March 1, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
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TODAY'S ACTION
No. 4 Penn State (17-1-1, 6-1-1 Big Ten) will take part in the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by Northwestern University, on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6, in Evanston, Ill. The two-day, three-session event begins Saturday with an 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Central session. The Big Ten Championship will decide the conference's 64 automatic qualifiers to the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia on March 17-19.
Penn State is coming off a superb regular season in just its second year under head coach Cael Sanderson. The Nittany Lions ended the year ranked No. 4 in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches dual meet poll. The team went 17-1-1 overall, earning the most dual meet victories since going 18-3 in 1998. The Lions took second place in the Big Ten dual meet standings with a 6-1-1 mark and tied a school record for Big Ten dual wins in a season. The Nittany Lions made their first appearance at the Southern Scuffle and tied No. 1 Cornell for the Scuffle Co-Championships. Penn State also won the school's first Virginia Duals crown since since 1991. Penn State heads into Big Ten's with five No. 1 pre-seeds (note all seeding information indicates pre-seeds prior to Friday, 3/4, finalization).
Half of Penn State's ten man contingent is comprised of freshmen with two others beings sophomores. The Nittany Lion line-up begins with senior Brad Pataky at 125. Pataky will be the tournament's 4th-seed and carries an 8-3 mark into the tournament. He is ranked No. 10 by Intermat and No. 16 by the Coaches. Sophomore Andrew Long will be the No. 1 seed at 133. Long is ranked No. 3 by Intermat and No. 5 by Coaches. Neither Pataky nor Long wrestled enough matches to qualify for an RPI. True freshman Andrew Alton is 26-6 with 17 pins heading into the tournament. Alton is the 5th-seed, ranked No. 7 by Intermat and No. 6 by the coaches and has a No. 2 RPI. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro is the tourney's top seed at 149. He is 25-2, ranked No. 3 by Intermat and the Coaches and has a No. 4 RPI. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor is the No. 1 seed at 157 and enters his first Big Ten Championships with a perfect 31-0 mark (with 30 bonus point victories).
Taylor is ranked No. 3 by Intermat, No. 2 by the Coaches and has the top 157-pound RPI in the nation. Red-shirt freshman James Vollrath will get the call at 165 for the Nittany Lions. He will carry a 24-6 overall record into his first Big Ten tourney. Vollrath is unranked and unseeded. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth is the No. 1 seed at 174. Ruth is 29-1 overall with 11 pins and is ranked No. 2 by Intermat, No. 2 by the Coaches and has the No. 2 RPI at 174. Sophomore Quentin Wright is the 8th-seed at 184 with a 12-6 mark. Wright is ranked No. 17 by Intermat, No. 18 by the Coaches and has a No. 11 RPI. True freshman Nick Ruggear will be making his Big Ten Championships debut with a 15-12 overall record at 197. Ruggear is unseeded and unranked. Junior Cameron Wade is the top seed at heavyweight. Wade has a 26-4 overall record and is ranked No. 6 by Intermat, No. 6 by the Coaches and carries the No. 4 RPI into the post-season.
Sanderson's crew heads to Evanston looking to improve upon last year's fifth place finish. Penn State has never won the Big Ten Championship having taken second in 1993, 1996 and 1998. Penn State has finished no better than third since 2000. The most champions Penn State has crowned in one year is three (in 1993 and 1994) and the most finalists is five (1993). The Nittany Lions' qualifiers, earned at Big Tens, will head to Philadelphia for the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 17-19. The three-day, six-session event will be held at the Wells Fargo Center. 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.
