Feb. 10, 2010
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
TODAY'S ACTION - SENIOR NIGHT AND AUTOGRAPH NIGHT SET FOR MSU DUAL!
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; February 10, 2010 -- No. 10 Penn State (12-5-1, 4-2 Big Ten) will host Michigan State (8-5-1, 2-3 Big Ten) in the home finale for the Nittany Lions on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual will serve as both Senior Night and Autograph Night as the Nittany Lions will sign autographs after the dual meet. The Big Ten Network will be in town to produce the match. While not airing live, the BTN broadcast will air on tape delay Friday night at 11 p.m.
Penn State is coming off a superb Big Ten weekend, improving to 12-5-1, 4-2 in the Big Ten, with its third and fourth conference wins. The Nittany Lions downed Northwestern 37-10 on Friday, Feb. 5, winning seven of ten bouts with three pins, two majors, a tech fall and a forfeit. Two days later, Penn State won seven more bouts in a 29-10 rout of visiting Michigan. The Nittany Lions got two pins in that win. Penn State won 14 of 20 bouts and outscored its two Big Ten foes 66-20. Penn State collected five pins, three majors and a technical fall in the two wins as well. The Nittany Lions notched 46-26 takedown advantage in the two duals.
The Nittany Lions will continue to lean on a trio of All-Americans, including No. 4 Frank Molinaro, who is 25-3 at 149; No. 7 Cyler Sanderson, who is 24-3 at 157; and No. 7 Dan Vallimont, who is 21-6 at 165. Senior David Erwin is now No. 10 at 184 and is 24-6 overall. Sophomore Cameron Wade is No. 11 at HWT with a 17-6 mark and junior Brad Pataky is No. 13 at 125 and is 22-6 overall. Vallimont could become the second Nittany Lion this year to top the 100 career win plateau. Vallimont has 99 wins and his next will put him into the century club. Sanderson topped 100 earlier this year and has 106 career wins to date.
Michigan State will enter Friday's dual coming off a solid dual meet win over Purdue. The Spartans are having one of their more successful dual meet seasons in the past couple years and stand at 8-5-1 overall, 2-3 in Big Ten duals. Michigan State is led by two ranked grapplers, including defending national champion Franklin Gomez at 133 and sophomore David Cheza at 149. Gomez enters the dual with a 17-1 record while Cheza sports a gaudy 20-8 mark. At 165, Michigan senior Kyle Bounds sports a 25-12 record as well.
Penn State closes out the dual meet season by visiting No. 5 Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 19, for an 8 p.m. (Eastern) dual in Minneapolis. Single event tickets for Nittany Lion wrestling cost $8 for adults and $5 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), 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on GoPSUsports. com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
TODAY'S POSSIBLE LINE-UP As of February 10, 2010
#10 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (12-5-1, 4-2 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2009-10 Record
125 #13 Brad Pataky Jr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 22-6
133 Bryan Pearsall Fr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 3-19
141 Adam Lynch Sr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 10-9
149 #4 Frank Molinaro So. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 25-3
157 #7 Cyler Sanderson Sr. Heber City, Utah/Wasatch 24-3
165 #7 Dan Vallimont Sr. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 21-6
174 Justin Ortega Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 6-16
184 #10 David Erwin Sr. Urbana, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 24-6
197 Clay Steadman So. McKean, Pa./General McLane 8-10
David Crowell So. Easton, Pa./Nazareth 17-12
285 #11 Cameron Wade So. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 17-6
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (8-5-1, 2-3 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2009-10 Record
125 Brenan Lyon Fr. Ithaca, Mich./Ithaca 3-13
133 #4 Franklin Gomez Sr. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 17-1
141 Dan Osterman Fr. Carson City, Mich./St. Johns 18-10
149 #12 David Cheza So. Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc 20-8
157 Anthony Jones Jr. Highland Park, Mich./Highland Park 8-13
165 Kyle Bounds Sr. Vancouver, Wash./Oregon 25-12
174 Ian Hinton So. Nappanee, Ind./Mishawaka 14-13
184 Curran Jacobs So. Owosso, Mich./Owosso 11-7
OR Nick Palmieri Sr. Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield 13-10
197 Tyler Dickenson So. Pewamo, Mich./St. John's 15-14
285 Alan O'Donnell Sr. Clarksville, Mich.Lakewood 10-10
Indiv. rankings Intermat/Team rankings NWCA
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 56-16-1 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 12-5-1 at Penn State in his first year.
