Nov. 3, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
TODAY'S ACTION -- STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; November 3, 2009 -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will host its Intrasquad Scrimmage on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The dual meet formatted event will feature a bout at each weight class and one exhibition match-up as head coach Cael Sanderson showcases select members of the 2009-10 squad, including potential red-shirts. No team scores will be kept.
Set to compete for No. 14 Penn State are its five ranked grapplers and much of its highly-touted crop of true freshmen. In all, four All-Americans will take to the mat in Rec Hall on Thursday night. At 125, junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) will face true freshman Tom Reynolds. Pataky is ranked No. 8 nationally in Intermat's pre-season poll. Pataky went 31-11 last year and advanced to the `round of 12' at nationals. Two red-shirt freshmen will compete at 133, with Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) taking on Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.). Pearsall went 6-9 in open tournaments while Chidester went 8-8. Sophomore Colby Pisani (Ridgway, Pa.) will take on senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) at 141. Pisani went 0-7 last season, moving up one or two weight classes during the season to fill in for injured starters. Lynch posted a 16-12 mark.
All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 141, is moving up to 149 for the first semester and will take on red-shirt freshman James English (York, Pa.). Molinaro went 23-19 in 2008-09 and placed eighth at Nationals. English sat out last season with an injury. All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) will make his first appearance in a Nittany Lion singlet at 157 when he faces true freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio). Sanderson is ranked No. 5 at 157 and went 20-9 at Iowa State last year. Taylor, one of the nation's top new faces, is a likely redshirt this season. All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 9 at 165, will take on true freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.). Vallimont went 24-12 last year in his first season at 165 while Kemerer, also a red-shirt this year, is part of Penn State's superb class of true freshman.
Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) returns after missing all but the opening date of last year's season to take the helm at 174. Erwin, who went 3-0 at the MSU Open last November before an injury ended his season, will face red-shirt freshman Justin Ortega. Ortega was 6-4 in open tournaments. Sophomore J.R. Brown (Bellefonte, Pa.) will take on true freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 184. Brown went 3-14 last year and was a spot starter for the Nittany Lions at 197. Ruth, a likely red-shirt this year, is coming off a superb season at the Blair Academy and, like Taylor and Kemerer, helps to form Penn State's talented freshman class. Sophomore Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) will take on true freshman Luke Macchiaroli (Tempe, Ariz.) at 197. Steadman went 5-16 in his first season as a starter last year while Macchiaroli is part of PSU's outstanding crop of true freshmen. The heavyweight bout will feature sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 20 in Intermat's pre-season listing, taking on senior Brendan Herlihy (Fairfield, Conn.). Wade went 15-14 as a freshman last year while Herlihy went 2-2. In an exhibition at 184, All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), likely red-shirting this season after a 33-13 performance at 174 last year, will face an opponent to be determined. Wright placed sixth at Nationals last year.
Penn State opens up the dual meet season at Lehigh on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. Penn State's first home dual is slated for Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon when the Bloomsburg Huskies invade Rec Hall. 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 events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and on GoPSUsports. com as well.
