Dec. 8, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
TODAY'S ACTION
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 5 nationally, will host local rival Lock Haven in a non-conference dual meet on Sunday, Dec. 12. Action in Rec Hall is set for 2 p.m. with a `T-Shirt Bonanza' scheduled for halftime (hundreds of Nittany Lion wrestling T-Shirts will be thrown out to the Rec Hall faithful at intermission).
Penn State is coming off solid performance in last Sunday's Nittany Lion Open. A 29-man contingent took to the mats for head coach Cael Sanderson and his staff, with 16 of them advancing to the quarterfinals, 11 to the semifinals and eight to the finals. Four Penn Staters won titles at the event: Frank Martellotti at 125, Andrew Alton at 141, David Taylor at 157 and Cameron Wade at heavyweight. Four other finalists finished just short of titles: Frank Molinaro was upset by tenth-ranked Mario Mason in the finals at 149, unattached freshman Dirk Cowburn made it to the finals at 165 before losing to the third-ranked wrestler in the nation, Ed Ruth dropped a close decision to the eighth-ranked 174-pounder and Quentin Wright was leading at 184 before having to take an injury default.
With up to six freshmen starting for Penn State in previous duals, the new class of Nittany Lions continues to impress. Three of those rookies are still unbeaten. Taylor is ranked No. 3 at 157 and sports an 11-0 record with three pins, two tech falls and five majors. Alton is ranked No. 10 at 141 and is 11-0 with a stunning nine pins. Martellotti is 10-0 at 125 and is ranked No. 18 nationally. Freshman 174-pounder Ruth is 10-1 and has moved up to No. 12 at his weight class as well.
Other ranked Nittany Lions include two-time All-American Molinaro, who fell to No. 6 (from No. 2) at 149 and is 6-1 overall. Sophomore All-American Wright is ranked No. 5 at 184 and is 8-2 overall but will not wrestle against Lock Haven. Junior Wade is 8-2 at heavyweight and ranked No. 6 nationally.
Lock Haven enters the week with a 2-1 record. Head coach Robbie Waller's improving Bald Eagle team will take on Millersville and Ohio University on Thursday night in a tri-meet at Lewistown High School. LHU lost a close 19-16 dual to North Carolina but beat George Mason (28-12) and Drexel (23-21) at the Hershey Duals in November. Lock Haven will be lead by junior John Trumbetti, who is ranked No. 18 at 133 and sports a 1-0 mark, as well as sophomore heavyweight Harry Turner, who is 14-5 at HWT.
Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 19, when it opens up Big Ten action by hosting Ohio State. Action in Rec Hall begins at 2 p.m. 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. Updates from the Nittany Lion Open 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 December 7, 2010
#5 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2010-11 Record
125 #18 Frank Martellotti Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 10-0
out Brad Pataky Sr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 0-0
133 Bryan Pearsall So. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 7-4
141 #10 Andrew Alton Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 11-0
Adam Lynch Sr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 4-1
149 #6 Frank Molinaro Jr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 6-1
James English So. York, Pa./Central York 8-2
157 #3 David Taylor Fr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 11-0
165 Jake Kemerer Fr. Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 7-3
174 #12 Ed Ruth Fr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 10-1
184 Andrew Church Fr. Erie, Pa./Fort LeBeouf 5-5
out #5 Quentin Wright So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 8-2
197 Nick Ruggear Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 11-4
Justin Ortega So. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 3-4
285 #6 Cameron Wade Jr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 8-2
LOCK HAVEN BALD EAGLES (2-1, 0-0 EWL*)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2010-11 Record
125 Nick Hyatt Sr. Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown 6-1
133 #18 John Trumbetti Jr. Montvale, N.J./St. Joseph Regional 1-0
141 Justin Loudon Sr. York Haven, Pa./Red Land 6-8
149 Owen Wilkinson Sr. Hartland, Mich./Hartland 1-3
157 Seth Cresy Jr. Mercer, Pa./Mercer 9-6
165 Colton Spade Fr. Lewistown, Pa./Lewistown 7-9
174 Mike Khoury Fr. Edgewater, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional 11-4
184 Jacob Bachman Fr. Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain 5-6
197 Travis Stem Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle 3-8
285 Harry Turner So. Howell, N.J./Howell 14-5
Indiv. rankings Intermat/Team rankings NWCA
* Lock Haven will wrestle Millersville and Ohio University on Thursday night.
ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
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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 62-16-1 dual meet mark in this, his fourth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 18-6-1 in his second year at Penn State.
Cael Sanderson TO BE INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
The nation's first undefeated four-time NCAA champion, Cael Sanderson, joins three other of America's best wrestlers chosen for induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum on June 8-9, 2011 in Stillwater. Distinguished Members selected along with Sanderson for the Class of 2011 include Dennis Hall, Dan Brand and Richard Delgado, posthumously. "This is another outstanding class of inductees," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "I am excited that our Hall of Fame gets to honor such a prestigious group whose legacies span over 60 years of wrestling in this country." Sanderson made history by becoming the first four-time undefeated NCAA Division I champion in collegiate history. The former Iowa State star went 159-0 from 1999 through 2002. He capped his career by winning a Gold Medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
LIONS CROWN FOUR AT NITTANY LION OPEN
No. 5 Penn State sent 29 wrestlers into action at the 2010 Nittany Lion Open, had 16 quarterfinalists and ended the day with four champions. Three freshmen and a junior claimed titles for head coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions. Penn State sent eight wrestlers into the finals with half of them winning their bouts. Freshman Frank Martellotti went 5-0 to win at 125 with two pins, a tech fall and a major. Classmate Andrew Alton put on a show at 141, going 6-0 to claim the title with five pins. The fifth pin was a :39 fall over No. 20 Zack Kemerer of Penn in the finals. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor continued his superb run with a 6-0 day at 157. Taylor claimed the title with a 9-3 dismantling of Virginia Tech's Jesse Dong (who was the #3 seed at NCAAs last year). Taylor had a fall, a tech and three majors. Junior Cameron Wade went 5-0 with three tech falls, a pin and a major.
FOUR LIONS TAKE SECOND AT NLO
Penn State's superb day at the 2010 Nittany Lion Open was tempered, however, in the finals at 184. No. 6 Quentin Wright was beating No. 14 Nathan Schiedel of Binghamton when the returning All-American was injured and suffered an injury default to take second place. Wright went 4-1 on the day. Just seconds before that, two-time All-American Frank Molinaro, ranked No. 2 at 149, was upset in overtime by No. 10 Mario Mason of Rutgers. Mason downed Molinaro 3-1 (sv), giving the Lion junior a 5-1 record on the day. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth, ranked No. 14 at 174, handled No. 9 Scott Giffin of Penn 6-2 in the semifinals and then dropped a hard-fought 9-4 decision to No. 8 Mike Letts of Maryland in the finals. Ruth went 5-1 for second place with two pins and two tech falls. True freshman Dirk Cowburn, wrestling unattached at 165, advanced to the finals where he was pinned by No. 3 Josh Asper of Maryland. Cowburn went 5-1 for his runner-up finish. The day at the NLO was solid all-around for Penn State. The Lions had 29 entrants in the event, 16 of which advanced to the quarterfinals and 11 of which made the semis. Penn State had eight finalists, half of whom won titles.
SANDERSON UPDATES WRIGHT INJURY AT OPEN MEDIA SESSION
Head coach Cael Sanderson offered a brief update to the many media at Tuesday's pre-practice open media session. Sanderson noted that the 2009 All-American's injury is not season-ending and he looks for Wright to be out about eight weeks, meaning the Nittany Lion 184-pounder could return to the mat in February.
PITT DUAL MOVED TO 6 P.M. FOR LIVE BTN COVERAGE!