LIONS STORM WILDCATS AND WOLVERINES
Over the Feb. 5 weekend, in duals against Northwestern and Michigan, the Nittany Lions stormed past their visiting foes to win two duals in stellar fashion. Penn State won 14 of 20 bouts and outscored its two Big Ten foes 66-20. Penn State collected five pins, three majors and a technical fall in the two wins as well. The Nittany Lions notched 46-26 takedown advantage in the two duals.
FEBRUARY NOR `EASTER CAN'T KEEP LION FANS AWAY
The great blizzard of February, 2009, dubbed Snowmageddon on the east coach dumped up to 16 inches of snow in the Centre Region and exponentially more (up to three feet) further south of State College beginning the evening of February 5. The Nittany Lions hosted Northwestern that evening and the Penn State faithful turned out in full force. Nearly 4,000 fans braved the brutal weather (3,841) to cheer Penn State on to a 37-10 win over visiting Northwestern.
SANDERSON AND WADE PIN THEIR WAY THROUGH EARLY FEBRUARY WEEKEND
Senior Cyler Sanderson and sophomore Cameron Wade pinned their way through Penn State's February 5-7 weekend in Rec Hall. Sanderson picked up two first period falls, pinning NU's Kevin Bialka at the 1:59 mark in PSU's 37-10 win over the Wildcats and then pinning Michigan's Dave Johnson at the 2:46 mark in the Lions' 29-10 win over Michigan. Wade needed just a touch more time but was equally impressive. The sophomore heavyweight pinned NU's Marcus Shrewsbury at the 1:29 mark and then got the fall over Michigan's Ben Apland at the 4:16 mark. David Erwin added a pin at 184 against NU's Aaron Jones to give the Nittany Lions five pins in two dual meet victories.
MOLINARO DOWNS #13 NADHIR TO LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER WILDCATS
Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro shut out No. 13 Andrew Nadhir of Northwestern, notching a 9-0 major over his foe to lead Penn State to a 37-10 win over the Wildcats. Penn State amassed 16 bonus points in the win, getting three pins (from Cyler Sanderson, David Erwin and Cameron Wade), a tech fall (from Brad Pataky), two majors (from Molinaro and Dan Vallimont) and a forfeit (from Adam Lynch).
LYNCH CONTINUES TO SHINE IN BIG TEN ACTION; IMPROVES TO 5-1 IN CONFERENCE DUALS
Senior Adam Lynch won two more Big Ten dual meets, getting a forfeit win against Northwestern and dominating Michigan's Marc Weber in a 9-5 decision. The two wins improved to Lynch to 5-1 in Big Ten action with three of those wins coming over ranked opponents.
MOLINARO TAKES DOWN #2 RUSCHELL IN PENN STATE'S DUAL MEET WIN AT WISCONSIN
Sophomore Frank Molinaro made a four-point move in the first period pay off on his way to a 6-5 win over No. 2 Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin in Penn State's 22-15 dual meet win at UW on Jan. 31. The senior Badger is the highest-ranked wrestler that Molinaro has beaten to date.
LYNCH CONTINUES TO SHINE IN BIG TEN ACTION
Adam Lynch posted yet another win over a ranked foe in Penn State's dual meet in at Wisconsin, getting a 5-4 victory over No. 20 Cole Schmitt in Penn State's road win. Lynch improved to 3-1 in Big Ten duals, with every win coming against a ranked opponent. The Nittany Lion senior has also beaten No. 5 Montel Marion of Iowa and No. 11 Ryan Prater of Illinois.
ERWIN PERFECT IN IOWA CITY AND MADISON
Senior David Erwin went 2-0 during Penn State's Big Ten road swing through Iowa City and Madison. Erwin got an impressive 6-4 win over No. 7 Phil Keddy against Iowa on Jan. 29 and then posted a 2-0 win over No. 16 Travis Rutt at Wisconsin on Jan. 31.
LYNCH DOWNS #5 MARION & ERWIN BEATS #7 KEDDY IN DUAL MEET AT IOWA
Senior Adam Lynch continued to flex his muscle in Big Ten action, this time getting an 8-6 sudden victory decision over No. 5 Montel Marion in Penn State's dual meet at Iowa on Jan. 29. The win was Lynch's second in a seven-day span over a top 20 opponent. Classmate David Erwin also got a signature win, posting a 6-4 decision over No. 7 Phil Keddy in the dual meet.
