State wrestling! Fans who cannot get to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis on March 19-21 can get instant updates on how Penn State's wrestlers are fairing, as well as periodic team scoring updates, by signing up for Nittany Lion wrestling updates via twitter at: https://twitter.com/pennstatepat
You can receive updates on your mobile phone or on via the web. This new feature will be carried over into next year when people who sign up will get instant `tweets' during Penn State's 2009-10 dual meet schedule, both home and on the road! When www.GoPSUsports.com has new wrestling news on it, you'll receive an alert, too! Stay in instant touch with the Nittany Lion wrestlers via twitter! Sign up today!
TODAY'S ACTION
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (8-12-2, 1-5-2 Big Ten) will send six wrestlers to the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The three-day event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 19-21, and will take place in St. Louis' Scottrade Center.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a better-than-expected showing in the Big Ten Championships. The team took seventh place in the team race with half it's starting line-up comprised of freshmen. The seventh-place showing mirrored last year's finish and was just 8.5 points out of fourth place. Eight of Penn State's wrestlers either wrestled to or above their respective seeds while five finished better than the pre-tournament seeding dictated.
Sophomore Brad Pataky qualified at 125, taking fourth at 125 as the No. 4 seed. He heads to St. Louis with a 28-9 overall record. Senior All-American Jake Strayer was the No. 6 seed at 133 and placed sixth. He carries a 16-8 record to St. Louis. Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins was the second seed at 149 and lost in the Big Ten title bout. He will carry a 24-1 record to nationals. Vallimont was tabbed as the No. 6 seed at 165 but came on strong, going 4-1 to take third place. He is 21-10 overall. True freshman Quentin Wright, a true freshman, was the third seed at Big Tens and went 3-1 to advance to the Big Ten title bout in his first year of collegiate wrestling. He finished second at the conference tournament and is 29-10 overall. Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro was unseeded at 141 and placed eighth, including getting a win over returning All-American Andrae Hernandez of Indiana. Molinaro carries a 19-16 record with him to nationals.
Last year, Penn State sent seven wrestlers to nationals after an identical seventh place finish in the Big Ten Championships and came away with a third place finish in the team race, just four points out of a second place finish. The Nittany Lions garnered four All-Americans, including 197-pound national champion Phil Davis, national runner-up at 149 Jenkins, third place finisher at 157 Vallimont, and 125-pound wild card Mark McKnight, who took fourth.
The 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships will take place on Thursday through Saturday, March 19-21, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Action begins on Thursday with sessions at (ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL) 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday begins with a 10 a.m. session and ends with a 6 p.m. session. Saturday, the final day of the tournament, begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes with the Finals at 5:30 p.m.
The ESPN family of networks, vastly increasing its live coverage of the event last year, has upped its commitment to the tournament even more for 2009. For the first time, the event will presented in high definition and the semifinals will be simulcast on both ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD. In all, 11 hours of live coverage will be presented on ESPNU, ESPN and ESPN2 (in addition to each channel's HD counterpart) on Friday and Saturday. All of Thursday's action will be carried live on ESPN360.com, the networks' broadband sports television network. Penn State's action at the NCAA tournament will be streamed live at gopsusports.com and over the air on WRSC  AM and WHUN AM.
