Nov. 9, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
TODAY'S ACTION
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Nov. 9, 2011 -- No. 1 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) opens up the 2011-12 season by hosting in-state foe Bloomsburg (0-0, 0-0 EWL) on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. The season opener for Penn State will feature the raising of the team's 2011 Big Ten and NCAA championship banners just prior to the dual starting. A very limited number of tickets and standing room only ducats remain for the event.
Penn State comes into the dual with eight wrestlers ranked in the nation's top 20 in the preseason rankings released by Intermat at Intermatwrestle.com. Three Lions are ranked No. 1 at their weights, led by `11 184-pound national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.). Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), national runner-up last year, is ranked No. 1 at 149 while `11 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), national runner-up at 157, is ranked No. 1 at 165. All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 174 while senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is ranked No. 5 at heavyweight. Three freshman join that handful of top five Lions in the national rankings as well. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is No. 10 at 197, red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is No. 12 at 157 and true freshman Nico Megaludis is No. 18 at 125.
Bloomsburg comes into the dual with a talented and young line-up as well. The Huskies could send seven freshmen and sophomores to the mat against Penn State. Bloomsburg will be led by junior Frank Hickman, who is ranked No. 14 at 157, and junior Mike Dessino, who is ranked No. 20 at 174. Key match-ups in the dual should be the battle between No. 12 Alton and No. 14 Hickman at 175 and No. 2 Ruth vs. No. 20 Dessino at 174.
Penn State leads the all-time series between the two schools 15-5-1, including a 41-3 win in a sold out Bloomsburg venue last year. Penn State, which has won five straight, won the last Rec Hall meeting 23-15 on Nov. 15, 2009.
The Nittany Lions host No. 4 Minnesota on Sunday, Nov. 20, in their next dual. The 12 p.m. dual will air live to a national BTN audience as well and is sold out with only a limited number of SRO tickets remaining. 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. 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. 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 STARTERSPOSSIBLE STARTERS
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #18 Nico Megaludis Fr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 0-0
133 Derek Reber Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 0-0
141 Sam Sherlock R-Fr. West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin 0-0
Bryan Pearsall Jr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 0-0
149 #1 Frank Molinaro Sr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 0-0
157 #12 Dylan Alton R-Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 0-0
165 #1 David Taylor So. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 0-0
174 #2 Ed Ruth So. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. 0-0
184 #1 Quentin Wright Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 0-0
197 #10 Morgan McIntosh Fr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 0-0
285 #5 Cameron Wade Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 0-0
BLOOMSBURG HUSKIES (0-0, 0-0 EWL)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Sean Boylan So. Seaville, N.J./St. Marks 0-0
133 Craig Barker So. Lecanto, Fla./Citrus 0-0
OR Nick Wilcox So. Greene, N.Y./Greene Central 0-0
141 Matt Rappo Fr. Holland, Pa./Council Rock South 0-0
149 Bryce Busler Jr. Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley 0-0
OR Josh Roosa Jr. Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood 0-0
157 #14 Frank Hickman Jr. Castle Hayne, N.C./E.A. Laney 0-0
165 Kevin Hartnett So. Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell 0-0
OR Chris Smith So. Mineral, Va./Chancellor 0-0
174 #20 Mike Dessino Jr. Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex 0-0
184 Mike Mirra Fr. Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood 0-0
197 Richard Perry So. Meridian, Conn./Middletown 0-0
285 Zach Walsh So. Greene, N.Y./Greene Central 0-0
Indiv. Rankings Intermat as of 11/8; Team Rankings NWCA/USA Today as of 11/3
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 74-17-2 dual meet mark after five years as a collegiate head coach. He is 30-7-2 after his second year at Penn State.
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.
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. 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.
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 remaing 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 ENTERS SEASON RANKED NO. 1 IN NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; EIGHT LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the preseason NWCA/USA Today coaches poll, has eight wrestlers ranked at their respective weights in the latest Intermat individual rankings. The NWCA/USA Today Coaches preseason poll came out last Thursday. Penn State leads the preseason poll with 244 points including seven first place votes while Big Ten rival Iowa is close behind at No. 2 with 238 points and two first place votes. Oklahoma State is ranked third with 234 points and one first place vote. Minnesota and Cornell round out the top five. Lehigh (6), Michigan (7), Illinois (8), Missouri (9) and Oklahoma (10) comprise the rest of the top ten. Ohio State (13) and Northwestern (19) are the other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25, giving the conference seven ranked teams. Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue are receiving votes.
Defending national champion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is ranked No. 1 at 184 after claiming the title last year in Philadelphia. Wright went 21-6 a year ago, including nine straight at season's end to win the Big Ten and NCAA crowns. Wright is a two-time All-American. Senior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 1 at 149 after advancing to the NCAA finals in Philadelphia. Molinaro, a three-time All-American and the reigning Big Ten champion, carries an 88-29 career record into his final season. Sophomore David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is ranked No. 1 at 165 after blazing to a 38-1 record as a freshman last year and earning All-America laurels with a spot in the NCAA finals at 157. Taylor was the Big Ten 157-pound titlist, the 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2011 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
Sophomore Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 174 after placing third at that weight a year ago and earning All-America laurels. Ruth, who went 38-2 overall as a freshman, won the 2011 Gorriaran Award at the NCAA Championships for most pins in the least time. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) heads into the new season ranked No. 5 at heavyweight. Wade, who went 30-8 in '10-11, is a two-time national qualifier and finished just one win shy of All-America status at NCAAs last year, losing in the `round of 12'. Three freshmen are also ranked for Penn State. Red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), is ranked No. 12 at that weight by Intermat after red-shirt campaign a year ago. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is ranked No. 10 at 197 and classmate Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked No. 18 at 125. McIntosh and Megaludis were both among the nation's top recruits last season coming out of high school.