Nov. 23, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team is ranked No. 5 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. In addition, eight Nittany Lion wrestlers are now ranked individually at their respective weights with true freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) making his Intermat listings debut at 125.
The Nittany Lions moved up one spot thanks to a 5-0 start to the year, including three wins this past Sunday at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Cornell continues to lead the team rankings, followed by Oklahoma State and Minnesota. Wisconsin is ranked fourth, followed by the Nittany Lions to round out the top five. Boise State (6), Iowa (7), Oklahoma (8), Central Michigan (9) and Illinois (10) comprise the rest of the top ten. Ohio State (18), Michigan (19), Northwestern (21) and Purdue (22) give the Big Ten nine teams ranked among the top 25.
Martellotti is the latest Penn State freshmen to appear in the rankings. The first year grappler is now ranked No. 18 at 125 with a perfect 5-0 mark. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is No. 12 at 141 with a perfect 5-0 mark as well. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is 1-0 on the year and ranked No. 3 at 149.
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is ranked No. 5 at 157 with a perfect 5-0 mark while classmate Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) is No. 12 at 165 with a 4-1 mark. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) sits at No. 14 at 174 with a perfect 5-0 mark and junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is ranked No. 7 at heavyweight with a 3-2 mark (losses to the No. 1 and No. 5 ranked grapplers).
Penn State, now 5-0 this year with head coach Cael Sanderson at the helm, returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 5, when it takes part in the Nittany Lion Open. Action begins in Rec Hall at 8:30 a.m. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is on Dec. 12 when Lock Haven comes to town for a 2 p.m. dual. 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. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). 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.