PENN STATE'S COMPETITORS IN THE 2011 BIG TEN TOURNEY
As of March 1, 2011
#4 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (17-1-1, 6-1-1 Big Ten)
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown/High School 2010-11 Record
125 #10 Brad Pataky Sr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 8-3
B10 Pre-Seed: #4 -- Coaches: #16 -- RPI: MS* -- Intermat: #10 -- TheOpenMat: #10
133 #3 Andrew Long So. Creston, Iowa/Creston 11-1
B10 Pre-Seed: #1 -- Coaches: #5 -- RPI: MS* -- Intermat: #3 -- TheOpenMat: #3
141 #7 Andrew Alton Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 26-6
B10 Pre-Seed: #5 -- Coaches: #6 -- RPI: #2 -- Intermat: #7 -- TheOpenMat: #6
149 #3 Frank Molinaro Jr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 25-2
B10 Pre-Seed: #1 -- Coaches: #3 -- RPI: #4 -- Intermat: #3 -- TheOpenMat: #3
157 #3 David Taylor Fr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 31-0
B10 Pre-Seed: #1 -- Coaches: #2 -- RPI: #1 -- Intermat: #3 -- TheOpenMat: #2
165 James Vollrath So. Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South 24-6
B10 Pre-Seed: NS -- Coaches: NR -- RPI: NR -- Intermat: NE -- TheOpenMat: NR
174 #2 Ed Ruth Fr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 29-1
B10 Pre-Seed: #1 -- Coaches: #2 -- RPI: #2 -- Intermat: #2 -- TheOpenMat: #2
184 #17 Quentin Wright So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 12-6
B10 Pre-Seed: #8 -- Coaches: #18 -- RPI: #11 -- Intermat: #17 -- TheOpenMat: #18
197 Nick Ruggear Fr. Oxford, Pa./Oxford 15-12
B10 Pre-Seed: NS -- Coaches: NR -- RPI: NR -- Intermat: NR -- TheOpenMat: NR
285 #6 Cameron Wade Jr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 26-4
B10 Pre-Seed: #1 -- Coaches: #6 -- RPI: #4 -- Intermat: #6 -- TheOpenMat: #6
Ranking of record listed is Intermat as of 2/23 -- Coaches rankings and RPI as of 2/23
MS -- * Does not meet minimum matches wrestled to qualify for RPI ranking
THIS WEEK
No. 4 Penn State (17-1-1, 6-1-1 Big Ten) will take part in the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by Northwestern University, on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6, in Evanston, Ill. The two-day, three-session event begins Saturday with an 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Central session.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions' qualifiers, earned at Big Tens, will head to Philadelphia for the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 17-19. The three-day, six-session event will be held at the Wells Fargo Center.
ON THE AIR
TV - The finals, set for 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central, will air on the Big Ten Network live. The BTN offers no coverage of the first day or early session on day two.
Live Web Video -- None
Radio - WRSC AM (1390) and WBPZ AM.
Web -- All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.
ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
For information or credentials, contact me, Pat Donghia, Wrestling SID Phone: 814-865-1757 -- Email: pad11@psu.edu
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HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson, now in his second year as mentor of the Nittany Lions, came 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. The Lions finished No. 10 in the final USA Today/Coaches dual meet poll and placed ninth at NCAAs.
Coach Sanderson now sports a 74-17-2 dual meet mark in this, his fifth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 30-7-2 in his second year at Penn State. This year alone, Sanderson has guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship (2010-11) and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991 (2010-11). In guiding Penn State to a 6-1-1 conference mark, Sanderson equaled the most Big Ten dual meet wins in Penn State history in just his second year at the helm of the Nittany Lions (Penn State won six Big Ten duals in 1998).
THE 2011 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PHILADELPHIA ARE SOLD OUT!
The Division I Wrestling Committee, Rider University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have announced that tickets for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are sold out. The three-day event, taking place March 17-19 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., officially sold out of all-session tickets, and because of this no single session tickets will be available for the championships. The NCAA Fan Festival, a free event for all fans, will be open March 17-19 from 1-7 p.m. each day at Lincoln Financial Field. Events include USA Wrestling National Team practices, the "Family Ties" National Wrestling Hall of Fame presentation and display, the NWCA Coaches Clinic and the annual Semifinals Preview Show. Additionally, there will be daily autograph sessions, a trivia contest, the WIN Magazine Memorabilia Show and a "Taste of Philadelphia" food, beverage and lounge area. Tickets for the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., go on sale Thursday, March 17. To purchase tickets or for more information on the wrestling championships, log on to NCAA.com/wrestling.
TICKETS FOR 2011 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT NORTHWESTERN AVAILABLE NOW!
Northwestern University is hosting the Big Ten Wrestling Championships March 5-6, 2010 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. At this time fans can purchase $40 all-session reserved tickets, $36 all session adult general admission tickets, and $24 all session student general admission tickets by calling the Wildcat Ticket Office at 847-491-2287. Every effort will be made to sit fans within a specific fan seating block but nothing is guaranteed. Single session tickets can be ordered over the phone as well, or at the door on the day of the event. The breakdown of prices for each individual session is as follows: Session 1 March 5, 2011 @ 11 a.m.: Reserved Seating $18.00; Adult GA Seating $15.00; Student GA Seating $12.00; Session 2 March 5, 2011 @ 6 p.m.: Reserved Seating $18.00; Adult GA Seating $15.00; Student GA Seating $12.00; Session 3 March 6, 2011 @ 12 p.m.: Reserved Seating $20.00; Adult GA Seating $18.00; Student GA Seating $15.00 .