LYNCH PINS #11 PRATER TO SPARK PENN STATE TO 24-11 WIN OVER #19 ILLINOIS
Senior Adam Lynch thrilled nearly 5,000 screaming Nittany Lion wrestling fans by pinning No. 11 Ryan Prater of Illinois on Jan. 22, leading Penn State to a resounding 24-11 win over the 19th-ranked Illini. The pin, which came in the second period, was one of seven victories for Penn State in head coach Cael Sanderson's Big Ten dual meet debut. Other key wins included Frank Molinaro's 5-1 win over No. 20 Eric Terrazas. The victory was Penn State's first over Illinois since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten conference and was Penn State's third-ever against the Illini (against nine losses).
PATAKY AND WADE DOWN RANKED BUCKEYES BUT LIONS DROP DUAL MEET IN COLUMBUS
Junior Brad Pataky posted a 9-7 win over No. 19 Nikko Triggas and sophomore Cameron Wade dominated No. 20 Corey Morrison of Ohio State by a 10-4 score, but the two wins were not enough as Penn State dropped a hard-fought 21-14 dual meet in Columbus on Jan. 24.
FISCHER AND RUTH CLAIM HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL CROWNS, CROWELL 2ND
Two Penn State freshmen claimed individual titles at the 2010 Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Open hosted by Millersville University. Freshmen Nick Fischer (Unionville, N.J.) and Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) both went undefeated to win the titles on Sunday at Millersville. All wrestlers were wrestling unattached. Fischer went 5-0 at 157, including two pins, to claim the title. He downed Rider's Ramon Santiago 5-1 in the finals and improved to 12-7 on the year. Ruth was a perfect 4-0 at 184, including two pins. He pinned Army's Colin Whittmeyer in the finals and is now 11-2 on the year. Sophomore David Crowell (Easton, Pa.) was superb in his first tournament up at his new weight of 197. Crowell went 3-1 to take second place, dropping a hard-fought 6-5 decision to No. 14 Richard Starks of Army in the title bout. Crowell is now 17-9 overall. Freshman Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.) also placed for Penn State, going 7-1 at 133 to take third.
LIONS TAKE FOURTH AT VIRGINIA DUALS WITH WINS OVER VIRGINIA TECH AND #13 KENT STATE
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers entered the 2010 Virginia Duals ranked 13th nationally and as the tournament's fourth-seed. Penn State went 2-2 at the event to place fourth, grabbing impressive wins over Virginia Tech (26-9), which went on to finish sixth, and No. 13 Kent State (22-13), which finished fifth. Penn State won four of ten bouts against No. 4 Oklahoma State but lost 24-13 and then split bouts with No. 10 Oklahoma in the third place dual but lost on bonus points, 22-15.
VALLIMONT GOES 4-0 AT VIRGINIA DUALS; MANY LIONS GET IMPRESSIVE WINS OVER RANKED FOES
Senior All-American Dan Vallimont was the lone starter to go unscathed at the 2010 Virginia Duals on 1/8-9. Vallimont went 4-0 with wins over No. 13 Alex Meade of Oklahoma State and No. 16 Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma. Penn State got a number of impressive wins in the tournament: Against virginia Tech, Brad Pataky hammered No. 13 Jarrod Garnett 12-6 at 125; against Kent State, Cameron Wade downed No. 17 Brendan Barlow 3-1 (sv) at HWT; against Oklahoma State (in addition to Vallimont's win over Meade), Cyler Sanderson downed No. 14 Neil Erisman 5-4 at 157 and David Erwin downed No. 9 Clayton Foster 9-3 at 184; and against Oklahoma (in addition to Vallimont's win over Caldwell), Sanderson downed No. 11 Shane Vernon at 157 and Wade beat No. 12 Nathan Fernandez 2-0 at HWT.
LYNCH'S PIN AGAINST KENT STATE AND BATTLE OF TITANS AT 149 HIGHLIGHT VIRGINIA DUALS
Among the many Penn State highlights to emerge from the Virginia Duals on 1/8-9 were two exciting bouts that had fans at the Hampton Coliseum buzzing. First, Nittany Lion senior Adam Lynch got a key pin at 141 in Penn State's impressive win over No. 13 Kent State. Trailing by one late in the third period, Lynch first scored a reversal over KSU's Chase Skonieczny to take a one-point lead. But the steady Lion senior continue through the scramble to force the Flash grappler to his back and get a critical pin in Penn State's 22-13 win. The second bout came in Penn State's close loss to No. 10 Oklahoma in the third place dual. All-American Frank Molinaro entered that final dual with a perfect 21-0 record and ranked No. 5 nationally. He faced off with No. 4 Kyle Terry of Oklahoma in a fast paced bout that ended with a hard-fought 5-2 Terry win. Terry, leading 3-2 as the bout wound down, successfully fought off a late Molinaro flurry and countered a final frantic shot to post the win, snapping Molinaro's 21-0 run to start the season.
