March 11, 2010
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
2010 NCAA Championships bracket in .pdf form
Complete Tournament Notes in PDF Format
TODAY'S ACTION
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; March 1, 2010 -- Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling coach Cael Sanderson will send six wrestlers to Omaha, Neb., for the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18-20. The three-day event, will take place at the Qwest Center and crowns the NCAA team champion and individual titlists at all ten weights.
On Wednesday, March 10, the NCAA announced the brackets for the event and Penn State received four seeds, led by senior Cyler Sanderson, who will be the No. 4 seed at 157. Sanderson, a 2008 All-American, will be Penn State's top seed and will carry a 28-4 record into the event. All-American Frank Molinaro is close behind as the No. 5 seed at 149. Molinaro will take a 29-5 record into the national tournament. All-American Dan Vallimont enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed at 165. Vallimont, who was a 2008 All-American at 157, is 26-7 heading to Omaha. Senior David Erwin rounds out the seeded Nittany Lions with a No. 11 nod at 184. Erwin, who is making his first trip to nationals, has a 29-8 overall record. Junior Brad Pataky is unseeded at 125 and carries a 26-8 record to nationals. Sophomore Cameron Wade is unseeded at heavyweight with his 20-9 mark. Senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) did not receive an at-large bid and will not compete at nationals.
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown of Penn State's opening round match-ups with seeds and overall records heading into the tournament.
125: Brad Pataky, Jr. (Clearfield, Pa.), 26-8 overall
Pataky will take on No. 9 seed Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in the first round. Pataky beat Patterson 8-6 back on Jan. 9 at the Virginia Duals. The winner of that match-up takes on the winner of the James Knox (Maryland)/No. 8 seed Matt Steintrager (Central Michigan) bout.
149: Frank Molinaro, So. (Barnegat, N.J.), #5 seed, 29-5 overall
Molinaro will face off against Binghamton's Donald Vinson in the opening round. The winner will meet either Pitt's Eric Albright or Minnesota's No. 12 seed Mario Mason in the next round.
157: Cyler Sanderson, Sr. (Heber City, Utah), #4 seed, 28-4 overall
2010 Big Ten Champion Sanderson will face Northern Illinois' Bryan Deutsch in the opening round with the winner facing off against either Tyson Reiner of Northern Iowa or Dan Gonsor of Virginia in round two.
165: Dan Vallimont, Sr. (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), #6 seed, 26-7 overall
Vallimont will meet take on Matt Epperly of Virginia Tech in the opening round. The Nittany Lion won a close bout with Epperly earlier in the year, winning a 4-3 decision. The winner of that bout will face off with either Paul Gillespie of Hofstra or No. 11 seed Rick Schmelyun of Bloomsburg.
184: David Erwin, Sr. (Urbana, Ohio), #11 seed, 29-8 overall
Erwin will take on Oklahoma's Erich Schmidtke of Oklahoma in the opening round. Erin downed Schmidtke 9-3 back in January at the Virginia Duals. The winner of the Erwin/Schmidtke bout will face off with either Zack Giesen of Stanford or No. 6 seed Max Askren of Missouri.
HWT: Cameron Wade, So. (Twinsburg, Ohio) 20-9 overall
Wade will take on No. 3 seed Zach Rey of Lehigh in the opening round. Wade lost a 5-2 bout to Rey back in November in Penn State's season-opening dual at Lehigh. The winner of the Wade/Rey match will face either Kurt Klimek of CS-Fullerton or David Wade of Eastern Michigan.
The 2010 NCAA Championships are on March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb. Action begins at the Qwest Center at 11 a.m. (Central) on Thursday, March 18. Penn State's action in the tourney will be aired live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The Nittany Lions posted a 13-6-1 overall record during dual meets this season, 5-3 and in fourth place in the Big Ten standings. Penn State placed fifth at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 6-7. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
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. In his first year at Penn State, he guided the Lions to a 13-6-1 dual meet mark, 5-3 in Big Ten action, and crowned his first Big Ten Champion. Sanderson now sports a 57-17-1 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 13-6-1 at Penn State in his first year.
