Feb. 1, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, is now ranked No. 3 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. The 13-1 Nittany Lions also maintain eight individual ranked by Intermat, with six of those grapplers listed among the top ten at their respective weights.
Cornell reclaims the top spot with 270 points while Iowa is No. 2 with 263 points. Penn State sits in the No. 3 spot with 250 points with Minnesota following in the No. 4 slot with 238. Oklahoma State stays at No. 5 with 230 points. Wisconsin (6), Virginia Tech (7), Rutgers (8), Boise State (9) and Oklahoma (10) round out the top ten. Big Ten squads Michigan (13), Northwestern (17), Illinois (19) and Purdue (24) are also ranked in the top 25, giving the conference eight teams ranked among the nation's best.
While the USA Today/NWCA poll reflects projected dual meet strength, Intermat's official tournament team ranking (projecting post-season tournament finishes based on each entity's individual rankings) has Penn State in the No. 3 spot. TheOpenMat.com also compiles a comprehensive tournament strength ranking and has Penn State No. 3 while W.I.N. Magazine has the Lions No. 4 on their TPI.
A brief look at the top 25 shows Penn State with four remaining duals against ranked teams (Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin). The Nittany Lions own wins over five teams currently ranked (No. 8 Rutgers, No. 11 Lehigh, No. 13 Michigan, No. 15 Kent State and No. 23 Pitt).
Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 24-1 on the year and sits at No. 2 at 174. Ruth has 10 pins, five technical falls and two majors this year. Classmate David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is undefeated this year, posting a 26-0 mark at 157 and is ranked No. 3. He has 25 bonus point victories with six pins, ten tech falls and nine majors. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 5 at 149 with a 20-2 mark. He has three pins, three techs and seven majors. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is No. 5 at heavyweight with a 22-3 mark. Wade has eight pins, three techs and two majors as well. Joining that quartet is true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), who is ranked No. 7 at 14 with a 24-3 mark and 16 pins. Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) is No. 9 at 133 and is 6-1 on the year while senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), 7-2 at 125, is ranked No. 11. Sophomore All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is 10-3 this season and is ranked No. 14 at 184.
The Nittany Lions hit the road for two tough Big Ten duals this weekend. Penn State is at Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. and then treks to Ann Arbor for a 2 p.m. meeting with No. 13 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 6. The PSU/MSU dual will air live in HD at www.BigTenNetwork.com as part of the conference's live duals package. The PSU/Michigan match-up will stream live for free courtesy of the good folks at www.mgoblue.com. Tickets for Penn State's final two home duals (after Iowa) are going fast but are still available. The Nittany Lions host No. 19 Illinois on Feb. 11 and No. 6 Wisconsin on Feb. 18. 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.