Jan. 26, 2010
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Six members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team continue to hold rankings in the latest individual rankings released by Intermat and viewable at www.intermatwrestle.com. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad is ranked No. 13 as a team in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Penn State's three All-Americans all retain their top eight rankings. Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) stays at No. 5 at 149 with a 22-2 record. Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) stands at No. 5 at 157 and sports a 21-2 overall record while classmate Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) stays at No. 8 at 165 and is 19-4 overall.
Three other Nittany Lions are all ranked in the top 12, led by sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), who sports a 14-5 overall record and is No. 11 at heavyweight. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) is now No. 13 at 184 and is 20-6 overall while junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is 19-5 overall and ranked No. 12 at 125.
Penn State is one of eight Big Ten teams in the top 25. Iowa (1), Ohio State (3), Minnesota (5), Wisconsin (12), Penn State (13), Indiana (14), Illinois (20) and Purdue (25) are all ranked.
The Nittany Lions are now 9-4-1 on the year, 1-1 in Big Ten action. Penn State continues Big Ten action this weekend, once again hitting the road for two rugged duals. The Nittany Lions visit No. 1 Iowa (16-0, 2-0 Big Ten) on Friday, Jan. 29, for an 8 p.m. (Eastern) dual and then trek to Madison to face No. 12 Wisconsin (*5-6, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State's next home duals are next weekend when the Lions welcome Northwestern to Rec Hall for a dual on Friday night, set to start at 7 p.m. Michigan then visits the Lions on Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest. 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 $4 in advance and $5 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) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.