The home wrestling dual with rival Pittsburgh on Jan. 21 has had its start time moved to 6 p.m. The time change will now allow the Big Ten Network to air the much-anticipated wrestling dual live to over 70 million homes nationwide. Penn State and Pittsburgh have a long and storied wrestling rivalry. The two teams have met 65 times with Penn State owning a 50-12-3 advantage in the series, but the teams wrestled to a 19-19 tie last year in Pittsburgh. This year's dual will feature a number of anticipated match-ups of ranked opponents and is also Penn State's final non-conference dual meet.
LION FRESHMEN SHINE AT SPRAWL AND BRAWLS WHILE THREE PENN STATE ROOKIES REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Penn State started six freshmen in each of its three duals at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 21 and the outstanding group posted a superb 16-2 record. Three of those six freshmen remain undefeated for the year. Frank Martellotti went 3-0 at 125 and stands at 10-0 on the year; Andrew Alton went 3-0 at 141 (with two more pins) and is 11-0 on the year (with nine pins); David Taylor went 3-0 at 157 and is 11-0 on the year (with three pins, two tech falls and five majors).
TAYLOR AND RUTH LEADING DUAL TAKEDOWN RACE
Red-shirt freshmen David Taylor and Ed Ruth are leading the dual meet takedown race with 17 each. Taylor has yet to be taken down in a collegiate dual and has a 17-0 TD mark while Ruth owns an impressive 17-2 mark. True freshman Andrew Alton has also not been taken down and has a 9-0 edge in his duals.
RUGGEAR WINS PSU DUAL DEBUT
True freshman Nick Ruggear made his Penn State dual meet debut at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 21 and won his first two bouts (an 12-1 major over Harvard's Bryan Panzano and a 4-2 win over WVU's Cameron Gallaher) before losing to Rutgers' Mike Wagner.
ALTON WINS FIRST FOUR BY FALL
True freshman Andrew Alton won his first four collegiate bouts in fine fashion, getting a pin in each bout. Alton won each of those four bouts with falls in the first period by a combined time of only 3:57.
ENGLISH OUTSTANDING AT SPRAWL AND BRAWLS
Sophomore James English stepped into the starting line-up at 149 to begin the season as two-time All-American Frank Molinaro rehabbed a pre-season injury and made a national statement at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals on Nov. 21. English downed two top-ten foes, beating #9 Corey Jantzen of Harvard 4-3 and #8 Brandon Rader of West Virginia 5-3 in back-to-back dual meet wins.
LIONS GO 3-0 AT SPRAWL & BRAWLS, INCLUDING 22-10 VICTORY OVER #24 RUTGERS
The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts against #24 Rutgers to down the Scarlet Knights 22-10 and closed out the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals with a 3-0 mark on Nov. 21. The Nittany Lions opened the event by shutting out Harvard 45-0. It was Penn State's first shut-out since the Lions blanked rival Lehigh 33-0 on Dec. 7, 2007 and it as Penn State's most lopsided win since a 47-0 win over Clarion on Nov. 19, 2006. Penn State won the takedown battle with RU 19-7 and posted a daunting 60-10 edge in takedowns over the course of the day's three duals. Penn State's 5-0 start to the season is its best since it began the 2007-08 season 6-0.
Dylan Alton, COWBURN AND VOLLRATH CLAIM ESU OPEN CROWNS
Twelve members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the 2010 ESU Open, hosted on Saturday East Stroudsburg University and three of them left with individual titles. Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), Dirk Cowburn (Coudersport, Pa.) and James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) each won their respective weight classes at the crowded event. With action against unrostered wrestlers not counting in the records, Vollrath was one of three Nittany Lions wrestling attached in the Blue and White singlet. The red-shirt freshman went 4-0 at 157 to win his title. Alton and Cowburn were each wrestling unattached. Alton went 5-0 with a pin and a major to with the 149 pound crown while Cowburn went 4-0 with three pins to with the 165 pound weight class. Three other Nittany Lions placed (all wrestling unattached. Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.) went 4-1 at 125 and advanced to the final bout before losing, placing second. Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.) went 5-1 at 133 and took third and Thomas Gorman (East Patchogue, N.Y.) went 6-2 at 157 to place fifth.