TODAY'S POSSIBLE LINE-UP
As of November 2, 2009
#14 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2008-09 Record
125 #8 Brad Pataky Jr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 31-11
vs. Tom Reynolds Fr. Skillman, N.J./Montgomery first year
133 Bryan Pearsall Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 6-9
vs. Jack Chidester Fr. Conestoga, Pa./Conestoga 8-8
141 Colby Pisani So. Ridgway, Pa./Ridgway 0-7
vs. Adam Lynch Sr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 16-12
149 #6 (@ 141) Frank Molinaro So. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 23-19
vs. James English Fr. York, Pa./Central York 0-0
157 #5 Cyler Sanderson Sr. Heber City, Utah/Wasatch 20-9
vs. David Taylor Fr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham first year
165 #9 Dan Vallimont Sr. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 24-12
vs. Jake Kemerer Fr. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield first year
174 David Erwin Sr. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 3-0
vs. Justin Ortega Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 6-4
184 J.R. Brown So. Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte 3-14
vs. Ed Ruth Fr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township first year
197 Clay Steadman So. McKean, Pa./General McLane 5-16
vs. Luke Macchiaroli Fr. Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol first year
285 #20 Cameron Wade So. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 15-14
vs. Brendan Herlihy Sr. Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde 2-2
EXHIBITION
184 Quentin Wright So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 33-13
vs. TBA Opponent to be determined
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson Cael Sanderson comes to Penn State after three extremely successful years as the head coach at his alma mater. Sanderson's teams did not finish any lower than fifth at the NCAA Championships and never had a wrestler not qualify for nationals, getting 30 of 30 grapplers through to the championship tournament. In 2007, Sanderson's rookie campaign, he led ISU to a 13-3 dual meet record and the first of three straight Big 12 Championships. An NCAA Runner-Up finish in Detroit capped off a wildly successful year as the Cyclones crowned one national champion and Sanderson was honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year, National Rookie Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year. The next year, Sanderson led ISU to a 16-4 dual meet mark, another Big 12 title and a fifth place finish at nationals. Iowa State's seven All-Americans in 2008 were the most at the school since 1993. This past season, Sanderson's team went 15-3 in duals, won its third straight Big 12 title and took third place at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis (just 12 points out of first place). The Cyclones also crowned another national champion. In three years, Sanderson's teams went 44-10, won three conference crowns, qualified all 30 wrestlers for nationals, and earned 15 All-America awards and two individual national titles. Sanderson now sports a 44-10 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach.
MEDIA DAY A BIG SUCCESS FOR LIONS; OVER 30 PRESS DESCEND UPON THE LWC FOR EVENT Over 30 members of the press, including photographers and television crews, descended upon the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex for Penn State's Wrestling Media Day, held on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The well-attended event featured Sanderson's press conference, individual wrestler availability as well as an open practice session. Full transcripts of the event, photo galleries and video highlights can be found at http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-wrestl/psu-m-wrestl-body.html .
TRUE FRESHMAN AND WRIGHT TO RED-SHIRT; JENKINS A PROBABLE RED-SHIRT AS WELL Coach Sanderson confirmed at media day that it is the intention of the Nittany Lion coaching staff to red-shirt all true freshmen this year as well as sophomore All-American Quentin Wright. In addition, 2008 National Runner-Up Bubba Jenkins (who is ineligible first semester) is likely to red-shirt as well.
BIG TEN NETWORK TO TELEVISE NINE DUALS THIS YEAR, SOME LIVE, PENN STATE ON ONCE The Big Ten Network will air nine dual meets on its national cable network this year, five of which will air live and four that will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis. The Penn State Nittany Lions will be featured once again this year, with the Nittany Lions' dual at Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 24, airing on a same-day delay basis at 7 p.m. that day. In addition to the nine dual meets, the Big Ten Network will air the finals of Midlands on Sunday, Jan. 3, and the finals of the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, March 7. BigTenNetwork.com will offer video streaming of 15 other duals as well. Penn State will be featured on six of those web-only streams.
PENN STATE #14 IN INTERMAT POLL; FIVE LIONS RANKED 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 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.
LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON RANKINGS FROM W.I.N. MAGAZINE Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team are ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights in Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine's pre-season individual rankings. Head coach Cael Sanderson's team is well represented on the list with all five wrestlers sitting in the top ten at their weights. With returning All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) set to red-shirt this year and not ranked at 174, fellow 2009 All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) checks in with a No. 7 ranking at 141. Molinaro placed eighth at nationals last year and went 23-19 on the year. Three 2008 All-Americans are also ranked, led by transfer Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), who is ranked No. 6 at 157. Sanderson, who finished seventh at 157 two years ago with a 33-6 record, went 20-9 last year and was 2-2 at nationals. Senior Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) spent much of the 2009 season ranked among the top two in the nation at 149, but injuries down the stretch prevented the 2008 national runner-up from repeating as an All-American. Jenkins went 24-3 last year, is ranked No. 6 nationally at 149, and is scheduled to return to action in late December of this year. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was a third place finisher at 157 two years ago, earning his first All-America tag. Last year, Vallimont moved up to 165 during the Big Ten season and ended the campaign with a tough loss in the `round of 12' at nationals, just one win shy of All-America status. Vallimont ended the 2008-09 season with a 24-12 record and enters this season ranked No. 9 at 165 by W.I.N. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also advanced to the `round of 12' in 2009 during his first trip to nationals. The talented 125-pounder went 31-11 last year and heads into the new season ranked No. 9 at 125.
LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON RANKINGS FROM AWN MAGAZINE Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team are ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights in Amateur Wrestling News' pre-season individual rankings. Head coach Cael Sanderson's team is well represented on this list, which is released every year by one of the nation's oldest wrestling publications. With returning All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) set to red-shirt this year and not ranked at 174, fellow 2009 All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) checks in with a No. 8 ranking at 141. Molinaro placed eighth at nationals last year and went 23-19 on the year. Two 2008 All-Americans are also ranked, led by transfer Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah), who is ranked No. 5 at 157. Sanderson, who finished seventh at 157 two years ago with a 33-6 record, went 20-9 last year and was 2-2 at nationals. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) was a third place finisher at 157 two years ago, earning his first All-America tag. Last year, Vallimont moved up to 165 during the Big Ten season and ended the campaign with a tough loss in the `round of 12' at nationals, just one win shy of All-America status. Vallimont ended the 2008-09 season with a 24-12 record and enters this season ranked No. 12 at 165. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) also advanced to the `round of 12' in 2009 during his first trip to nationals. The talented 125-pounder went 31-11 last year and heads into the new season ranked No. 8 at 125. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) was injured in last year's opening event after beginning the year 3-0. A two-year starter for Penn State, Erwin has a 49-18 career record and is ranked No. 17 in AWN's pre-season rankings.
THE Cael Sanderson RADIO SHOW The Cael Sanderson Radio Show will make its premier on Wednesday night, airing locally on 3WZ (95.3 FM) and statewide on the Pennsylvania Sports Network. The show will then air every Wednesday night throughout the season with the exception of an occasional off-evening. The 30-minute show will be hosted by Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State wrestling, and Sanderson. Upcoming events will be highlighted and fans will have the opportunity to call in and ask questions of Sanderson and Byers. The show will originate from the conference room in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. Local affiliate 3WZ is the Centre Region's source for the Pennsylvania Sports Network. The PA Sports Network is a 16-station radio network spanning the entirety of the Commonwealth, from Erie to Lancaster. The Network's programming is also carried live on Comcast Channel 4 in State College. The full affiliate list that will air the Cael Sanderson Show is as follows:
3WZ 95.3 FM State College/Bellefonte; WTKT 1460 AM Harrisburg/Lebanon/York; WLPA 1490 AM Lancaster/Reading; WVAM 1430 AM Altoona/Bedford ; WCHX 105.5 FM Lewistown; WKVA 920 AM Lewistown/Huntingdon; WBPZ 1230 AM Lock Haven; WLYC 1050 AM Williamsport; WLYC 104.1 FM Williamsport/Montoursville; WCPA 900 AM Clearfield/Dubois; WGET 1320 AM Gettysburg/Hanover; WTZN 1310 AM Troy/Canton; WWGE 1400 AM Ebensburg/Loretto; WKGE 850 AM Johnstown; WPHB 1260 AM Phillipsburg; WFNN 1300 AM Erie.
Other Outlets: Cable 4 News on Comcast Cable Systems in State College, Huntingdon, Clearfield and other areas.