Jan. 11, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
TODAY'S ACTION
No. 3 Penn State (5-1, 1-1 B1G) continues a near-month long road trip with two Big Ten duals. Penn State is at No. 17 Northwestern (5-1, 1-1 B1G) on Friday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m. (Eastern) and at Wisconsin (5-3, 0-2*) on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. (Eastern). Wisconsin is at Northern Iowa on Friday night.
Penn State is coming off 36-6 Big Ten win over Michigan State last Sunday. The dual was wrestled at Kellog Arena in Battle Creek, Mich. The Nittany Lions won nine of ten bouts with the lone loss coming due to an illegal throw DQ in a match the Lion wrestler was dominating at the time. Penn State got key wins from All-American Frank Molinaro at 149, red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton at 157 and a pin from junior Bryan Pearsall at 141.
The Nittany Lions are being led by a balanced attack featuring eight ranked grapplers and two talented veterans, giving the team a strong line-up from top to bottom. All-American Frank Molinaro is ranked No. 1 at 149, All-American David Taylor is ranked No. 1 at 165, All-American Ed Ruth is No. 2 at 174 and All-American Quentin Wright is No. 2 at 184. Senior Cameron Wade is No. 6 at 285, red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton is No. 9 at 157, true freshman Nico Megaludis is No. 10 at 125 and classmate Morgan McIntosh is No. 12 at 197. Junior Bryan Pearsall is 8-6 at 141 with four pins (including a 3-1 dual meet record featuring two pins and a major). Sophomore Frank Martellotti made his season dual debut with a win at 133 vs. MSU on is 4-1 on the year.
Northwestern comes into the weekend's dual meet action with an identical 5-1, 1-1 B1G, mark. The Wildcats feature a strong line-up as well with four ranked wrestlers set to battle Penn State. Junior Levi Mele is 20-2 and ranked No. 7 at 125, junior Jason Welch is 13-0 and No. 3 at 157, freshman Lee Munster is 15-5 and No. 9 at 174 and classmate Mike McMullen is 14-7 and No. 19 at heavyweight. Penn State leads the all-time series with Northwestern 11-1, including nine straight. The Nittany Lions won 37-10 two years ago in Rec Hall (2/5/10). The last time the two teams wrestled in Evanston it was a tight match. The Nittany Lions won 18-15 on 2/1/08.
Wisconsin enters the weekend's action with a 5-3 mark, 0-2 in conference action. The Badgers are at Northern Iowa on Friday night, the same evening Penn State visits Northwestern. Wisconsin is being led by the ranked tandem of junior Cole Schmitt at 149 and senior Ben Jordan at 165. Schmitt is 12-2 and ranked No. 9 at 149 while Jordan is 18-5 and No. 14 at 165. The Nittany Lions own an 11-8 edge in the all-time series with Wisconsin, having won 30-12 in Rec Hall last year (2/18/11). Winners of two straight against UW, the Lions won the last meeting in Madison, a 22-15 decision on 1/31/10.
Penn State returns to action on Jan. 22 when No. 2 Iowa comes to Rec Hall for a dual that is already sold out. Penn State then hosts Ohio State on Jan. 29 and only standing room only tickets remain. Fans can purchase a very limited number of those SRO 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
#3 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (5-1, 1-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #10 Nico Megaludis Fr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 14-4
133 Frank Martellotti So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 4-1
Derek Reber Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 4-5
141 Bryan Pearsall Jr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 8-6
149 #1 Frank Molinaro Sr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 17-0
157 #9 Dylan Alton R-Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 13-3
165 #1 David Taylor So. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 15-0
174 #2 Ed Ruth So. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. 17-0
184 #2 Quentin Wright Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 14-2
197 #12 Morgan McIntosh Fr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 10-5
285 #6 Cameron Wade Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 14-4
#17 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (5-1, 1-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #7 Levi Mele Jr. Vernal, Utah/Uintah 20-2
133 Jameson Oster Fr. Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport 8-8
141 Colin Shober Fr. Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley 11-8
OR Pat Greco Fr. St. Charles, Ill./Marmion Academy 9-9
149 Kaleb Friedley So. Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill 13-6
157 #3 Jason Welch Jr. Walnut Cree, Calif./Las Lomas 13-0
165 Pierce Harger Fr. Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller 13-7
174 #9 Lee Munster Fr. Fox Lake, Ill./Grant 15-5
184 Marcus Shrewsbury Jr. Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point 2-7
OR Robert Kellogg Sr. Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North 2-9
197 John Schoen Sr. Homer Glen, Ill./Marist 11-10
285 #19 Mike McMullan Fr. Easton, Pa./Wyoming Seminary 14-7
WISCONSIN BADGERS (5-3, 0-2 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Austin Hietpas Fr. Kimberly, Wis. 0-2
133 Shane McQuade Jr. Appleton, Wis. 5-8
141 Tommy Glenn Fr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn. 0-9
149 #9 Cole Schmitt Jr. New Glarus, Wis. 12-2
157 Shawn Perry So. Wausau, Wis. 8-7
165 #14 Ben Jordan Sr. St. Parish, Ohio 18-5
174 Frank Cousins Fr. St. Cloud, Fla. 8-8
184 Timmy McCall Fr. Hope Mills, N.C. 8-6
197 Jackson Hein So. Wausau, Wis. 6-5
285 Cole Tobin So. Hudson, Wis. 6-5
Indiv. Rankings Intermat as of 1/10; Team Rankings NWCA/USA Today as of 1/10
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 79-18-2 dual meet mark in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 35-8-2 in his third year at Penn State.
