Dec. 21, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, is ranked No. 4 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. Penn State is tied for fourth with Big Ten rival Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 on the year and off to their best dual meet start since beginning the 1988-89 season 8-0. The Nittany Lions also have six wrestlers ranked individually by Intermat.
Cornell continues to head the team list with a No. 1 nod while Oklahoma State is in second. Minnesota is ranked No. 3 with Penn State moving up to a tie for fourth with Wisconsin. Iowa sits in sixth with Boise State following in seventh. Oklahoma is ranked No. 8 while Illinois is No. 9 and Lehigh is No. 10. Michigan (15), Purdue (16), Northwestern (20) and Ohio State (25) round out the Big Ten teams in the top 25, giving the conference nine schools ranked in the coaches poll.
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) leads Penn State's ranked wrestlers, sitting at 3 at 157. Taylor is 13-0 on the year with three pins, three techs and six majors. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 6 at 149 with an 8-1 record, including three pins, a tech and two majors. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is ranked No. 6 at heavyweight and sports an 8-2 mark with four pins, three techs and two majors. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 9 at 141 with a perfect 13-0 mark. Ten of Alton's 13 wins have been by fall. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 10 at 174 with a superb 12-1 mark, including five pins, three techs and a major. True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is also undefeated at 125 with a 12-0 record and is ranked No. 16 nationally. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), who was ranked in the top 10 at 184 prior to being injured in early December, will return to the rankings upon his return to the line-up.
Penn State returns to action on Dec. 29-30 when it treks to Greensboro, N.C., for the Southern Scuffle. Penn State's next home dual is a nationally televised match-up with No. 21 Pittsburgh on Jan. 21. Action in the Big Ten Network live event begins at 6 p.m. in Rec Hall. 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.