LYNCH GETS FIRST CAREER DUAL WIN IN LIONS 32-6 WIN AT LOCK HAVEN
Senior Adam Lynch picked up his first career dual meet win with a 15-3 major over Lock Haven's Justin Loudon in Penn State's 32-6 win at LHU on 1/3. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts, including a pin from Brad Pataky at 125, a tech fall from Cyler Sanderson at 157, majors from Frank Molinaro at 149 and Dan Vallimont at 165 and decisions from Justin Ortega at 174, David Erwin at 184 and Clay Steadman at 197.
SANDERSON AND MOLINARO CLAIM RENO TOC TITLES; SANDERSON EARNS SECOND BIG TEN WOW HONOR
All-Americans Cyler Sanderson and Frank Molinaro each left Reno with individual titles on Dec. 20, combining to go 10-0 and were two of Penn State's three finalists. Sanderson went 5-0 at 157 to improve to 15-1 on the year and was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the second time this year. Molinaro was 5-0 at 149 to win the crown and remains Penn State's only unbeaten wrestler with a 17-0 mark. The duo helped lead Penn State to a third place finish despite PSU only scoring nine wrestlers at the event.
VALLIMONT'S RUNNER-UP FINISH LEADS THREE OTHER PLACERS AT RENO TOC
All-American Dan Vallimont went 3-1 at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20, 2009, losing to defending national champion Jarrod King 2-1 in the finals (dropping the bout on the riding time point). Vallimont's strong showing led three other Penn State placers at the event (in addition to individual titles won by Cyler Sanderson and Frank Molinaro). Senior David Erwin took fourth at 184 and junior Brad Pataky was fifth at 125.
LIONS STORM BACK FOR TIE AT #24 PITTSBURGH
Despite wrestling without two starters, the Nittany Lions stormed back from an early 9-0 deficit to forge a 19-19 tie at No. 24 Pittsburgh on Saturday on 12/12. Penn State reeled off five straight wins from 149 to 184 before forfeiting at 197 and giving up a major at HWT. Still, the hot middle section of Penn State's line up helped the short-handed Lions to get out of Pittsburgh with a tie. Freshman Justin Ortega notched a key win at 174 while All-Americans Frank Molinaro, Cyler Sanderson, Dan Vallimont and senior David Erwin each got four points with their respective wins.
ERWINS DOWNS #19 MATT RYAN AS NITTANY LIONS HAMMER WEST VIRGINIA
Penn State won seven of the nine contested bouts and, despite giving up a forfeit at 197, hammered the homestanding Mountaineers 33-12 on 12/11. Senior David Erwin, ranked No. 14, posted a solid 7-1 win over No. 19 Matt Ryan in the dual's marquee match-up. Penn State also got pins from Colby Pisani, Frank Molinaro and Cyler Sanderson, decisions from Brad Pataky and Dan Vallimont and a bizarre DQ win for Cameron Wade at HWT. Wade had easily won the bout with WVU's Brandon Williamson, building up a ton of riding time in a 2-0 win, but Williamson bit Wade as the bout ended, thus giving the Lions six points for a disqualification.
MOLINARO, SANDERSON AND ERWIN CLAIM NITTANY LION OPEN CROWNS
Penn State won three of the ten crowns at the 2009 Nittany Lion Open on 12/6. All-American Frank Molinaro went 5-0 to win the title at 149, outscoring his opponents 36-6 in the process. All-American Cyler Sanderson went 5-0 at 157 to win the title, including a thrilling 9-7 win over true freshman David Taylor in the finals. Senior David Erwin took the title at 184, going 5-0 in a crowded field, including a win over No. 10 Josh Patterson of Binghamton in the semifinals.