MOLINARO AND ALTON DOWN RANKED FOES IN NITTANY LIONS' WIN OVER MICHIGAN STATE
Senior Frank Molinaro and red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton made short work of Michigan State's ranked grapplers in Penn State's 36-6 win over Michigan State in Battle Creek's Kellog Arena on January 8. Molinaro downed #18 Dan Osterman 9-3 and Alton took care of #14 Anthony Jones 1-0 to lead Penn State to the victory.
NITTANY LIONS CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE CHAMPIONSHIP, THIS TIME OUTRIGHT
After tying Cornell for the Southern Scuffle championship last year, Penn State rolled away from the competition by crowning four champions and won the 2012 Southern Scuffle outright on Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga. Penn State won the title with 191.5 points while Minnesota was second with 177.5. The Nittany Lions entered day two with a slim 7.5 point lead over the gophers and used a superb 6-3 run in the semifinals and a 4-2 showing in the finals to claim the crown. All-American David Taylor won the 165-pound title and was named Outstanding Wrestler. Joining Taylor as champs were All-American Frank Molinaro at 149, All-American Ed Ruth at 174 and All-American Quentin Wright at 184. Penn State posted a superb 56-23 overall mark among its 15 wrestlers, collecting 18 pins, nine tech falls and 11 majors along the way. 38 of Penn State's 56 wins were of the bonus point variety.
TAYLOR BLAZES HIS WAY TO SCUFFLE TITLE TO EARN TOURNEY OW AND BIG TEN WoW HONORS
All-American David Taylor blazed his way to his second straight Southern Scuffle title and was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler (teammate Ed Ruth won the honor last year). Top-ranked Taylor took on No. 10 Cody Yohn of Minnesota in the finals at 165. Already owning a tech fall over the 10th-ranked Gopher, Taylor did it one better this time with a team-title clinching pin in the first period (2:36). Taylor, who claimed his second Scuffle crown, went 5-0 with three pins, a tech and a major. He was also named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (1/3) for his efforts.
MOLINARO STRONG ON HIS WAY TO SCUFFLE CROWN AND 100TH CAREER WIN
No. 1 Frank Molinaro met No. 11 Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the finals of the 2012 Southern Scuffle and the bout belonged in full to the three-time Nittany Lion All-American. Molinaro scored big for Penn State with a dominating 9-1 major over Ness and won his first Scuffle title with a 5-0 mark, including two techs and a major. His first win of the event was the 100th for his career, making him the 26th member of Penn State's 100-win club.
RUTH'S PERFECTION LEADS TO SECOND SCUFFLE CROWN
All-American Ed Ruth, last year's Scuffle Outstanding Wrestler, won his second straight title in an All-PSU final at 174. Ruth downed talented teammate Matt Brown, posting a 6-3 decision. Ruth's win gave him his second straight Scuffle title and he went 6-0 with three pins, a tech and a major.
WRIGHT HAMMERS #4 BOSAK ON WAY TO SCUFFLE TITLE
Defending National Champion Quentin Wright and put the exclamation point on Penn State's Southern Scuffle team title by dominating fourth-ranked Steve Bosak of Cornell to the tune of a 10-3 win in the 184-pound final.. Wright claimed his first Scuffle title with the victory as he went 5-0 with three pins.
