Dec. 6, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Eight members of the Nittany Lion wrestling team continue to be ranked in the latest version of the Intermat national individual rankings. Four Nittany Lion All-Americans are ranked in the top five and all eight are listed in the top 15. Penn State is No. 5 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches dual meet poll and Intermat gives the Lions a No. 3 nod in its tournament power index (TPI).
Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is 8-0 on the year and ranked No. 1 at 149. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), is 6-0 thus far and is No. 1 at 165 and All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 8-0 at ranked No. 2 at 174. Two-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is No. 5 at 184 with a 6-1 mark.
Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is 6-1 at heavyweight and is ranked No. 8. True freshman Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is 5-2 at 197 and ranked No. 10 while red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 5-2 at 157 and ranked No. 10 as well. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is 5-1 at 125 and ranked No. 15.
Penn State is No. 5 in the latest Coaches Poll. Iowa leads with eight first place votes and 248 points. Oklahoma State is second with two top votes and 242 points while Minnesota is third with 221. Cornell is fourth with 219 and Penn State is fifth with 213. Ohio State (6), Illinois (7), Michigan (8), Pittsburgh (9) and Lehigh (10) round out the top ten. Northwestern (19) and Nebraska (21) are the other Big Ten squads in the top 25, giving the conference eight teams on the list. Iowa tops Intermat's TPI with 98.5 points, followed by Oklahoma State with 87.5 and Penn State with 85. Minnesota is fourth with 77.0 and Cornell fifth with 66.5.
Penn State returns to dual meet action on Friday, Dec. 9 at No. 10 Lehigh and then in Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, vs. West Virginia at 2 p.m. Nearing sellout status, fans can purchase remaining tickets for the WVU dual 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, WIEZ (690 AM) in Huntingdon/Lewistown carries all Sunday events 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.