PENN STATE'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-12-2, 1-5-2 Big Ten)
Wt.NameYr.Hometown/High School2008-09 Record
125#14 Brad PatakySo.Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield28-9
133#9 Jake StrayerSr.South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills16-8
141Frank MolinaroFr.Barnegat, N.J./Souther Regional19-16
149#2 Bubba JenkinsJr.Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial24-1
165#19 Dan VallimontJr.Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp.21-10
174#14 Quentin WrightFr.Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area29-10
LIONS RISE ABOVE IN 2009 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Not only did the host Penn State Nittany Lions put together a first-class event as the 2009 Big Ten Wrestling Championships came to State College and the Bryce Jordan Center, but head coach Troy Sunderland's squad put together a strong performance. With a line-up featuring five freshmen and four wrestlers who stepped in after injuries to opening-day starters, three Nittany Lions wrestled to their pre-tournament seed and five, fully have of Sunderland's line-up, finished better than the pre-tournament seeding expected. All-Americans Jake Strayer and Bubba Jenkins were the No. 6 and No. 2 seeds at 133 and 149 respectively, and each finished in their respective place. Sophomore Brad Pataky was the No. 4 seed at 125 and placed fourth as well. But strong performances from four freshmen and a returning All-American getting comfortable at his new weight had Penn State within just 8.5 points out of third place and a mere 13 out of third. In order, freshman Frank Molinaro entered the tournament unseeded at 141 but took eighth place, getting a win over All-American Andrae Hernandez of Indiana. After earning the conference a qualifying spot at his weight but finishing just one spot out of an automatic bid, Molinaro's strong performance over the season earned him an At-Large `wild card' bid to nationals. Classmate Tim Darling was also unseeded at 157 and took eight place as well, downing No. 8 seed Ben Jordan of Wisconsin in the process. True freshman Quentin Wright was the No. 3 seed at 174 but took down All-American Jay Borschel of Iowa in the semifinals to advance to the Big Ten finals and take second. All-American Dan Vallimont, who placed third at NCAAs at 157 last year, appears to be settling in at his new weight. The No. 6 seed at 165, Vallimont was superb in a 4-1 run at Big Tens, taking third place. His only loss was a 3-2 decision to All-American Ryan Morningstar of Iowa and he downed No. 2 seed Colt Sponseller of Ohio State 7-4 in the third place bout. Red-shirt freshman heavyweight Cameron Wade was unseeded and went 2-3 at HWT and placed sixth, a spot that last year would have easily earned him an qualifying bid. But the new system allowed for only five Big Ten HWTs and Wade did not receive a wild card.
JENKINS EARNS BIG TEN RUNNER-UP MEDAL Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins posted a 2-1 mark at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, downing No. 7 seed Nick Walpole of Indiana and No. 6 seed Andrew Nadhir of Northwestern to advance to the conference finals, where he lost to No. 1 Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Jenkins had a run of 24 straight wins to start the season snapped in his loss to Metcalf.
WRIGHT A BIG TEN FINALIST AS A FRESHMAN True freshman Quentin Wright made a superb debut in the Big Ten Championships. In front of his home town fans, Wright went 3-1 to take second as the No. 3 seed. He downed Purdue's Nick Corpe and No. 6 seed Trevor Perry of Indiana (with a thrilling last second takedown) to earn a shot at No. 2 seed Jay Borchell of Iowa. Against Borschell, Wright notched four takedowns to upset the Hawkeye 11-10 and earn a trip to the conference finals. The true freshman was downed by fifth-year senior and returning All-American Steve Luke of Michigan in the title bout.
VALLIMONT SUPERB WITH THIRD PLACE FINISH AT BIG TENS All-American Dan Vallimont, who placed third at NCAAs at 157 last year, appears to be settling in at his new weight. The No. 6 seed at 165, Vallimont was superb in a 4-1 run at Big Tens, taking third place. His only loss was a 3-2 decision to All-American Ryan Morningstar of Iowa and he downed No. 2 seed Colt Sponseller of Ohio State 7-4 in the third place bout.
PATAKY A STRONG FOURTH AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Sophomore Brad Pataky entered the 2009 Big Ten Championships as the No. 4 seed and went 2-2 to take fourth at 125. Pataky downed No. 5 seed Zach Sanders and No. 8 seed B.J. Futrell of Illinois on his way ot a fourth place finish.
STRAYER TAKES SIXTH AT BIG TENS All-American Jake Strayer entered the 2009 Big Ten Championships as the No. 6 seed and took sixth at 133. Strayer grabbed an impressive 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois in the process.
MOLINARO TAKES EIGHTH AT BIG TENS; EARNS WILD CARD In the first year of awarding wild card spots out of a national pool, the Committee has awarded Penn State freshman 141-pounder Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) an at-large bid. Head coach Troy Sunderland will take six wrestlers to nationals this year.Molinaro made a strong case for a `wild card' heading into the process. His performance during the regular season was so strong that he earned the Big Ten one of its seven automatic bids at 141. Molinaro was one of only two 141-pounders nationwide who earned his conference an automatic qualifier but did not earn a spot in the qualifying tournament. The New Jersey native heads to St. Louis with a 19-16 overall record, four pins and five majors.
