Nov. 17, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
No. 6 Penn State (2-0) heads to Binghamton, N.Y., to take part in the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals at the University of Binghamton. The Nittany Lions face Harvard (0-0) at 11:30 a.m., West Virginia (2-1) at 1:15 p.m. and No. 24 Rutgers (2-0) at 3 p.m.
Head coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lion squad are coming off a solid opening weekend. Penn State won 41-3 at Bloomsburg in front of an overflow crowd in the Huskies' den on Friday and then beat No. 15 Lehigh 21-17 in front of nearly 5,300 fans in Rec Hall on Sunday. The Nittany Lions are getting outstanding production out of a fistful of freshmen, all five of whom went undefeated in their collegiate debuts this past weekend. Frank Martellotti went 2-0 at 125, No. 12 Andrew Alton went 2-0 at 141 with two pins, No. 6 David Taylor went 2-0 at 157 with a pin and a tech fall, No. 12 Jake Kemerer went 2-0 at 165 and No. 14 Ed Ruth went 2-0 at 174 with a tech fall.
Sophomore Bryan Pearsall went 1-1 at 133 with a key pin at Bloomsburg, sophomore James English went 1-1 at 149 as No. 3 Frank Molinaro continues to rehab an early season injury, No. 6 Quentin Wright went 1-1 at 184 (suffering an upset loss to then-No. 14 Robert Hamlin of Lehigh) and No. 9 Cameron Wade went 1-1 at heavyweight (dropping a hard-fought 4-2 TB decision to No. 1 Zach Rey of Lehigh on Sunday).
Last year, Penn State went 3-0 at the duals, nipping Rutgers 18-7, beating Harvard 36-6 and defeating No. 15 Edinboro 22-9. Sitting at 2-0, the Nittany Lions will try and move to 5-0 for the first time since beginning the 2007-08 season 6-0.
Harvard will be wrestling in its first duals of the season in Binghamton. The Crimson competed at the BU Open last week. Harvard is being led by junior Corey Jantzen, who is ranked No. 9 at 149. Penn State owns a 4-0 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 36-6 win at this event last year.
The West Virginia Mountaineers head to New York with a 2-1 mark. The team is being led by No. 8 Brandon Rader at 149 and No. 14 Donnie Jones at 165. The senior duo anchor a line-up that features seven upper classmen. Penn State owns a 26-7 lead in the all-time series, including a 33-12 win in Morgantown last year.
No. 24 Rutgers carries a 2-0 mark into the Duals. The Scarlet Knights are being led by No. 6 D.J. Russo at heavyweight and No. 8 Scott Winston at 165. Rutgers features a potential starting line-up that has three talented Division I transfers: No. 13 Mario Mason at 149 (Minnesota), No. 18 Daryl Cocozzo at 157 (Edinboro) and alex Caruso at 174 (Lehigh). Penn State owns a 15-0 lead in the all-time series, including a hard-fought 18-17 win at this event last November.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 5, when it takes part in the Nittany Lion Open. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State's next home dual is set for Sunday, Dec. 12, when it hosts Lock Haven at 2 p.m. Season tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season are on sale now. This year's package features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package) and costs only $42 for adults and $28 for youth (18 and under). Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Single dual tickets will go on sale later this fall. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. The three Sprawl and Brawl Duals will air on WRSC AM (1390) and WSQV FM (92.1). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
POSSIBLE STARTERS As of November 15, 2010
#6 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2010-11 Record
125 Frank Martellotti Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 2-0
133 Bryan Pearsall So. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 1-1
Sam Sherlock Fr. West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin 5-0
141 #12 Andrew Alton Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 2-0
Adam Lynch Sr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 0-0
149 James English So. York, Pa./Central York 1-1
#3 Frank Molinaro Jr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 0-0
157 #6 David Taylor Fr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 2-0
165 #12 Jake Kemerer Fr. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 2-0
174 #14 Ed Ruth Fr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 2-0
184 #6 Quentin Wright So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 1-1
197 Justin Ortega So. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 0-2
Nick Ruggear Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 5-1
285 #9 Cameron Wade Jr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 1-1
HARVARD CRIMSON (0-0)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2010-11 Record
125 Steven Keith So. Shoreham, N.Y./Wading River 3-2
133 Fermin Mendez Sr. Belleville, N.J./Delbarton 0-2
141 Joe Alie Fr. Franklin, Mass./Franklin 0-2
149 #9 Corey Jantzen Jr. Shoreham, N.Y./Wading River 4-1
157 Walter Peppleman So. Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin 4-1
165 Adam House So. Twinsburg, Ohio/Blair Academy 4-2
174 Ian Roy Fr. Poway, Calif./Poway 0-2
OR Michael Sadler Sr. Beachwood, Ohio/Beachwood 1-2
184 Cameron Croy Fr. Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood 3-2
197 Sean Murphy Jr. Tulsa, Okla./Cascia Hall Prep 0-0
OR Andy Olsen Sr. Marietta, Ga./Walton 0-0
285 Sean Murphy Jr. Tulsa, Okla./Cascia Hall Prep 0-0
OR Andy Olsen Sr. Marietta, Ga./Walton 0-0
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (2-1)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown
125 Shane Young So. Jeannette, Pa.
133 Nathan Pennesi So. Latrobe, Pa.
141 Michael Morales Fr. Brick, N.J.
149 #8 Brandon Rader Sr. Parkersburg, W.V.