TAYLOR AND PATAKY RUNNERS-UP AT NLO; SIX OTHER LIONS PLACE IN TOP FIVE AS WELL
Freshman David Taylor dropped a hard-fought 9-7 decision to All-American teammate Cyler Sanderson in the finals at 157 to take second place at the Nittany Lion Open on 12/6. Junior Brad Pataky also advanced to the finals at 125, losing to No. 9 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech in the finals. All-American Dan Vallimont took third at 165 and All-American Quentin Wright placed third at 184. Sophomore Colby Pisani had an impressive win over No. 8 Tyler Nauman of Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals at 141 and went on to post a strong fourth place finish. James Vollrath (157), Ed Ruth (184) and Cameron Wade (HWT) all placed fifth as well.
TAYLOR AND WRIGHT WIN CROWNS AT MAT-TOWN
Sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) and freshman David Taylor (St. Parish, Ohio), both red-shirting this year and wrestling unattached, claimed individual titles at the 2009 Mat-Town U.S.A. tournament, hosted by Lock Haven University. Six members of the 12 man Penn State contingent placed at the event. Wright posted a perfect 3-0 mark at 184, getting two pins along the way, to claim the title. The 2009 All-American at 184 downed Penn State senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) in the finals, pinning his teammate at the 2:38 mark. Erwin was also outstanding at the event, going 3-1 with a major and a pin of his own, to claim second place. Erwin is now 5-1 at his new weight (184). Taylor claimed his second open tournament individual crown, posting a superb 4-0 mark to win the 157 pound crown. Taylor notched three technical falls and a pin in the tournament and improved his unattached record this year to a gaudy 12-1 with eight technical falls and two pins. In addition to Erwin's second place finish, red-shirt freshman James English (York, Pa.) took second, finishing as the 149 pound runner-up with a 4-1 record. English lost a hard-fought 2-1 (TB) decision to American's Matt Mariarcher in the finals. Sophomore David Crowell (Easton, Pa.) was also outstanding at the event, posting a 3-2 mark at 184 to take fourth place (including a pin).
PATAKY GOES 3-0 AT SPRAWL AND BRAWLS; NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Brad Pataky was superb in Penn State's 3-0 showing at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 22. Pataky downed No. 8 Eric Morrill of Edinboro in Penn State's 22-9 win over then No. 15 Edinboro and then got a pin and another decision to go 3-0 on the day. Pataky was honored as Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his efforts.
LIONS HAMMER NO. 15 EDINBORO TO CAP OFF 3-0 DAY AT SPRAWL AND BRAWL DUALS
Sophomore Cameron Wade trounced No. 19 Chris Birchler of Edinboro in the heavyweight bout to cap off Penn State's 22-9 win over No. 15 Edinboro at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 22 at Binghamton. Penn state beat Rutgers (18-17) and Harvard (36-6) as well. Four Nittany Lions went undefeated on the day:  Brad Pataky went 3-0 at 125, Tyler Saltman went 2-0 at 133, Frank Molinaro went 3-0 at 149 and David Erwin went 2-0 at 184.
WRIGHT CLAIMS ESU OPEN TITLE
Sophomore Quentin Wright won the individual title at the East Stroudsburg Open, leading11 Nittany Lions who placed at the event. Wright posted a 4-0 mark at 184 at the event, including two pins and a major. The 2009 sixth-place finisher at 174 met Penn State true freshman Ed Ruth in the finals, where Wright notched a tough 5-2 decision. Ruth's second place finish included two major decisions as well. Penn State also took third place at 184, with sophomore David Crowell taking third place. Crowell was upset in the first round but bounced back to win six straight in the consolation bracket to take third place. Crowell had two majors as well. True freshman Jake Kemerer was Penn State's other third place finisher, going 4-1 to take third at 165. True freshman David Taylor took second place at 157 with a 4-1 record, 3-1 against collegiate competition. The Ohio-native got a pin, a tech fall and a major in the process (he also had a pin against a non-collegiate grappler). Kemerer grabbed two majors during the tournament. Senior heavyweight Brendan Herlihy took fourth at the Open, going 5-2 overall, 4-2 against collegiate competition. True freshman Luke Macchiaroli placed tied for fifth at 197 (the fifth place bout was not contested due to time constraints), going 3-2 on the day. Red-shirt freshmen James English (York, Pa.) and Nick Fischer each tied for fifth as well. English placed at 149 with a 6-2 mark (6-0 against collegiate grapplers) while Fischer placed at 165, going 4-2 overall (2-2 against collegiate competition). True freshman James Vollrath was tied for seventh at 157 with a 5-2 mark, 1-2 against collegiate wrestlers.