VALLIMONT WRESTLES STUNNING SCHEDULE Beginning the season at 157 and ending at 165 gave returning All-American Dan Vallimont the chance to wrestle some of the nation's top grapplers this year. The word `some' might be seen as an understatement. Vallimont holds a 21-10 record thus far, and stunningly, 20 of his 31 opponents have qualified for nationals at either 157 or 165. Yes, 64% percent of Vallimont's foes are wrestling this weekend in St. Louis.
NITTANY LIONS AVERAGE NEARLY 3,000 PER HOME EVENT AGAIN IN 2008-09 Penn State will once again find itself among the nation's elite in average wrestling attendance this year. The Nittany Lions' fantastic fans filled Rec Hall for each home dual once again this year as Penn State averaged 2,789 fans per its eight home dual events. Over 22,000 fans came to Rec Hall this year. Penn STate crew 5,050 fans for its dual against Iowa on 2/8 as a season high and also brought in over 3,000 fans twice.
JENKINS POSTS SUPERB DUAL MEET TAKEDOWN NUMBERS Junior All-American Bubba Jenkins, in addition to going 22-0 during the regular season, notched a 57-5 takedown advantage in his 22 dual meets this year. Jenkins had a perfect 33-0 edge in first period takedowns alone.
JENKINS DOWNS #11 GRAJALES IN DUAL MEET FINALE; POSTS UNDEFEATED REGULAR SEASON MARK Bubba Jenkins, ranked No. 2 at 149, got a takedown in the first sudden victory period to post a 3-1 sudden victory over No. 11 Cesar Grajales of Penn in Penn State's season finale against the Quakers on 2/20. The win allowed Jenkins to post a perfect 22-0 record during the 2008-09 regular season.
STEADMAN'S FIRST BIG TEN DUAL WIN CLINCHES VICTORY AT MICHIGAN STATE Red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman downed Michigan State's Tyler Dickenson 4-1 on Feb. 13 to clinch the Nittany Lions' 28-12 Big Ten road win over the Spartans. The victory was Steadman's first in a Big Ten dual. Penn State won seven of ten bouts in the dual, which also included technical falls from Brad Pataky at 125 and Bubba Jenkins at 149 and a pin from Cameron Wade at HWT.
PATAKY DOWNS #17 WATTS; PERFECT ON MICHIGAN TRIP Sophomore Brad Pataky ended the Big Ten dual meet season in fine fashion, downing No. 17 Michael Watts of Michigan on Feb. 14.. Pataky went 2-0 during Penn State's swing through East Lansing and Ann Arbor, also notching a technical fall over MSU's Eric Olanowski the night before. Pataky went 7-1 during his Big Ten dual meet season, including wins over the fourth-, fifth- and 17th-ranked wrestlers.
NITTANY LIONS GOING WITH YOUTH Penn State completed the Big Ten dual meet season with a line-up that featured at least five, and sometimes six, freshmen. Led by true freshman Quentin Wright at 174, Penn State's young talent faced `baptism by fire' as the grueling Big Ten slate unfolded. Still, Troy Sunderland's youngsters showed promise and growth. Wright carries a 29-10 record with him to nationals as the 2009 Big Ten Runner-Up at 174; Molinaro is 19-16 overall, took 8th at the Big Ten Championships as an unseeded wrestler and earned a wild card spot at 141; Wade went 15-14 and placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships as an unseeded wrestler in his first year at HWT for Penn State; Tim Darling went 15-11 after stepping into the starting line-up in February at 157 and took eighth at the Big Ten Championships as an unseeded wrestler; and Clay Steadman posted a 5-16 overall mark after stepping in at 197 when the opening day starter went down with a season-ending injury.