FIVE LIONS EARN NO. 1 PRE-SEEDS FOR BIG TENS
Five Nittany Lion wrestlers have earned the No. 1 pre-seed at their respective weights for the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The two-day event will take place this weekend, March 5-6, at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Seeding is finalized on 3/4 (post-press). Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa), junior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) and junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) each earned top-seeds for head coach Cael Sanderson's squad. In addition, senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) grabbed the No. 4 seed at 125, true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is the No. 5 seed at 141 and sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is the No. 8 seed at 184. Long is the No. 1 seed at 133 after a superb 11-1 campaign that saw him end the year ranked No. 3 by Intermat. The 2010 National Runner-Up at 125, Long went 6-1 in Big Ten duals. Molinaro is the No. 1 seed at 149 after a superb 25-2 season that saw him go 8-0 in conference duals. Molinaro ended the year ranked No. 3 by Intermat. Taylor is the No. 1 seed at 157 and posted a perfect 31-0 record this year including an 8-0 mark in conference dual meets. Taylor ended the year ranked No. 3 by Intermat and has the nation's top RPI at his weight. Ruth is the No. 1 seed at 174 after a stellar 29-1 campaign. Ruth went 8-0 in conference duals and ended the year ranked No. 2 by Intermat. Wade is the No. 1 seed at heavyweight after a 26-4 campaign that saw him post a 7-1 record in conference duals. He ended the year ranked No. 6 by Intermat. Pataky battled injury this year at 125 and still went 8-3 and ended the year ranked No. 10 by Intermat. Alton went 26-6 at 141 this year with 17 pins and was ranked No. 7 by Intermat at season's end. Wright posted a 12-6 mark at 184 and ended the year ranked No. 17 by Intermat.
BIG TEN GARNERS 64 QUALIFYING SLOTS FOR NCAAs; EIGHT LIONS HELP CONFERENCE GRAB SPOTS
The Big Ten Conference flexed its muscle on the mats once again this year as the circuit was awarded 64 automatic bids to the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 17-19. Eight Penn State Nittany Lions helped the conference garner the automatic bids, which will be earned on March 5-6 at the 2011 Big Ten Championships at Northwestern University. The Big Ten's 64 automatic qualifiers are followed by the EIWA with 45, the Big 12 which earned 33, and the Pac 10 which earned 26. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. For the Big Ten, the weight-by-weight breakdown is as follows: Five at 125, eight at 133, six at 141, eight at 149, six at 157, five at 165, eight at 174, six at 184, six at 197 and six at heavyweight. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 48 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 9. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.
Eight Nittany Lion wrestlers were listed in the final coaches' rankings and RPI, helping the Big Ten earn the 64 automatic spots. Freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) holds the No. 1 RPI at 157 and is ranked No. 2 by the coaches. Taylor posted a perfect 31-0 mark during the regular season. Classmate Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) holds the No. 2 RPI at 174 and is ranked No. 2 by the coaches as well. Ruth owns an equally impressive 29-1 overall record. Fellow freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) has the No. 2 RPI at 141 and is ranked No. 6 by the coaches. Alton has a 26-6 record. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) has the No. 4 RPI at 149 and is ranked No. 3 by the coaches. Molinaro is 25-2 on the year. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) has the No. 4 RPI at heavyweight and a No. 6 coaches ranking. Wade went 26-4 on the year. Sophomore All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) has a No. 11 RPI at 184 and is ranked No. 18 by the coaches. Wright went 12-6 during the regular season. Two Nittany Lions earned lofty coaches rankings but did not meet the minimum bouts wrestled requirement to qualify for an RPI. Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) has a No. 5 coaches ranking at 133 and an 11- record while senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is ranked No. 16 at 125 with an 8-3 mark.
HOME WRESTLING ATTENDANCE REACHES HISTORIC LEVELS
Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team came out in full force this year, making tickets to see head coach Cael Sanderson's squad compete in Rec Hall a hot commodity. The Nittany Lions averaged nearly 5,500 fans per home dual, by far the best average attendance at Penn State in two decades or more. Two of Penn State's duals sold out, with the Iowa dual on Jan. 30 selling out standing room only tickets as well. 6,686 fans packed Rec Hall for the match-up with the Hawkeyes, the largest Rec Hall sporting event crowd since enhanced fire codes capped attendance at the building in the mid-1990s. The Wisconsin dual on Feb. 18 also sold out all available seats with a solid portion of SRO tickets being sold as well. 6,311 fans watched Penn State down the Badgers 30-12 on Senior Night. Six of Penn State's seven home duals, including Iowa and Wisconsin, topped the 5,000 fan mark, including 5,527 for Penn State's win over Pittsburgh on Jan. 21. The Nittany Lions drew a total of 38,182 fans to Rec Hall for seven duals, giving Penn State a gaudy 5,455 per dual average. Final national average totals will be released in March with Penn State almost a cinch to finish second nationally, which would be the highest national finish for Penn State in decades. For a complete list of attendance figures from this year, see the table on page five of these notes. Last year in Sanderson's first season as head coach at Penn State, the Nittany Lions averaged 4,341 fans per home dual with the highest figure a 4,883 crowd against Illinois. The figure was about 1,700 more per dual than the prior year. This year's average added over 1,000 fans per dual. In just two seasons with Sanderson at the helm, Penn State has essentially doubled its average attendance from 2,789 in 2008-09 to 5,455 this year. With tickets becoming increasingly hard to find, fans are encouraged to secure season tickets for the 2011-12 season early. Fans can make deposits on new season tickets by calling Joel Diamond 814-867-2557. Current season ticket holders will receive their renewal applications later in the summer. Current season ticket holders can add additional season tickets on their renewal forms. All new season tickets will be sold based on availability basis.
LONG DOMINATES GRAFF TO LEAD LIONS OVER BADGERS
Sophomore Andrew Long, who entered Penn State's dual with Wisconsin on 2/18 ranked No. 8 at 133, dominated No. 3 Tyler Graff 12-5 to lead the Nittany Lions to a resounding 30-12 win. Long's victory improved him to 11-1 on the regular season
MOLINARO, RUTH AND WADE DOWN RANKED BADGERS
Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro majored No. 10 Cole Schmitt of Wisconsin 9-1 at 149 on 2/18, freshman Ed Ruth took care of No. 14 Ben Jordan 8-5 at 174 and junior heavyweight Cameron Wade downed No. 10 Eric Bugenhagen 5-2 to spark Penn State to a 30-12 win over Wisconsin.
Dylan Alton CLAIMS NATIONAL COLLEGIATE OPEN 149-POUND TITLE
True freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), closing out a successful red-shirt season for the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, won five straight at the National Collegiate Open to win the 149-pound title. Alton won his second straight open tournament title at the event, hosted by Clarion University. The Mill Hall, Pa., native went 5-0 with two pins and a major. He had falls in 4:39 and in :29 as well as a first round major. Alton downed Lehigh's Anthony Salupo 7-5 in the finals. With the 5-0 run, Alton ups his red-shirt season record to 17-2 with five pins and three majors.
TAYLOR UNDEFEATED AT 31-0 WITH 30 BONUS POINT WINS
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor completed a perfect regular season and now heads to the post-season riding a 31-bout unbeaten streak. Taylor posted his 14th technical fall in Penn State's win over Wisconsin and, in the process, improved to 31-0 on the year, with 30 of those wins earning bonus points. The lone regular decision was a decisive 9-3 win over Virginia Tech's Jesse Dong on 12/5. Dong his currently ranked in the top ten. Taylor has seven pins, 14 tech falls and nine majors. Taylor's bonus win tally of 30 is second all-time on Penn State's single-season list. The record is 32, set by Josh Moore in 2004.
Andrew Alton NOW ALONE IN 4TH ON ALL-TIME SINGLE SEASON PINS LIST; Ed Ruth 10TH
True freshman Andrew Alton pinned Wisconsin's Shane McQuade in Penn State's dual meet finale on 2/18. He ends the regular season with a 26-6 record and 17 pins. The 17 falls has him alone in fourth place on Penn State's all-time single-season falls list. The record is 24, set by Josh Moore in 2003-04. In addition, Ed Ruth's 11 pins this year has him in a tenth place tie with five other Nittany Lions.
WADE FORGES TIE AT #5 MINNESOTA AS TAYLOR AND LONG PROVIDE THE SPARK
Junior heavyweight Cameron Wade posted a convincing 2-0 win over No. 8 Tony Nelson in the final bout of the dual to help Penn State forge an 18-18 tie with Minnesota on 2/13. Freshman David Taylor notched a 16-1 tech fall at 157 and sophomore Andrew Long dominated David Thorn for a 14-4 major to provide the bonus points to help the Nittany Lions get the tie as well. The dual was an even split with each team winning five bouts, getting three bonus points and collecting 14 takedowns. The tie marks the first time Penn State left Minnesota without a loss.
LONG DOWNS #7 FUTRELL TO LIFT PENN STATE OVER #20 ILLINOIS
Sophomore Andrew Long's 9-6 win over No. 7 B.J. Futrell of Illinois helped lift Penn State to a convincing 23-13 win over No. 20 Illinois on 2/11. Long's win was the signature victory in the dual which also saw Nathan Morgan pick up his first collegiate dual meet victory at 125, David Taylor pick up yet another tech fall and Ed Ruth get his 11th pin.
THREE PINS LEAD LIONS TO 28-13 WIN AT #13 MICHIGAN
Three pins, including two quick first period falls, helped propel Penn State to a resounding 28-13 win at No. 13 Michigan on 2/6. Sophomore Quentin Wright needed only :24 to pin Michigan's Hunter Collins at 184, red-shirt freshman David Taylor pinned No. 20 Brandon Zeerip in 1:01 and junior Cameron Wade used a third period pin at the 5:32 mark to erase a deficit and pin No. 10 Ben Apland. The victories, plus a major from Andrew Long at 133, were part of a six win, ten bonus point barrage that helped Penn State grab the road victory.
LIONS WIN 7 OF 10 IN 30-9 ROUT AT MICHIGAN STATE
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor's 20-5 tech fall over Michigan State's Sean McMurray highlighted Penn State's 30-9 win at Michigan State on 2/4. Penn State also picked up four majors and a forfeit in the win. Quentin Wright posted a 13-1 major over Ian Hinton at 184, Andrew Long majored Chris Lyon 16-5 at 133, Nick Fischer notched a solid 9-1 major over Bobby Nash at 165 and Ed Ruth majored Curran Jacobs 18-6 at 174. Andrew Alton also picked up a forfeit at 141 for the Nittany Lions.
LIONS FALL TO HAWKEYES IN FRONT OF SOLD OUT CROWD OF OVER 6,600; LARGEST REC HALL CROWD IN DECADES
The Nittany Lions won only four bouts in its much-anticipated match-up with the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes on 1/30, dropping a hard-fought 22-13 dual meet to Iowa. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (141), undefeated freshman David Taylor (157), second-ranked Ed Ruth (174) and 20-plus winner Cameron Wade (285) each grabbed wins for Penn State but key losses in a handful of `toss-up' bouts hurt Penn State's chances. The dual was wrestled in front of 6,686 Penn State White Out fans, marking the largest crowd at a Rec Hall sporting event since fire codes capped attendance at the venue in the early to mid-1990s.
TAYLOR MAJORS #14 ST. JOHN, MOLINARO DOWNS #15 BALLWEG, RUTH BEATS #13 LOFTHOUSE VS. IOWA
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor won his 26th straight bout (staying undefeated) by majoring #14 Derek St. John 12-4 with over 4:00 in riding time. The bonus-point win was Taylor's 25th of the year as of 1/30. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro downed #15 Mark Ballweg 10-3 at 149 and red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth posted a 10-3 win over #13 Ethan Lofthouse at 174.
Cameron Wade BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK, 1/25
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the period ending January 23. Wade's honor is his first and Penn State's second of the year. Ranked No. 5 by Intermat at heavyweight, Wade went 2-0 last weekend with both wins coming over ranked grapplers. Wade downed then No. 3 Ryan Tomei of Pitt 3-2 in Penn State's 30-7 win over the Panthers on 1/21. He followed that up with a punishing 6-0 victory over then No. 14 Ricky Alcala of Indiana in a 36-8 road win at Indiana on 1/23.
THREE PINS LEAD LIONS TO DOMINATING BIG TEN ROAD WIN AT INDIANA
Penn State used three pins and three majors to cruise to a dominating 36-8 win at Indiana on 1/23. The victory was Penn State's 13th in a row, making the squad 13-0 at the time, the best start in school history. The Nittany Lions got pins from #5 Andrew Alton at 141, #2 Ed Ruth at 174 and #6 Quentin Wright at 184. Penn State also picked up majors from #5 Andrew Long at 133, #3 David Taylor at 157 (over #5 Paul Young) and Jake Kemerer at 165. The Nittany Lions posted a lopsided 27-8 takedown advantage and won eight of ten bouts. The eight winning Nittany Lion wrestlers did not give up a takedown in the dual.
OVER 5,500 WATCH LIONS CRUSH #22 PITT LIVE ON BTN; ALTON DOWNS #7 NAUMAN, WADE DOWNS #3 TOMEI
A near capacity crowd of over 5,500 Penn State fans filled Rec Hall to watch the Nittany Lions handle #22 Pittsburgh 30-7 on Jan. 21. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten bouts at the dual, highlighted by freshman Andrew Alton's win at 141 and junior Cameron Wade's victory at heavyweight. #5 Alton downed #7 Tyler Nauman 8-4 at 141 and #6 Wade beat #3 Ryan Tomei 3-2 at HWT. Penn State also got a major from Andrew Long at 133, a tech fall from David Taylor at 157 and a pin from Ed Ruth at 174. The Nittany Lions posted a 23-12 takedown edge in the win.
LIONS SWEEP THROUGH VIRGINIA DUALS FOR CROWN
Penn State was unstoppable at the 2011 Virginia Duals, going 4-0 with with wins over VMI (42-3), Edinboro (37-12), #23 Kent State (27-15) and #15 Michigan (24-12) by a combined score of 130-42. The Nittany Lions won 29 of 40 bouts with Brad Pataky (125), Andrew Long (133), Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (157) and Ed Ruth (174) going undefeated (4-0) during the tournament. The Virginia Duals title was Penn State's first since 1991.
PATAKY'S RUN AT VIRGINIA DUALS SPARKS LIONS
Senior 125-pounder Brad Pataky put together a 4-0 run at the 2011 Virginia Duals to spark Penn State to a tournament crown. The Clearfield, Pa., native collected two pins, a tech fall and a decision to up his season mark to 7-2 after missing the first semester due to an injury. He pinned #10 Nic Bedelyon of Kent State in Penn State's semifinal win over the Flash.
LONG MAKES MARK IN PENN STATE DEBUT
All-American Andrew Long made a quick mark on Penn State's fortunes in his Nittany Lion debut. The mid-season transfer and 2010 National Runner-Up at 125 went 4-0 for Penn State at 133, getting a pin in his first bout and adding two majors and a decision to his tally. Long majored No. 18 Zac Stevens of Michigan in Penn State's championship dual with the Wolverines.
TAYLOR DOMINATES VIRGINIA DUALS; NAMED OW
Freshman David Taylor continued his blazing run through the collegiate ranks with a dominating performance at the Virginia Duals. Taylor went 4-0 at the event with a first period pin, a 25-12 major and two tech falls to lead Penn State to the 2011 Virginia Duals crown. Taylor was named 2011 Virginia Duals Most Outstanding Wrestler for his performance.
MOLINARO AND RUTH GO UNDEFEATED AT VA. DUALS
Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro and red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth each went undefeated at the 2011 Virginia Duals to lead the Nittany Lions to the Duals title. Molinaro had a tech fall, a decision and two majors (including a 10-2 major over #14 Torsten Gillespie of Edinboro). Ruth collected two tech falls, a decision and a one-minute pin against Michigan in Penn State's title bout tilt against the Wolverines.
RUTH NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
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 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.
LIONS STORM THE SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TO EARN CO-CHAMPIONSHIP WITH #1 CORNELL
Behind a solid and balanced attack, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers stormed the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., to earn a Co-Championship with No. 1 Cornell. Penn State had three individual champions and a runner-up as well as four other placers. David Taylor won the crown at 157, Ed Ruth earned the 174-pound title as well as Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and Cameron Wade won at heavyweight. Frank Molinaro lost a 1-0 decision in the finalist a 149 as well. Both Penn State and Cornell earned 151.5 points to far-outdistance third place Oregon State. Penn State went 65-22 on the day with 36 of those bouts earning bonus points. Penn State had 15 pins, six technical falls and 15 majors while placing eight wrestlers in the top eight.
Ed Ruth DOWNS #1 AND #2 IN ONE DAY; WINS SCUFFLE CROWN AT 174 AND NAMED OW
Ranked No. 10 at 174, red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth gave notice to the country with a thorough 11-5 win over No. 1 Mack Lewnes of Cornell in the semifinals. Ruth then took on No. 2 Chris Henrich of Virginia in the finals. In a feat rare for any wrestler, yet alone a freshman, Ruth dominated the second-ranked Cavalier on his way to a 7-2 win. In beating the No. 1 and No. 2 seed in the same afternoon, Ruth won the Scuffle crown with a 5-0 record (including two pins and a major). Ruth was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler for his stellar performance. Ruth was one of four finalists Penn State had at the event (and three champs).
TAYLOR UNTOUCHABLE IN CLAIMING 157-POUND TITLE AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor, ranked No. 3 at 157, continued to dominate the field with a 23-6 technical fall over Michigan's Brandon Zeerip in the semifinals. The win moved him into the finals where he took on No. 9 Paul Young of Indiana. In another dominating performance, Taylor made short work of the Hoosier senior, turning the veteran Big Ten grappler numerous times on his way to a decisive 18-2 technical fall at the 4:06 mark. Taylor was simply unchallenged at the event, going 6-0 with four technical falls and two pins. Taylor was one of four finalists Penn State had at the event (and three champs).
WADE CLINCHES SCUFFLE CO-TITLE WITH HWT CROWN IN TOURNEY'S FINAL BOUT
Cameron Wade, ranked No. 6 nationally, continued to roll and beat No. 12 Clayton Jack 7-4 in the semifinals, setting up a finals bout against No. 7 Ben Apland of Michigan. Wade needed a win to force a tie in the team race and he gave the packed house all they could handle. Down 2-1 with time running out, Wade turned Apland for two back points as the Lion faithful roared and, with a riding time point, notched a 4-2 thriller to take the title at heavyweight. The win allowed Penn State to forge a tie in the team race as well. Wade was one of four finalists Penn State had at the event (and three champs).
MOLINARO DROPS 1-0 DEC. TO #1 DAKE IN SCUFFLE FINALS; FIVE OTHER LIONS PLACE
After a quarterfinal win, two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 6 at 149, crushed No. 15 Torsten Gillespie 9-1 That win moved him into the finals where he met No. 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell. Molinaro set the offensive tempo, taking shot after shot in the finals but Dake was able to spend the match on the edge of the mat and used a third period escape to post the 1-0 win. Molinaro was one of four finalists Penn State had at the event. The four finalists were joined by four other Nittany Lions as place-winners at the prestigious event. At 141, true freshman Andrew Alton gave up a last-second takedown to No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan and dropped a 4-3 decision in a thrilling upset bid in the semifinals. The 9th-ranked 141-pounder rebounded for two wins in wrestle-back to take third place. Alton went 6-1 on the day with three pins and a major. Freshman James Vollrath rebounded from a first round loss at 157 to reel off nine straight wins to storm to third place while freshman Frank Martellotti went 6-3 at 125 to take sixth. Sophomore James English went 5-2 at 149 to take seventh place to round out Penn State's eight place winners.
Rob Vollrath TAKES 2ND AT HITCHCOCK
Nine members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team travelled to Millersville University on Sunday to take part in the Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Classic. True freshman Rob Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) led the way for the Nittany Lions with a second place finish at 133 pounds. Vollrath, who is red-shirting this year, was wrestling unattached. Vollrath went 4-1 at 133, including a first period pin of York's Sergio Grigorian. The Nittany Lion rookie lost to Lock Haven's John Trumbetti in the finals, 7-1. Red-shirt freshman Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.), also wrestling unattached, went 2-2 at 184 to advance to the semifinals. Church went 1-1 in tie-breaker matches. Senior Eric Caschera (South Williamsport, Pa.) went 2-2 at 125 and true freshman Brandon Phillips (Timonium, Md.) went 2-2 at 174. True freshman David Church (Erie, Pa.) went 3-2 at 157 while classmate Cameron Kelly (Pittsford, N.Y.) picked up a win at 125. Freshman James Vollrath (Richboro, Pa.) also grabbed a win at 165. Other Nittany Lions taking part in the tournament included Nate Morgan (McCook, Neb.) at 125, Kyle Moran (Oxford, Pa.) at 149 and Justin Haug (Galeton, Pa.) at 165.
OVER 5,100 CHEER AS LIONS CRUSH #22 OHIO STATE 42-3 IN MOST LOPSIDED BIG TEN DUAL WIN IN PSU HISTORY
The Penn State Nittany Lions won nine out of ten bouts to trounce No. 22 Ohio State 42-3 on Dec. 19 in the Big Ten dual meet opener for both teams. Over 5,100 fans crammed into Rec Hall to watch the event (5,102). The win ties a Penn State record for most lop-sided Big Ten dual meet victory. Penn State beat Northwestern 42-3 back on Feb. 6, 2004, also in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions used pins from Andrew Alton at 141, Frank Molinaro at 149 and Cameron Wade at HWT; majors from Frank Martellotti at 125, David Taylor at 157 and Ed Ruth up a weigh at 184; and a forfeit win at 174 to grab the victory.
#3 TAYLOR DOMINATES #13 SPONSELLER
Red-shirt freshman David Taylor nearly teched #13 Colt Sponseller of Ohio State in Penn State's dual meet win on 12/19. Taylor posted a 14-1 major with 5:56 in riding time to improved to 13-0 on the year.
PEARSALL KNOCKS OFF #10 PADDOCK TO LEAD PENN STATE OVER BUCKEYES
Sophomore Bryan Pearsall continued his impressive second season at 133 for Penn State, posting a thorough 9-4 win over No. 10 Ian Paddock of Ohio State. The victory helped spark Penn State to a 42-3 dismantling of Ohio State in the Big Ten dual meet opener for both teams on 12/19.
FISCHER & VOLLRATH GET FIRST CAREER DUAL WINS
Sophomore 165-pounder Nick Fischer moved up a weight to 174 and picked up his first Penn State dual meet win with a thrilling 7-5 decision over Lock Haven's Michael Khoury in Penn State's 48-0 win over LHU on 12/12. In addition, red-shirt freshman 157-pounder James Vollrath was set to step in at 165 for an ailing Jake Kemerer and picked up a forfeit victory in his Penn State dual meet debut.
LIONS SHUT OUT LOCK HAVEN 48-0 FOR SECOND SCORELESS EFFORT OF THE YEAR
Penn State's 48-0 shut-out of Lock Haven on 12/12 was the team's second of the year, following up on a 45-0 win over Harvard in November. The 48-0 win is Penn State's most lopsided shutout victory since a 54-0 win over Millersville on Jan. 25, 1983. The last time Penn State had two shutouts in one season was the 2006-07 season when the Lions beat Clarion (47-0) and Rider (41-0).
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 Penn State's superb day at the 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.
LION FRESHMEN SHINE AT SPRAWL AND BRAWLS
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. Frank Martellotti (125), Andrew Alton (141), David Taylor (157), Jake Kemerer (165), Ed Ruth (174) and Nick Ruggear (197) combined for the solid showing.
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 SPRAW AND 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. 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.
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, Dirk Cowburn and James Vollrath 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 went 4-1 at 125 and advanced to the final bout before losing, placing second. Sam Sherlock went 5-1 at 133 and took third and Thomas Gorman 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 and true freshman Sam Sherlock 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 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 went 6-2 with a major to place fifth at 125. Senior Michael Lorenzo went 1-1 at 174 and freshman Andrew Church 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 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, also a first year wrestler, went 6-1 with a major at 125 to take third while fellow first-year wrestler Nick Ruggear 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.
PSU RANKED #4 IN NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; 8 LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
The Penn State wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, earned a No. 4 ranking in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, measuring dual meet strength. The finish is the highest for the Nittany Lions since the NWCA and USA Today began partnering on the poll and Penn State's highest final dual ranking in nearly two decades. In addition, sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) jumped to No. 3 in Intermat's final regular season individual rankings to give Penn State four wrestlers ranked among the top three at their respective weights. Long, the 2010 national runner-up at 125, is now 11-1 at 133 and jumped to No. 3 on Intermat's list thanks to a dominating 12-5 win over then-No. 3 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin. Long has seven majors and a pin in his 11 wins. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is Penn State's highest ranked individual, sporting a No. 2 ranking at 174. Ruth finished the regular season with a stellar 29-1 record, including a 19-0 dual meet mark (8-0 in Big Ten duals), 11 pins, five technical falls and three majors. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 3 at 149 after closing out the year with a decisive 9-1 major over then-No. 10 Cole Schmitt of Wisconsin. Molinaro went 25-2 during the regular season, including a 15-0 dual meet mark (8-0 in Big Ten duals), three pins, three techs and eight majors. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) completed a perfect regular season with yet another tech fall vs. Wisconsin last Friday and is ranked No. 3 at 157. Taylor is 31-0 overall with a 19-0 dual meet record (8-0 in Big Ten duals). 30 of his 31 wins garnered bonus points as he has seven pins, 14 tech falls and nine majors. Taylor's 30 bonus point victories is second all-time for the single season total at Penn State, just two shy of the record of 32. Joining that quartet with top ten rankings are three other Nittany Lions, meaning seven of Penn State's eight ranked grapplers are ranked in the top ten. Senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) is now ranked No. 10 at 125. Pataky heads into the Big Ten Championships with an 8-3 overall record, including two pins, two tech falls and a major. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 7 at 141. The Nittany Lion rookie has a 26-6 record, with all six losses coming to wrestlers ranked above him. Alton has 17 pins and three majors with the 17 pins being the fourth most in a single season at Penn State. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is ranked No. 6 at heavyweight. Wade downed then-No. 10 Eric Bugenhagen of Wisconsin in the season finale and is now 26-4 on the year with nine pins, three techs and two majors. Rounding out Penn State's ranked grapplers is sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.). Wright, a freshman All-American at 174 two years ago, is ranked No. 17 at 184 and has a 12-6 record with five pins and four majors.
EIGHT NITTANY LIONS RANKED BY THEOPENMAT.COM
Eight Penn State wrestlers are currently ranked nationally by TheOpenMat.com. Senior Brad Pataky is #10 at 125, sophomore Andrew Long is #3 at 133, freshman Andrew Alton is #6 at 141, junior Frank Molinaro is #3 at 149, freshman David Taylor is #2 at 157, freshman Ed Ruth is #2 at 174, sophomore Quentin Wade is #18 at 184 and junior Cameron Wade is #6 at 285. TOM also has Penn State ranked #3 in its dual ranking and #2 in its TPI (tournament power index).