157 Ryan Goodman Jr. Latrobe, Pa.
165 #14 Donnie Jones Sr. Slickville, Pa.
174 Matt Weston Jr. Petoskey, Mich.
184 Matt Ryan Jr. Eighty-Four, Pa.
197 Kyle Rooney Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio
285 Philip Mandzik Jr. Bradenton, Fla.
#24 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (2-0)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School
125 Matt Fusco So. Belleville, N.J./Queen of Peach
Joe Langel So. Howell, N.J./Howell
133 Mike DeMarco Jr. Lyndhurst, N.J./St. Mary's
141 Trevor Melde Jr. Hewitt, N.J./DePaul Catholic
149 #13 Mario Mason So. Moorestown, N.J./Univ. Minnesota
157 #18 Daryl Cocozzo Sr. River Edge, N.J./Edinboro Univ.
165 #8 Scott Winston So. Jackson, N.J./Jacskon Memorial
174 Alex Caruso Sr. Green Brook, N.J./Lehigh Univ.
184 Dan Rinaldi So. Lodi, N.J./Lodi
197 Mike Wagner Fr. South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield
285 #6 D.J. Russo Sr. Netcong, N.J./Lenape Valley
Indiv. rankings Intermat/Team rankings NWCA
THIS WEEK
No. 6 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) heads to Binghamton, N.Y., to take part in the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals at the University of Binghamton. The Nittany Lions face Harvard (0-0) at 11:30 a.m., West Virginia (2-1) at 1:15 p.m. and No. 24 Rutgers (2-0) at 3 p.m.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 5, when they take part in the Nittany Lion Open. The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. in Rec Hall.
ON THE AIR
TV - None
Live Web Video -- None
Radio - All three are on WRSC AM (1390) and WSQV FM (92.1)
Web -- All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.
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 finished in Detroit capped off a wildly successful year as the Cyclones crowned one national championship 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 59-17-1 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 15-6-1 in his second year at Penn State. He went 13-6-1 at Penn State in his first year and guided the team to a ninth place finish at NCAAs with three All-Americans. In four years as a head coach, Sanderson has 36 qualifiers, 18 All-Americans and two National Champions.
FIVE FRESHMEN PERFECT IN DEBUT WEEKEND
Penn State's young and talented line-up got an early lift in its opening weekend as five freshmen combined to go 10-0 in the Nittany Lions' two dual meet victories. True freshman Frank Martellotti went 2-0 at 125, true freshman Andrew Alton went 2-0 at 141 with two pins, red-shirt freshman David Taylor went 2-0 at 157 with a tech fall and a pin, red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer went 2-0 at 165 (including a win over No. 11 Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh) and red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth went 2-0 at 174 with a tech fall.
NEARLY 5,300 PACK REC HALL AS LIONS DOWN #15 LEHIGH 21-17
The Penn State Nittany Lions, ranked No. 6 at the time, thrilled nearly 5,300 fans in a packed Rec Hall on 11/14 by beating intra-state rival Lehigh, ranked No. 15, 21-17. Five Penn State freshmen made their Rec Hall dual meet debuts by grabbing exciting wins to spark Penn State to a perfect 2-0 opening-weekend start. The crowd was the largest for a Penn State dual since 5,841 watched Penn State beat Iowa 24-13 on Feb. 4, 2007.
LIONS BEAT HUSKIES BEFORE SRO CROWD
Penn State travelled to Bloomsburg University on 11/13 for the 2010-11 season opener and downed the host Huskies 41-3 in front of a standing-room-only crowd in BU's Nelson Field House. On a night when Bloom was re-dedicating a newly renovated arena, Penn State's fan base turned out in full force to make up a large chunk of over 2,300 fans in the 1,700 capacity venue. Penn State won nine of ten bouts, including getting five wins from freshmen making their collegiate debuts. Sophomore Bryan Pearsall got a key pin at 133, sophomore James English stepped in at 149 to grab a win, All-American Quentin Wright got a pin at 184 and sophomore Cameron Wade got a major at HWT to round out PSU's nine wins.