DARLING PICKS UP FIRST DUAL MEET WIN VS. IOWA Red-shirt freshman Tim Darling downed Iowa's Matt Ballweg, 5-4, on 2/8 and picked up his first Penn State (and Big Ten) dual meet victory in the process. The Nittany Lion freshman notched a first period takedown at the 2:03 mark and rode the Hawkeye out to build up what would be the decisive riding time edge in the win.
WADE NOTCHES FIRST BIG TEN DUAL MATCH WIN Red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade notched the first Big Ten dual meet win of his career with a 4-0 victory over Iowa reserve Brody Ambrose on 2/8. Wade used a first period takedown, an escape and a riding time point to post the solid victory.
DARLING MAKES NITTANY LION DUAL MEET DEBUT AT 157 IN TOUGH LOSS TO #17 JOHNSTONE Red-shirt freshman Tim Darling made his Penn State dual meet debut on 2/6 in a tough 9-4 loss to No. 17 Jason Johnstone of Ohio State. Darling bolted out to an early lead with two quick takedowns, but the talented Buckeye countered a Darling pin attempt by shifting himself onto the Lion freshman and picking up back points of his own. That move was Johnstone's lone offense in the 9-4 win.
FOUR NITTANY LIONS PLACE AT EDINBORO OPEN Four young Nittany Lion wrestlers placed at the Edinboro Open yesterday as a contingent of 13 unattached Penn State grapplers travelled northwest for the annual open event. Freshman Tyler Saltsman (Concord, N.H.) went 3-1 at 133, advancing to the finals before dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Eastern Michigan's Andrew Novak. True freshman Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.) posted a solid 4-2 mark at 165 to take fourth place. Sophomore Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) had a fine day at 149, going 5-2 with a technical fall and a pin to take fifth place. True freshman Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.) placed fifth at 125 with an identical 5-2 mark, one major and one pin.
PATAKY DOWNS #5 SANDERS Sophomore 125-pounder Brad Pataky continued his hot streak with two more Big Ten wins on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. Pataky downed No. 5 Zach Sanders of Minnesota 14-7 last Friday, missing out on a major when he was hit for stalling as the buzzer sounded. He followed that impressive win up with a major over Wisconsin's Drew Hammen.
STRAYER STUNS #5 NESS OF MINNESOTA Senior All-American Jake Strayer notched the only takedown of the bout in a 4-3 win over No. 5 Jayson Ness of Minnesota. The Nittany Lion scored the takedown in the first period and then continued to keep the talented Gopher on his heals for the remainder of the match. Two days later, Strayer followed that win up with a pin against Wisconsin and Ness countered by defeating then No. 1 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State.
SHORT-HANDED NITTANY LIONS OPEN UP BIG TEN ACTION WITH TWO TIES ON THE ROAD The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team continued to battle on despite being hit with injury after injury and came away with two ties to open up the Big Ten dual meet portion of its schedule. The Nittany Lions tied No. 21 Indiana 17-17 on 1/23 and then tied No. 25 Purdue 19-19 less than 24 hours later. The draws were the first in head coach Troy Sunderland's head coaching career and marked the first time in Penn State's long history that the team notched two ties in a row. Penn State's last draw was an 18-18 tie against Iowa on Dec. 4, 1992. That tie was the only blemish on Penn State's 22-0-1 record during that campaign. VALLIMONT MOVES TO 165; DOWNS #9 MANUEL OF PURDUE Penn State All-American Dan Vallimont, who placed third at 157 last year as a sophomore, has made the move up to 165. Vallimont began action at his new weight class with mixed results last weekend on the road. The Penn State co-captain was upset at 165 on Friday night but then rebounded in fine fashion with a solid 6-4 win over No. 9 Luke Manuel of Purdue. Vallimont notched two third period takedowns to secure the victory, his first of the year over a ranked 165-pounder.
PATAKY DOWNS DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION ESCOBEDO Sophomore Brad Pataky continued his torrid streak at 125, defeating defending National Champion Angel Escobedo on his own mat. Pataky downed No. 4 Escobedo 4-3 on Jan. 23. He followed up that superb showing with a major decision over Purdue's Akif Eren.