Cyler Sanderson CLAIMS BIG TEN TITLE AT 157
Senior Cyler Sanderson posted a perfect 3-0 mark at the 2010 Big Ten Wrestling Championships to become Penn State's first Big Ten individual champion since Phil Davis won the 197-pound title in 2008. Sanderson entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. He opened the event with a 9-7 win over 7th-seed Clinton Arlis of Illinois, then downed Michigan State's Anthony Jones in the semifinals. In the title bout, Sanderson dominated top-seeded Colton Salazar 8-4 to claim the crown. He becomes Penn State's 20th individual champ and the 14th person to win a Big Ten crown.
VALLIMONT'S THIRD PLACE SHOWING AT 165 LEADS PENN STATE'S SIX OTHER PLACE WINNERS AT BIG TENS
Senior Dan Vallimont finished third at 165 for the second straight year at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Vallimont went 3-1, with his only loss a 3-1 decision to eventual champ Andrew Howe of Wisconsin in the semifinals. Junior Brad Pataky went 2-2 at 125 to take fourth, sophomore Frank Molinaro went 2-2 at 149 to take fourth and senior David Erwin was 3-2 at 184 to finish fourth as well. Sophomore Cameron Wade was 2-2 at heavyweight to finish in fifth and senior Adam Lynch was 2-3 at 141 to finish in sixth place.
NITTANY LIONS QUALIFY SIX FOR NATIONALS; FINISH FIFTH AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Led by senior Cyler Sanderson's championship at 157, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers qualified six/sevenkjkj wrestlers for the 2010 NCAA Championships. Sanderson earned a spot at 157 and he will be joined in Omaha by junior Brad Pataky at 125, sophomore Frank Molinaro at 149, senior Dan Vallimont at 165, senior David Erwin at 184, and sophomore Cameron Wade at heavyweight. Penn State took fifth in the team race with 91.0 points, a two spot improvement over seventh place finishes last year and the year before. The 91.0 points was the most that Penn State has scored in the Big Ten tournament since notching 91.0 in a fourth place finish in 2006.
PENN STATE #10 IN NWCA COACHES POLL; SIX LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, will end the 2009-10 dual meet season with a top ten national ranking. Sanderson's Lions received a No. 10 ranking in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for the dual meet season. In addition, six Nittany Lion individuals will head into the post-season with national rankings at their respective weights from Intermat. Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) will be Penn State's highest ranked individual heading into next weekend's Big Ten Championships. Molinaro is 27-3 overall and ranked No. 4 at 149. Fellow All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) is ranked No. 6 at 157 and sports a 25-4 mark. Senior All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) has a 23-6 record at 165 and is ranked No. 7. Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) continues his ascent at 184 and is now ranked No. 9 with a 26-6 record (including a team-best tying 7-1 mark in Big Ten duals). Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), 24-6 overall and also 7-1 in conference duals, is ranked No. 12 at 125 and sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is No. 17 at heavyweight. Penn State is one of eight Big Ten teams listed in the final rankings. Iowa (1), Ohio State (3), Minnesota (5), Penn State (10), Indiana (13), Wisconsin (14), Purdue (21) and Illinois (23) are all listed among the nation's top 25 teams.
MOLINARO DOWNS #16 MASON IN DUAL AT MINNESOTA
Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro posted a convincing 7-3 win over No. 16 Marion Mason in Penn State's season-ending dual meet loss at Minnesota on 2/19. Molinaro's win gave the Nittany Lion a 6-2 mark in Big Ten duals and was one of four Penn State wins in the close loss at No. 5 Minnesota. Senior David Erwin got a major at 184, All-American Dan Vallimont picked up a decision at 165 and junior Brad Pataky received a forfeit at 125.