ALTON AND BROWN TAKE SECOND AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
The red-shirt freshmen tandem of Dylan Alton and Matt Brown advanced to the finals of the 2012 Southern Scuffle to help Penn State claim the team title in Chattanooga. Alton, ranked No. 10, met No. 1 Kyle Dake of Cornell in the finals at 157. Alton battled the two-time NCAA champ tough before dropping a 3-0 decision to take second place in his first Scuffle. Alton went 4-1 with two pins and a major. Brown lost to teammate #2 Ed Ruth in the 174-pound title and ended an outstanding tournament with a 4-1 mark, including wins over the No. 7 and No. 11-ranked wrestlers.
PEARSALL PINS #14 BONSON TO LEAD LIONS TO 50-0 WIN AT LOCK HAVEN; NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Junior Bryan Pearsall pinned nationally ranked Matt Bonson of Lock Haven to lead the Nittany Lions to a 50-0 shut-out win at Lock Haven on 12/18. Pearsall pinned No. 14 Bonson in the second period of their battle at 141. The fall was one of four for Penn State in the dual (Nico Megaludis, Frank Molinaro and Cameron Wade added pins as well), which featured a 41-0 takedown edge for the Nittany Lions. Pearsall was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending 12/18, the first such honor of his career.
BROWN GETS TF IN PENN STATE DUAL DEBUT
Matt Brown got the call at 174 in Penn State's 50-0 shut-out win at Lock Haven on 12/18 and posted a convincing 19-4 technical fall in just 3:47 over LHU's Aaron McKinney. The win helped Penn State earn its first shut-out since a 48-0 win over LHU back in December of `10.
WRIGHT PINS #17 RYAN TO LEAD LIONS TO 34-6 WIN OVER WEST VIRGINIA
Defending national champion Quentin Wright, ranked No. 5 at 184, pinned No. 17 Matt Ryan of West Virginia in the first period (1:57) to spark Penn State to a 34-6 win over WVU in a packed Rec Hall. Over 6,000 fans watched Penn State post a 35-2 edge in takedowns in the lopsided win on 12/11.
LIONS RUN AWAY FROM #10 LEHIGH FOR ROAD WIN IN 100TH MEETING BETWEEN TWO TEAMS
Penn State built up a huge early lead and coasted to a 24-12 win at No. 10 Lehigh on 12/9. Penn State got a key win from David Taylor over No. 9 Brandon Hatchett (8-5) and majors from Bryan Pearsall, Frank Molinaro and David Taylor while Ed Ruth, leading 12-1 at the time, got an injury forfeit win at 174. The win gave Penn State a 63-34-3 lead in the all-time series as the dual was the 100th meeting between the two eastern powers.
NITTANY LION WRESTLING ATTENDANCE SOARING
Three dual meets into the 2011-12 season and Penn State's average wrestling attendance is soaring once again. All three of Penn State's duals have topped the 6,000 fan mark, including a sellout against Minnesota. Penn State is average 6,138 fans per event to date.
MOLINARO, TAYLOR, RUTH STILL PERFECT AND PILING UP BONUS WINS
The All-American trio of Frank Molinaro (149), David Taylor (157) and Ed Ruth (174) are all still perfect on the year and a combined 49-0 with 10 majors, 13 tech falls, 17 pins and an injury default victory. They have combined for 41 bonus point wins in 49 matches. Molinaro is 17-0 with 5 majors, 5 techs and three pins, giving him 13 bonus wins in 17 matches. Taylor is 15-0 with 8 pins, 4 tech falls and 2 majors, giving him 14 bonus point wins in 15 matches. Ruth is 17-0 with 6 pins, 4 techs, 3 majors and one injury default, giving him 14 bonus wins in 17 matches.
LIONS CROWN SIX CHAMPS AT `11 NLO
Penn State crowned six champions at the 2011 Nittany Lion Open. Freshman Nico Megaludis won the title at 125; senior Frank Molinaro won the title at 149 (his third Open crown); sophomore David Taylor won the title at 165 (his second Open crown); sophomore Ed Ruth won the 174-pound bracket (his first NLO gold); junior Quentin Wright won the 184-pound title (his first as well); and senior Cameron Wade won the championship at heavyweight (his second). Wins over ranked wrestlers for the champions included: Molinaro with an 8-0 major over #20 Steve Santos of Columbia and a first period pin (1:23) of #9 Donnie Vinson of Binghamton; Taylor with a pin (4:40) of #14 Peter Yates of Virginia Tech and a 14-6 major over former American All-American Steve Fittery; and Ruth with a 7-4 win over #17 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland.
PENN STATE WITH 18 PLACE WINNERS AT `11 NLO
In addition to the above six champions, Penn State had 12 other place winners at the 2011 Nittany Lion Open, headed by finalists/runners-up Dylan Alton at 157 and Morgan McIntosh at 197. Jordan Conaway was fourth at 125, Frank Martellotti was eighth at 133, Andrew Alton was third at 149, Seth Beitz was fifth at 149, James Vollrath was third at 157, Nick Fischer was fourth at 157, Matt Brown was fifth at 174, Justin Ortega was eighth at 197, Nick Ruggear was fourth at 285 and Jon Gingrich was fifth at 285.
WADE NOW 9TH ON ALL-TIME PINS LIST
Cameron Wade entered the season with 21 career falls. The senior heavyweight has seven on the year and now has 28 for his career, 9th on Penn State's all-time list.
THREE LIONS GRAB WINS IN MINNESOTA DUAL
Penn State's loss to Minnesota on 11/20 in front of a sold out Rec Hall crowd of over 6,200 including three dominating wins from a trio of Penn State All-Americans. No. 1 David Taylor handled No. 8 Cody Yohn with ease, notching a 16-1 technical fall in only 4:29 at 165. No. 1 Frank Molinaro roughed up No. 5 Dylan Ness, notching five takedowns to roll to a 16-10 win at 149. No. 2 Ed Ruth pinned Gopher Eric Ortiz at the 2:27 mark at 174.
David Taylor AND Ed Ruth'S STUNNING DUAL MEET POINT AVERAGES
Just 22 matches into his collegiate dual meet career, sophomore David Taylor surpassed the 100 point mark in dual meet points. Taylor is now 25-0 in collegiate duals with 121 dual meet points. That's an average of 4.84 dual points per match. Classmate Ed Ruth passed the 100 point mark a mere 23 matches as well. Ruth is now is 24-0 with 110 career dual meet points for an equally impressive average of 4.58 dual points per match.
FIVE LIONS WIN TITLES AT LAKER OPEN
Five of Penn State's ten-man contingent taking part unattached at the Mercyhurst Laker Open came home with first place titles with seven of the nine playing in the top three. Penn State earned five firsts, a second and a third place showing in Erie. Red-shirt freshman Kyle Moran went 4-0 at 141 to win the first place title while classmate Seth Beitz was 5-0 with a pin at 149 to win the title. Red-shirt freshman Matt Brown was superb with a 5-0 mark to win the crown at 174. Brown notched two pins and three tech falls to roll to the title. Brown defeated teammate Andrew Church in the finals at 174. Church was 3-1 with a major to place second in front of a hometown crowd. Junior Justin Ortega was a perfect 4-0 at 197 to win the title while red-shirt freshman Jon Gingrich won another heavyweight title, this time going 4-0 with three pins to win it all. Also competing for Penn State was true freshman Mike Waters, who went 2-2 at 141; true freshman Rex Lutz, who won once at 165, and red-shirt freshman Brandon Phillips, who was 3-2 at 174.
LION FRESHMEN SHINE IN PENN STATE DEBUTS
Plenty of 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 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.
PENN STATE RANKED #3 IN NWCA/USA TODAY COACHES POLL; #1 IN TPI; EIGHT LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT
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 two and all eight are listed in the top 12. Coming off a Big Ten road win over Michigan State on Sunday, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 3 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll and continue to hold the No. 1 in Intermat's Tournament Power Index (TPI). Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is 17-0 on the year and ranked No. 1 at 149. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is 15-0 thus far and is No. 1 at 165 and All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 17-0 at ranked No. 2 at 174. Two-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is No. 2 at 184 with a 14-2 mark.
Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is 14-4 at heavyweight and is ranked No. 6 and red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 13-3 at 157 and ranked No. 9. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is 14-4 at 125 and ranked No. 10 while classmate Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is 10-5 at 197 and ranked No. 12. Penn State is now ranked No. 3 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. Oklahoma State is No. 1 with 250 points, Iowa No. 2 Oklahoma State is No. 1 with 250 points, Iowa No. 2 with 240 and PSU follows in third with 223. Minnesota, Cornell, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State, Missouri and Pitt round out the top ten. The Nittany Lions retain their hold on the No. 1 spot on Intermat's Tournament Power Index with 95.0 points while Minnesota is second with 85.5. Oklahoma State is third with 82.5, Iowa fourth with 79.0 and Cornell fifth with 69.0.
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.