Jan. 4, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, has moved to No. 2 in the Latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, tied for the second spot with Oklahoma State. Penn State is coming off a co-championship with No. 1 Cornell at the Southern Scuffle last week. 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 seven wrestlers ranked individually by Intermat.
Cornell, who Penn State tied at the Southern Scuffle, retains its No. 1 spot with 275 points while Penn State follows closely behind with 258, along with Oklahoma State. Big Ten powers Wisconsin (No. 4 with 236) and Minnesota (No. 5 with 230) round out the top five. Boise State (6), Iowa (7), Oklahoma (8), Lehigh (9) and Illinois (10) comprise the second part of the top ten. Michigan (15), Purdue (18), Northwestern (21) and Ohio State (24) are all ranked in the top 25, giving the Big Ten nine schools listed in the coaches poll.
Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), fresh off an Outstanding Wrestler Award for winning the 174-pound title at the Southern Scuffle where he beat the former No. 1 and No. 2 ranked wrestlers, is now ranked No. 2. Ruth will head to Virginia with a 17-1 record with seven pins, three tech falls and two majors. Classmate David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), who won the 157-pound crown at the Southern Scuffle, is ranked No. 3. Taylor is undefeated with a 19-0 record with five pins, seven techs and six majors. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is now ranked No. 7 at 149. Molinaro, who lost a 1-0 decision to No. 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell in the finals at the Scuffle, is 13-2 overall with three pins, two techs and five majors.
Red-shirt sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) will make his Penn State debut this week and has entered the 133-pound rankings at No. 6. Long is the 2010 NCAA National Runner-Up at 125. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), winner of the heavyweight crown at the Southern Scuffle, is ranked No. 7 nationally and is 16-2 overall with seven pins, three techs and two majors. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), who dropped a last-second 4-3 decision to No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan in the semifinals at the Scuffle, is now ranked No. 7 at 141. Alton is 19-1 overall with 13 pins and two majors. His 13 pins is tied for sixth on Penn State's single-season falls list. True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is now ranked No. 16 at 125. Martellotti took sixth at the Southern Scuffle and is 18-3 on the year.
The Nittany Lions 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.