DECKER DOMINATES WITH TECH. FALL AGAINST INDIANA; NEARLY UPSETS #14 KISSEL OF PURDUE Senior Jack Decker continued to shine at 184 for Penn State in the Nittany Lions' Big Ten opening road swing. Decker was unstoppable on top in his 15-0 technical fall over Indiana's Eric Cameron on Jan. 23. He then took No. 14 A.J. Kissel of Purdue to the wire before dropping a heart-breaking 2-1 decision to the ranked Boilermaker.
JENKINS, PATAKY AND WRIGHT SHINE AT NATIONAL DUALS AS NITTANY LIONS PLACE EIGHTH A junior, a sophomore and a freshmen stood out for Penn State as the unseeded Nittany Lions went 2-3 and earned an eighth place finish at the 2009 National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 10-11. Jenkins entered the tournament undefeated and continued that unbeaten run with five wins, leaving the tournament 18-0. Jenkins began the tournament with a pin, a major and a technical fall before closing out his run with two decisions (including a win over No. 18 Jason Chamberlain of Boise State). Pataky went 4-1 with two pins and wins over two ranked wrestlers. Pataky's first against Nebraska came in just 0:12 while his second was over No. 18 Brian Owens of Boise State. He also downed No. 11 Mike Watts of Michigan. Wright went 4-1, with his only loss being a hard-fought 3-1 decision to No. 2 Brandon Brown of Nebraska. Wright moved up to 184 against Michigan and notched a 7-6 decision over No. 11 Anthony Biondo. He also picked up a pin in the tournament. As a team, Penn State opened with a 20-19 win over then No. 5 Missouri, lost a final bout showdown against No. 4 Nebraska (falling 20-16), beat No. 17 Michigan (21-18) and dropped another final bout clash with No. 11 Minnesota, 21-18. Penn State was beaten by No. 16 Boise State, 22-15, in the seventh place match-up. In all, Penn State 24-26 .
VALLIMONT DOWNS #7 CHANDLER TO LEAD LIONS TO WIN OVER #5 MISSOURI Junior All-American Dan Vallimont posted a 3-1 (sv) win over No. 7 Michael Chandler of Missouri to spark the Nittany Lions to a 20-19 win in the first round of the National Duals on 1/10. Vallimont's victory was helped by wins from Brad Pataky at 125, Jake Strayer at 133, Bubba Jenkins at 149 and Quentin Wright up at 184.
PATAKY AND WRIGHT PICK UP WINS OVER RANKED FOES IN VICTORY OVER #17 MICHIGAN AT NATIONAL DUALS Sophomore Brad Pataky posted a 7-5 win over No. 11 Mike Watts and true freshman Quentin Wright moved up a weight to 184 and downed No. 11 Anthony Biondo of Michigan in the Nittany Lions' 21-18 victory over No. 17 Michigan in the National Duals on 1/10. Junior heavyweight Stefan Tighe capped off the win with a 2-1 victory at HWT to secure the win while All-Americans Jake Strayer, Bubba Jenkins and Dan Vallimont added wins to help the cause.
FRIEND DOWNS #18 GLASSER OF MINNESOTA Senior 165-pounder Mark Friend posted a hard-fought 4-3 win over No. 18 Scott Glasser of Minnesota in the Nittany Lions heart-breaking 21-18 loss to the 11th-ranked Gophers at the National Duals on 1/10. The win was Friend's first of the year over a ranked opponent.
DARLING TAKES THIRD AT KENT STATE OPEN Red-shirt freshman Tim Darling went 5-1 with a pin and two technical falls to take third at the Kent State Open on Jan. 18. Darling advanced to the semifinals before losing and then went 2-0 in wrestle-backs to take third place. Red-shirt freshman J.R. Brown went 1-3 at 197 and took sixth place as well.
WRIGHT DOWNS #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 tossed him to the mat for a pin at the 4:56 mark. The victory helped PSU 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.
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.
HAILE AND ERWIN OUT FOR SEASON 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). 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.
WRIGHT DOWNS #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 PSU 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.
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.
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.