WRIGHT AND TAYLOR CLAIM NATIONAL COLLEGIATE OPEN TITLES; RUTH RUNNER-UP
Six members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, including top red-shirts, competed at the National Collegiate Open at Clarion on Saturday. True freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and red-shirting All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) won titles at 157 and 184 pound weight classes respectively. The talented duo each won their fourth open tournament titles. Taylor went 5-0 at 157 with two technical falls and two pins. Taylor's five wins improves his record during this red-shirt season to 21-2 with 10 technical falls and seven pins. Wright went 4-0 at 184 with three pins to win the title. The 2009 All-American at 174 downed Nittany Lion true freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) 6-4 in the title bout. Wright's four wins improves him to 14-1 with nine pins in his red-shirt year. Ruth went 3-1 with a pin and a major to take second place and improves to 14-3 with three pins during this red-shirt campaign. True freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) was once again impressive at 157, going 5-2 to take fourth place. Vollrath had three pins and is 18-8 with six pins during his red-shirt year.
TAYLOR, KEMERER & WRIGHT WIN `BORO OPEN TITLES
Eleven members of the Penn State wrestling team headed north to take part in the 2010 Edinboro Open and eight of that group earned places at the event. Red-shirts David Taylor, Jake Kemerer and Quentin Wright all earned titles. Each of Penn State's entrants was unattached at the non-traditional tournament and, since bouts were not of regulation length (six minutes with three separate two-minute periods instead of seven minutes); none of the results count on the wrestlers records. Taylor stormed through the 157-pound weight class to claim his third Open title of the year, getting two pins in the process. Kemerer was a perfect 4-0 at 165 with a pin and a major to win the crown, his first Open title of the year. Wright went 4-0 at 184 with one pin to win the crown, his third of the year as well. Freshman James Vollrath was solid at 157 as well, taking third with a pin and two majors. His only loss was to Taylor. Nick Fischer also had a good tournament, going 3-2 to take fourth at 157. He lost to Vollrath in the consolation finals. Freshman Tom Reynolds placed fourth at 133 with a 4-2 mark, losing in the consolation finals. Freshman James English went 5-2 at 149 to take fourth, falling in the conso finals as well. Freshman Ed Ruth took second place at 184, defeating red-shirting Edinboro star Chris Honeycutt in the semifinals before losing in overtime to teammate Wright in the finals. Ruth went 3-1 on the day.
MOLINARO TAKES DOWN #12 CHEZA, SANDERSON GETS 4TH STRAIGHT PIN TO LEAD LIONS OVER SPARTANS
Sophomore Frank Molinaro posted a convincing 11-6 win over No. 12 David Cheza and senior Cyler Sanderson notched his fourth straight pin to lead Penn State to a 26-12 rout of visiting michigan State on Senior Night in Rec Hall. The duo claimed two of Penn State's seven wins on the night, as Sanderson was joined by fellow seniors Adam Lynch, Dan Vallimont and David Erwin in claiming victories in final duals in Rec Hall.
4 DUAL WIN STREAK FEATURES SOME LOPSIDED NUMBERS
The Nittany Lions have rolled off four straight Big Ten dual meet wins, downing No. 12 Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State by winning 27 of 40 bouts and outscoring its four opponents by a combined score of 114-47. Penn State has collected seven pins, five majors and two technical falls.
LIONS GO UNDEFEATED AT HOME, AVERAGE ATTENDANCE OVER 4,300 FOR 2009-10
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team ended its home schedule on Friday, Feb. 12, with a 26-12 win over Michigan State to go 5-0 in in home duals for the 2009-10 season. The Nittany Lions averaged a stunning 4,341 fans per dual meet, a figure that is nearly 1,000 more per event than the next highest total since 1998-99 (accurate records prior to that are not available on a yearly basis). Penn State's 2009-10 average was almost 1,700 more per dual than last year's average. Final national season averages are usually released in late March.
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 coast, 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).
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 DOWNS #20 SCHMITT OF WISCONSIN
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.
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.
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.