NEARLY 3,000 FANS FILL REC HALL FOR INTRASQUAD
Nearly 3,000 fans rolled into Rec Hall for the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling intrasquad dual meet. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad took part in 12 matches in front of over 2,900 fans. With one of the nation's best and youngest line-ups, 16 of the 24 wrestlers were freshmen. The dual began with two major decisions. Starting at heavyweight, junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) majored Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.). Wade, ranked No. 9 nationally, posted a 10-1 major decision. Freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) then majored classmate Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.), 10-2 at 125. At 133, sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) used riding time to post a 2-1 win over freshman Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.). Senior Adam Lynch (Mifflinburg, Pa.) posted an exciting 14-10 win over true freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) in one of two bouts at 141. No. 13 Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) pinned Kyle Moran (Oxford, Pa.) at the 1:02 mark in another 141-pound bout. With No. 3 Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) held out at 149, sophomore James English (York, Pa.) posted a strong 8-2 win over freshman David Church (Erie, Pa.) at 149. No. 6 David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) pinned fellow red-shirt freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) at the 4:14 mark at 157. Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) notched a strong 10-4 win over sophomore Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) at 165 and true freshman Dirk Cowburn (Coudersport, Pa.) majored freshman Brandon Phillips (Timonium, Md.) 13-3 in an exhibition. Freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 174, notched a 16-1 technical fall over senior Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) before No. 3 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) posted a 10-0 major over Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) at 184. Sophomore Justin Ortega (Oxford, Pa.), moving up to 197 after wrestling at 174 last year, downed Nick Ruggear 2-1 in the final bout of the night.
PENN STATE RANKED #6 IN NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; SEVEN LIONS RANKED INDIVIDUALLY BY INTERMAT
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).
EIGHT NITTANY LIONS RANKED BY THEOPENMAT.COM
Eight Nittany Lions are currently ranked in the top 20 at their respective weights by TheOpenMat.com and Penn State is ranked No. 4 as a team. The eight ranked Lions are Frank Martellotti (#8 at 125), Andrew Alton (#13 at 141), Frank Molinaro (#2 at 149), David Taylor (#5 at 157), Jake Kemerer (#12 at 165), Ed Ruth (#13 at 174), Quentin Wright (#6 at 184) and Cameron Wade (#8 at 285).
PENN STATE RANKED #6 IN W.I.N.'S PRE-SEASON POLL
Six members of head coach Cael Sanderson's Penn State wrestling team are ranked by Wrestling Insider Magazine's pre-season individual rankings. The Nittany Lions also received a No. 7 nod in the publication's pre-season Tournament Power Index (TPI), which differs from dual meet rankings. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) heads into the new year with a No. 3 ranking at 149 after his fifth place finish a year ago. Molinaro went 33-7 as a sophomore. 2009 All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) moves up a weight to 184 and is ranked No. 7 in the early season listing. Wright, who red-shirted last year, was a sixth-place finisher at 174 two years ago with a 33-13 mark. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) sports a No. 7 ranking at 125 after his second straight trip to the `round of 12'. The two-time national qualifier went 28-10 last season. Classmate Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is ranked No. 8 at heavyweight. Wade was a 2010 national qualifier and was 22-11 year ago. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is ranked No. 7 early on at 157 while fellow red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 14 at 174. Both Taylor and Ruth are part of one of two top-ranked recruiting classes that Sanderson will draw from in 2010-11. WIN Magazine does not list true freshmen in its pre-season rankings. Penn State's No. 7 nod in the TPI (which WIN uses to `predict' where teams will finish in the NCAA tournament based on the pre-season individual rankings) has it in the top ten with four other Big Ten schools (Minnesota at No. 4, Wisconsin at No. 5, Ohio State at No. 6 and Illinois at No. 10). Iowa (No. 11), Michigan (No. 13), Northwestern (No. 15) and Purdue (No. 18) give the Big Ten nine teams in the top 20.
BOTH SINGLE MEET AND DUAL MEET TICKETS ON SALE
Fans wishing to purchase single dual meet tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling season can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available. This year's home schedule continues when Lock Haven invades Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 12, for a 2 p.m. match-up. The Big Ten season begins early when conference rival Ohio State comes to Happy Valley for a 2 p.m. dual on Sunday, Dec. 19. The Pittsburgh Panthers close out Penn State's non-conference schedule in Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. The Iowa Hawkeyes come to town on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m., followed by a match-up with the Illinois Illini on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions close out their dual meet schedule with a home meeting with the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.
PENN STATE WRESTLING RADIO NETWORK EXPANDS
The Penn State wrestling radio network is expanding with the addition of a second station carrying all live action during the 2010-11 season. In addition, PA Sports Now will carry the Cael Sanderson Show on over 10 stations state-wide (see side panel note). Once again, Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) will serve as the flagship station for the entire dual meet schedule as well as tournament action from the Nittany Lion Open, the Southern Scuffle, the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships. This year, Clinton County's WSQV (92.1 FM) has signed on to carry the live schedule as well. Jeff Byers, long-time voice of Penn State wrestling, will once again call the action for Nittany Lion fans. All live broadcasts, dual meets and tournaments, as well as the Cael Sanderson Show, will also be streamed live on GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. Simply got to www.GoPSUsports.com, click on the All-Access icon and follow the steps to sign up.