Nov. 16, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, is ranked No. 6 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. In addition, seven Nittany Lion individuals are ranked among the top 20 at their respective weights by Intermat.
The 2-0 Nittany Lions hold their No. 6 spot from a week ago as does pre-season No. 1 Cornell. Oklahoma State checks in at No. 2 while Minnesota is No. 3, Wisconsin is No. 4 and Boise State is No. 5. Penn State is followed by No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Central Michigan and No. 10 Illinois. Ohio State (12), Michigan (16), Northwestern (21) and Purdue (22) round out the Big Ten's nine ranked teams.
True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is now ranked No. 12 at 141 after opening his collegiate career at 2-0 (with two pins). Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) maintains his No. 3 nod at 149. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is ranked No. 6 at 157 after starting his college career 2-0 as well.
Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) makes his rankings debut at 165 in the No. 12 spot. Kemerer went 2-0 in his opening weekend, including a win over then No. 11-Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh. Classmate Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 14 at 174 while All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) dips to No. 6 at 184 after a 1-1 opening weekend. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 9 at heavyweight after going 1-1 as well (with the loss being a TB loss to No. 1 Zach Rey of Lehigh).
The Nittany Lions head to Binghamton, N.Y., on Sunday to take part in the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Action begins at 11:30 a.m. with a dual against Harvard. The day continues at 1:15 p.m. vs. West Virginia and concludes with a showdown against No. 24 Rutgers at 3 p.m. Penn State's next home dual is set for Sunday, Dec. 12, when Lock Haven invades Rec Hall at 2 p.m. Single dual tickets are also on sale. Fans may call 814-865-5555 to place orders and the tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for youth. Nov. 4's intra-squad dual is not part of the radio package but will be available on GoPSUsports as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline.