Nov. 16, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The second-ranked Penn State wrestling team (1-0, 0-0 B1G), under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, hosts No. 4 Minnesota (0-0, 0-0 B1G) in an early season conference battle. Minnesota is at Cornell on Friday night, two nights prior to its meeting with Penn State. The Lions and Gophers meet on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 12 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual, which will air live to a national audience on the Big Ten Network, is already at SRO capacity with only a few standing room tickets available. Former Nittany Lion national champion and four-time All-American Phil Davis will be recognized at the dual and will be signing autographs after the event.
Penn State will enter the dual meet with a 1-0 record after its season opening win over Bloomsburg last Sunday. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts to cost to a 39-3 victory in front of over 6,000 fans in Rec Hall. True freshman Nico Megaludis, All-American David Taylor and two-time All-American Quentin Wright each notched first period pins while three-time All-American Frank Molinaro posted a tech fall.
Eight Nittany Lions enter the dual meet with national rankings. Megaludis checks in at No. 18, Molinaro is No. 1 at 149, red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton is No. 11 at 157, Taylor is No. 1 at 165, All-American Ed Ruth is No. 2 at 174, Wright is No. 1 at 184, true freshman Morgan McIntosh is No. 10 at 197 and senior Cameron Wade is No. 4 at heavyweight.
Minnesota will be wrestling in its first duals of the season at Cornell on Friday night and in the battle with PSU in Rec Hall. The Gophers opened the season with a strong showing at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D., last Saturday. Minnesota brought home nine titles at the event (and all nine of those wrestlers are set to compete in Rec Hall).
The Gophers sport a super dual meet line-up that features ranked wrestlers at every single weight. Zach Sanders is No. 2 at 125, David Thorn is No. 7 at 133, Nick Dardanes is No. 10 at 141, Dylan Ness is No. 5 at 149, Jake Deitchler is No. 9 at 157, Cody Yohn is No. 8 at 165, Logan Storley is No. 9 at 174, Kevin Steinhaus is No. 6 at 184, Sonny Yohn is No. 2 at 197 and Tony Nelson is No. 3 at HWT. Given that, literally eight of the ten bouts will feature battles of ranked opponents in a dual meet that can truly go either way.
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Penn State 12-6-1, including last year's 18-18 tie in Minneapolis. The Gophers won a close 20-18 dual on Jan. 30, 2009, in their last visit to Rec Hall. Penn State's last win over Minnesota was a 21-13 victory here in State College in a dual wrestled in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Sunday, Dec. 4, when they take part in the 2011 Nittany Lion Open in Rec Hall. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. The NLO is NOT part of Penn State's season ticket package and tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event. Penn State's next dual is at Lehigh on Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. with the next home dual coming on Dec. 11 when West Virginia comes to town. Fans can purchase a very limited number of single dual tickets by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live and further affiliates may be added soon. WIEZ 670 AM (Huntingdon/Lewistown) will carry all Sunday duals during the regular season plus the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in March. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
#2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (1-0, 0-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #18 Nico Megaludis Fr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 1-0
133 Derek Reber Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 0-1
141 Sam Sherlock R-Fr. West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin 1-0
149 #1 Frank Molinaro Sr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 1-0
157 #11 Dylan Alton R-Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 1-0
165 #1 David Taylor So. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 1-0
174 #2 Ed Ruth So. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. 1-0
184 #1 Quentin Wright Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 1-0
197 #10 Morgan McIntosh Fr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 1-0
285 #4 Cameron Wade Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 1-0
#4 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (0-0*, 0-0 B1G)
* Minnesota is AT CORNELL on Friday, 11/18
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #2 Zach Sanders Sr. Wabasha, Minn./Kellogg 4-0
133 #7 David Thorn So. St. Michael, Minn./Albertville 4-0
141 #10 Nick Dardanes R-Fr. Chicago, Ill./Oak Park River Forest 5-0
OR Seth Lange R-Fr. Sturgis, S.D./Sturgis 4-1
149 #5 Dylan Ness R-Fr. Bloomington, Minn./John F. Kennedy 5-0
157 #9 Jake Deitchler So. Anoka, Minn./Anoka 5-0
165 #8 Cody Yohn Jr. Alamosa, Colo./Alamosa 4-0
174 #9 Logan Storley Fr. Roslyn, S.D./Webster 3-0
OR Kaleb Young Sr. Tenstrike, Minn./Bemidji 0-0
184 #6 Kevin Steinhaus So. Pennock, Minn./KMS 4-0
197 #2 Sonny Yohn Sr. Alamosa, Colo./Alamosa 4-0
285 #3 Tony Nelson So. Cambridge, Minn./Isanti 4-0
Indiv. Rankings Intermat as of 11/15; Team Rankings NWCA/USA Today as of 11/15
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson, now in his third 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. In his final year at ISU, 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 (2009-10), 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. Last year, Sanderson 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). Sanderson led Penn State to the school's first ever Big Ten Championship on March 5-6 and was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Saving the best for last, he led the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19, Penn State's first since 1953 and Sanderson's first as a collegiate head coach. Coach Sanderson now sports a 75-17-2 dual meet mark in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 31-7-2 in his third year at Penn State.
FOUR LION FRESHMEN SHINE IN PENN STATE DEBUTS
Four new faces picked up big wins for Penn State in their collegiate debuts in the Nittany Lions' 39-3 win over Bloomsburg in the season opener on 11/13. True freshman Nico Megaludis pinned Bloomsburg's Sean Boylan at the 2:15 mark at 125, giving Penn State an early leg up in the dual. Red-shirt freshman Sam Sherlock then downed Huskie Matt Rappo 10-5 at 141 and classmate Dylan Alton downed No. 14 Frank Hickman 10-8 at 157. True freshman Morgan McIntosh then posted a 6-0 win over Huskie Richard Perry at 197.
LIONS USE THREE FIRST PERIOD PINS TO BLAST HUSKIES
Penn State used three early pins to rout the Bloomsburg Huskies before 6,059 fans in the team's season opener in Rec Hall on 11/13. True freshman Nico Megaludis got a pin over BU's Sean Boylan at the 2:15 mark at 125, getting the Nittany Lion season off to a fast start. All-American David Taylor pinned BU's Kevin Hartnett at the 2:21 mark at 165 and All-American Quentin Wright pinned Huskie Mike Mirra at the 1:55 mark at 184. Penn State also picked up tech fall from All-American Frank Molinaro at 149 and a major from Cameron Wade at HWT.
SIX LIONS WIN CROWNS AT ESU OPEN
Eighteen Nittany Lion wrestlers trekked to East Stroudsburg University for the ESU Open on Saturday with six Penn Staters grabbing individual crowns. In all, 14 of Penn State's 18 entrants placed at the event. Red-shirt freshman Matt Brown went 5-0 with two pins and three majors to win the title at 174. True freshman Jordan Conaway went 4-0 with a pin and a major to win the title at 125. One win, the major, was against a non-collegiate wrestler, meaning Conaway was officially 3-0 on the day. True freshman Luke Frey was 4-0 at 141, winning the title and picking up two tech falls along the way. Sophomore Andrew Alton dominated 149, going 5-0 with two pins and two majors to win the title. One pin was against a non-collegiate wrestler, meaning Alton went 4-0 with a pin officially. Sophomore James Vollrath was 5-0 with a pin, a tech and a major to win the title at 157. Rounding out Penn State's champions was red-shirt freshman Jonathan Gingrich, who went 5-0 with a major and a pin at heavyweight. His pin was against an NC grappler, giving him a 4-0 official mark on the day.
FREY, CHURCH AND CONAWAY PLACE AT CLARION OPEN
Six members of Penn State's wrestling team competed unattached at the 2011 Clarion Knight Point Open on Sunday. True freshmen Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) and Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) and sophomore Andrew Church (Erie, Pa.) each placed at their respective weights. Frey, a true freshman from Montoursville, took the runner-up spot at 141, advancing to the finals with three wins including a major and a tech fall before dropping a 5-1 decision in the finals to unattached Daniel Neff. Conaway, an Abbottstown native, placed third at 125 with a 4-1 mark that included two tech falls and a 13-7 loss in the semifinals to the eventual champion. Church, an Erie native, went 3-1 at 174 and advanced to the finals before losing to take the runner-up spot. Other Nittany Lions competing included Michael Waters (Advance, N.C.), who went 2-2 at 141; Brandon Phillips (Timonium, Md.), who went 2-2 at 174; and Collin Campbell (Hurdle Mills, N.C.), who went 2-2 at heavyweight.
IOWA DUAL SOLD OUT INCLUDING SRO, MINNESOTA AND OHIO STATE SOLD OUT W/ SOME SRO REMAINING; OTHERS NEARING SAME STATUS
A mere 90 minutes after the public sale of single dual tickets began, Penn State's Jan. 22 dual match against Iowa has sold out, including 300 standing room only tickets. With over 6,500 tickets now distributed for the match-up with the Hawkeyes, the single dual allotments for Penn State's remaining six home events are also disappearing fast. Rec Hall's listed capacity is 6,502 including the 300 SRO ducats. Both Minnesota and Ohio State duals are also sold out with limited SRO tickets remaining for each. Less than 600 tickets remain for all other Penn State duals (against Bloomsburg, West Virginia, Michigan and Pitt). Fans can purchase these very limited single dual tickets by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person.
PENN STATE RANKED NO. 2 IN LATEST NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; EIGHT LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
Eight members of the Nittany Lion wrestling team are ranked in the latest version of the Intermat national individual rankings. Three Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 while five are among the top four at their weights. Penn State is No. 2 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches dual meet poll and Intermat gives the Lions a No. 2 nod in its tournament power index (TPI). Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is 1-0 on the year and ranked No. 1 at 149. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), is 1-0 thus far and is No. 1 at 165 and two-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is 1-0 and got the No. 1 nod at 184. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 1-0 at 174 and ranked No. 2 while senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is 1-0 and ranked No. 4 at heavyweight. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is 1-0 at 197 and ranked No. 10 while red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 1-0 and ranked No. 11 at 157. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is 1-0 on the year and ranked No. 18 at 125.
Penn State is now No. 2 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches poll with 240 points and three first place votes. Iowa is No. 1 with 244 points and six first place votes. Oklahoma State is third with 230 and one first place vote while Minnesota, Penn State's Sunday opponent, is close behind in the fourth spot with 223 points, giving the top four nationally a mere 21 points of separation between spots one and four. Cornell rounds out the top five. Michigan, Illinois, Lehigh, Missouri and Ohio State comprise the rest of the top ten. Northwestern (17) and Nebraska (24) are also ranked in the top 25, giving the Big Ten eight ranked teams, including six of the top ten. Iowa tops Intermat's TPI with 107.5 points with Penn State in second at 100.5. Minnesota is right behind in third with 92.5 while Oklahoma State sits in fourth with 86.5.
WRESTLING RADIO NETWORK READY FOR `11-12 SEASON
The Penn State Wrestling Radio Show will begin yet another season on Wednesday, Nov. 2, while multiple local stations will once again broadcast the entire 2011-12 Nittany Lion season. The march to St. Louis begins with the Intrasquad dual on Nov. 3 and concludes with the national championships in late-March. The wrestling radio season begins on Nov. 2 when Jeff Byers hosts the first edition of the Penn State Wrestling Show. The show will air every Wednesday from 6 to 6:30 p.m. and will air across the state on the Pennsylvania Sports Network. Local affiliate 3WZ (95.3 FM) will serve as the flagship station for the show that will features coaches, wrestlers and other individuals affiliated with the Nittany Lion wrestling program. The 30-minute show welcomes calls from fans, who can call into the show at 814-237-0953. In addition to 3WZ, the weekly show can be heard on the following stations: WCPA (900 AM) Clearfield/DuBois; WIEZ (670 AM) Lewistown/Huntingdon; WLYC (1050 AM) Williamsport/Lewisburg; WLYC (104.1 FM) Montoursville/Jersey Shore; WBPZ (1230 AM) Lock Haven; WTZN (1310 AM) Troy/Canton; WTTC (1550 AM) Towanda/Elmira, N.Y.; WGET (1330 AM) Gettysburg/Hanover. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live and further affiliates may be added soon. Lewistown/Huntingdon's WIEZ (670 AM) will carry every Sunday dual and the post-season. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events.