SHERLOCK AND FISCHER CLAIM W&J TITLES
Seventeen members of the Penn State wrestling team competed, both attached and unattached at the Washington and Jefferson Open on Saturday. Sophomore Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) and true freshman Sam Sherlock (West Mifflin, Pa.) each won their respective weight classes to lead seven Penn State placers. Fischer was one of five Nittany Lions wrestling attached in their blue and white singlets and he went a perfect 6-0 to claim the 165-pound title. He notched a major and had two pins on his way to the crown. Red-shirt freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) had a solid tournament, advancing to the finals at 157 before losing. Vollrath was 4-1 with a major to take second at his weight. Senior 125-pounder Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport) went 6-2 with a major to place fifth at 125. Senior Michael Lorenzo (Bellefonte, Pa.) went 1-1 at 174 and freshman Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) went 4-2 with a major and a pin at 174 to round out Penn State's attached grapplers competing at the event. Sherlock was a perfect 5-0 at 133 to win the crown, posting two majors during his title winning run. Classmate Dirk Cowburn (Coudersport, Pa.) picked up the most wins of any Nittany Lion on the day, going 7-1 with two pins and two majors to take third at a crowded 165-pound weight class. Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.), also a first year wrestler, went 6-1 with a major at 125 to take third while fellow first-year wrestler Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) was 5-1 with a major at 197 to place third and round out Penn State's placers at the event.
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.
PENN STATE RANKED #5 IN NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; 7 LIONS RANKED INDIVIDUALLY BY INTERMAT
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team maintains its No. 5 ranking in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll after a solid outing at the Nittany Lion Open on Sunday. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) has moved up to No. 3 at 157 to lead seven ranked Lions in the newest individual rankings compiled by Intermat at Intermatwrestle.com. The top five in the poll has remained unchanged from recent polls. Cornell is first with 275 points while Oklahoma State follows with 264. Minnesota is third with 252 followed closely by Wisconsin with 243 and Penn State with 230. Boise State (6), Iowa (7), Oklahoma (8), Illinois (9) and Virginia Tech (10) round out the top ten. Michigan (19), Northwestern (20), Purdue (21) and Ohio State (22) are also ranked in the top 25, giving the Big Ten nine ranked teams. Taylor is 11-0 and ranked No. 3 while All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is 8-2 and has moved up to No. 5 at 184. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) dropped to No. 6 at 149 and is 6-1 while junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) moved up to No. 6 at heavyweight. Wade is 8-2. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 11-0 on the year with nine pins and is now ranked No. 10 at 141. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 10-1 and ranked No. 12 at 174 while true freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is 10-0 at 125 and ranked No. 18.
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. 2 as a team. The eight ranked Lions are Frank Martellotti (#15 at 125), Andrew Alton (#7 at 141), Frank Molinaro (#4 at 149), David Taylor (#2 at 157), Jake Kemerer (#17 at 165), Ed Ruth (#10 at 174), Quentin Wright (#5 at 184) and Cameron Wade (#8 at 285).
EIGHT NITTANY LIONS RANKED BY W.I.N.
Eight Nittany Lions are currently ranked by W.I.N. Magazine in their latest rankings. Senior Brad Pataky holds a #9 ranking but has not wrestled as of yet, Andrew Alton is #13 at 141, Frank Molinaro is #9 at 149, David Taylor is #4 at 157, Jake Kemerer is #17 at 165, Ed Ruth is #12 at 174, Quentin Wright is #6 at 184 and Cameron Wade is #7 at HWT.
SINGLE 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.