SANDERSON DOWNS #2 MOLEY IN WIN OVER BLOOM; 2-0 IN PSU DEBUT TO EARN BIG TEN W.O.W. HONOR
Senior Cyler Sanderson made his Rec Hall dual meet debut with a thrilling 3-2 win over No. 2 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg. The victory helped spark the Nittany Lions to a 23-15 win over the visiting Huskies in head coach Cael Sanderson's home dual debut. Two days earlier, he beat Lehigh's Sean Bilodeau (5-2) in his PSU dual debut. The outstanding debut effort helped Sanderson earn Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for the week ending on Nov. 15, 2009. He is Penn State's first Wrestler of the Week since February of 2008.
VALLIMONT DOWNS #19 SCHMELYUN & #12 GALENTE IN OPENING WEEKEND
Senior Dan Vallimont opened up the season with two wins over ranked grapplers. He was dominant in a 5-2 win over No. 12 Mike Galente of Lehigh on 11/13 and then downed #19 Rick Schmelyun of Bloomsburg on 11/15. His win over Schmelyun helped spark PSU to a 23-15 win over the Huskies.
PATAKY AND MOLINARO GO UNDEFEATED IN OPENING WEEKEND OF ACTION
Junior Brad Pataky and sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro each went 2-0 in Penn State's opening weekend of dual meet action. Pataky got a 14-4 major at Lehigh on 11/13 and then posted a four-point, 22-7, technical fall in Penn State's win over Bloomsburg on 11/15. Molinaro was dominant with two majors, getting a 12-3 win at Lehigh on 11/13 and an identical 12-3 win vs. Bloom two days later.
STEADMAN AND WADE HELP SPARK LIONS TO WIN OVER BLOOMSBURG
Sophomore big men Clay Steadman and Cameron Wade each got big wins for Penn State in the Nittany Lions' 23-15 win over the Bloomsburg Huskies on Nov. 15. In Cael Sanderson's coaching debut, Steadman posted a key 3-1 win over BU's Jake Dabashinsky at 197 and Wade pinned Huskie heavyweight Zach Walsh at the 4:42 mark to finish off the dual.
TAYLOR WINS W&J OPEN; KEMERER THIRD
Nittany Lion wrestlers David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) traveled south for the Washington and Jefferson Open, competing as unattached grapplers, and had outstanding days. Taylor was perfect at 157 to claim the title while Kemerer was 5-1 to take third at 165. Taylor, a true freshman red-shirting this season, won four of his five bouts by technical fall, including a 20-5 win over West Virginia's Kyle Eason in the finals. Taylor's other win was a forfeit victory. In all, the Ohio native outscored his opponents 76-16 in his debut at the college level. Kemerer was equally impressive, rolling to a 5-1 mark including two pins and two technical falls. His only loss was a tough 5-3 loss to West Virginia starter Donnie Jones in the semifinals. Also competing at the event was true freshman Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.), who went 1-2 at 174, and red-shirt freshman James English (York, Pa.), who went 1-2 at 149. Both wrestlers were unattached as well.
PENN STATE #10 IN NWCA COACHES POLL; SIX LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
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. 10 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.) holds at No. 4 at 149 after with a 25-3 record. Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) stands at No. 7 at 157 and sports a 24-3 overall record while classmate Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) is still No. 7 at 165 and is 21-6 overall.
Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) continues his strong run at 184 and is now ranked No. 10 nationally. He is 24-6 overall. Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), who sports a 17-6 overall record continues to maintain his No. 11 ranking at heavyweight while junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is 22-6 overall and ranked No. 13 at 125. Penn State is one of eight Big Ten teams listed among the top 25. Iowa (1), Ohio State (3), Minnesota (5), Penn State (10), Indiana (13), Wisconsin (15), Illinois (21) and Purdue (24) are all ranked.
SUMMER WRESTLING CAMPS JUST ONE OF MANY SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS OFFERED AT PSU!
The 2010 Penn State Wrestling Summer Camps are just around the corner. Penn State summer sports camps, including wrestling, offer the very best in individual and team instruction, and now is the time to start planning for summer 2010! With 26 sports to choose from, not only will campers get the absolute finest instruction from some of the nation's elite coaches, but they'll also enjoy Penn State's terrific campus and state of the art facilities. And Penn State sports camps pride themselves on providing each camper a safe environment with twenty-four hour supervision and on-site medical personnel. Registration fills up fast, so get your information today by visiting www.psusportcamps.org, or calling (814) 865-0561.