Oct. 23, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will head into the 2009-10 season with individual national rankings as Intermat has released its Pre-Season USA Today/NWCA poll. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad is ranked 14th in the pre-season coaches rankings.
Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) leads the charge for Penn State with a No. 5 ranking at 157. Sanderson, a transfer from Iowa State, was a 2008 All-American and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 6 at 141 after his eighth place finish at 141 last season earned him his first All-America honor.
Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is ranked No. 8 at 125. The Clearfield native was a national qualifier in 2009, finishing just one win shy of All-America laurels in the `round of 12'. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), a 2008 All-American as a third place finisher at 157, moved to 165 last year and also advanced to the `round of 12'. Vallimont is ranked No. 9 at 165 to start the year. Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) enters his second season at heavyweight ranked No. 20 in the pre-season poll.
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 14 to start the campaign. Seven Big Ten schools are listed in the rankings, including No. 1 Iowa, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Indiana and No. 21 Michigan State. In addition, Penn State will wrestle three other top 25 teams during its non-conference slate (No. 12 Edinboro, No. 19 Lehigh and No. 22 Harvard) in addition to whomever the team meets at the Virginia Duals.
Penn State will host an Intra-Squad Dual on Thursday Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The Nittany Lion regular season begins at No. 19 Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Penn State's home opener is set for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 12 p.m.
Penn State Wrestling season tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now. The five-event package (which does not include the Nittany Lion Open) costs $30 for adults ($6 per event) and $25 for youth ($5 per event). Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $5 in advance and $6 walk-up. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. All Penn State wrestling events will be aired live on local radio (an announcement is coming soon on our flagship station) and streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the site's All-Access package.