Jan. 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State wrestler Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending January 2, 2011. The honor is the first for Ruth, a freshman 174-pounder for the Nittany Lions, and is the first for Penn State this year.
Ruth won the honor after winning five bouts, including decisions over then No. 1 Mack Lewnes of Cornell and No. 2 Chris Henrich of Virginia, en route to the 174-pound title at the Southern Scuffle last week. Ruth's performance led the Nittany Lions to a tie for first place in the 34-team field and earned him the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award. Ruth, ranked 10th in the country at 174, opened the tournament by pinning Army's Robert Doyle in 2:11, followed by an 11-3 major decision over Michigan's Justin Zeerip. He earned his second pin of the event against Lock Haven's Michael Khoury, scoring the fall in 1:07. Ruth then defeated Lewnes by an 11-5 decision in the semifinals before earning a 7-2 decision over Henrich to take home the title. Ruth now holds a 17-1 record this season with seven pins, three tech falls and two majors. He is now ranked No. 2 in the nation at 174.
The Nittany Lions of head coach Cael Sanderson will head to Hampton, Va., this weekend for the 2011 Virginia Duals. Penn State is the tournament's top seed and will face VMI on Friday at 9 a.m. in the opening round of the 16-team dual meet tournament. 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.