Feb. 1, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
TODAY'S ACTION
No. 2 Penn State (9-1, 5-1 B1G) is set for a busy weekend of Big Ten action, beginning with a road trip to No. 7 Nebraska (14-1, 5-1 B1G). The Nittany Lions battle the Cornhuskers on Friday, Feb. 3, . at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. Penn State will travel back to State College on Saturday, arriving home Saturday night and immediately get ready for a Sunday home dual against No. 12 Michigan (6-3, 4-2 B1G). The Lions and Wolverines tangle at 2 p.m. in Rec Hall. The Michigan dual is sold out but a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets still remain as of 2/1/12. With the Big Ten officially recognizing the regular season dual meet champion(s) with a trophy, the importance of this weekend's duals becomes magnified with a conference regular season title (or a share of one) on the line and all three teams in the hunt for the outright title or a share of it.
Penn State is coming off dominating 34-9 win over Ohio State on Sunday, a win that moved it into a battle for the Big Ten dual meet crown. The Nittany Lions are 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the conference and face off against another 5-1 team (Nebraska) and a 4-2 squad (Michigan) that still has a chance to forge a massive five- or six-team tie for first. For Penn State, the math is simple, win two tough duals and it is assured of at least a share of the dual meet crown.
The Nittany Lions are being led by a balanced line-up featuring eight ranked wrestlers, all of which are ranked among the top 12 and four of whom are in the top two. Three-time All-American Frank Molinaro is ranked No. 1 at 149 with a perfect 21-0 mark. All-American David Taylor is also unblemished at 19-0 and is No. 1 at 165. All-American Ed Ruth is also perfect at 21-0 and No. 2 at 174 while two-time All-American Quentin Wright is 18-2 and No. 2 at 184. Senior Cameron Wade is 18-4 and ranked No. 6 at heavyweight while red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton is 16-4 and No. 6 at 157. True freshman Nico Megaludis is 17-5 and No. 9 at 125 while classmate Morgan McIntosh is 14-5 and No. 12 at 197. Sophomore Frank Martellotti is 6-3 at 133 while junior Bryan Pearsall checks in at 141 with a 10-8 record.
Nebraska brings a 14-1 record into the dual, with an impressive 5-1 Big Ten conference mark. . The Huskers are being led by six ranked wrestlers, five of whom are in the top ten. The tough and balanced NU roster features No. 18 Ridge Kelly at 133, No. 5 Jake Sueflohn at 141, No. 7 James Green at 157, No. 6 Robert Kokesh at 165, No. 7 Josh Ihnen at 184 and No. 9 Tucker Lane at heavyweight. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since a 20-16 Nebraska win on Jan. 10, 2009, at the National Duals. Penn State won the last meeting in Lincoln, a 24-14 victory on Jan. 23, 1994. Nebraska has won three straight against Penn State, dating back to a 22-12 Penn State win on 12/5/98 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Nebraska owns an 8-4-1 edge in the series.
Michigan comes in 6-3 overall, with a 4-2 record in Big Ten action. The Wolverines are being led by seven ranked individuals, including No. 1 Kellen Russell at 141. UM also features No. 16 Zac Stevens at 133, No. 7 Eric Grajales at 149, No. 14 Dan Yates at 165, No. 8 Justin Zeerip at 174, No. 15 Max Huntley at 197 and No. 10 Ben Apland at 285. Penn State has won the last two meetings against UM and owns a slim 26-24 edge in the all-time series. Penn State won 28-13 last year on 2/6/11 in Ann Arbor and won 29-10 on 2/7/10 in Rec Hall.
Penn State will make a cross country trek to Orem, Utah, outside of Salt Lake City, to battle Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 11. The dual is set for 9 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Mountain (local time). Penn State's next home dual is the season dual finale against Pitt on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. All seats for the Pitt dual are sold out but some standing room only tickets remain. Fans can purchase a very limited number of SRO tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY. 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. 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 (9-1, 5-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #9 Nico Megaludis Fr. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 17-5
133 Frank Martellotti So. Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side 6-3
Derek Reber Jr. Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg 4-5
141 Bryan Pearsall Jr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 10-8
149 #1 Frank Molinaro Sr. Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional 21-0
157 #6 Dylan Alton R-Fr. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 16-4
165 #1 David Taylor So. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 19-0
174 #2 Ed Ruth So. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. 21-0
184 #2 Quentin Wright Jr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 18-2
197 #12 Morgan McIntosh Fr. Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel 14-5
285 #6 Cameron Wade Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel 18-4
#7 NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (14-1, 5-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT REC
125 Shawn Nagel So. Kimball, Neb. 4-11
133 #18 Ridge Kelly Jr. Eagel Grove, Iowa 14-8
141 #5 Jake Sueflohn Fr. Watertown, Wis. 19-4
149 Brandon Wilbourn R-Fr. O'Fallon, Mo. 10-8
157 #7 James Green Fr. Willingboro, N.J. 25-3
165 #6 Robert Kokesh R-Fr. Wagner, S.D. 22-3
174 Tyler Koehn Jr. Pittsburg, Kan. 17-6
184 #7 Josh Ihnen Jr. Sheldon, Iowa 18-2
197 James Nakashima Sr. Dwight, Ill. 16-6
285 #9 Tucker Lane Sr. Redvale, Colo. 20-3
#12 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (6-3, 4-2 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 Grant Pizzo So. Brighton, Mich./Brighton 6-12
133 #16 Zac Stevens Sr. Monroe, Mich./Monroe 17-6
141 #1 Kellen Russell Sr. High Bridge, N.J./Blair Academy 22-1
149 #7 Eric Grajales So. Brandon, Fla./Brandon 14-3
157 Brandon Zeerip So. Fremont, Mich./Hesperia 12-10
165 #14 Dan Yates So. Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia 18-5
174 #8 Justin Zeerip Sr. Fremont, Mich./Hesperia 18-2
184 Hunter Collins Jr. Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy 6-9
OR Chris Heald Fr. West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield 6-7
197 #15 Max Huntley Fr. Emerald Isle, N.C./Blair Academy 14-8
285 #10 Ben Apland Jr. Woodbridge, Ill./Downers Grove South 19-5
Indiv. Rankings Intermat as of 1/31; Team Rankings NWCA/USA Today as of 1/31
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 83-18-2 dual meet mark in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach. He is 39-8-2 in his third year at Penn State.
RUTH'S QUICK PIN OVER #8 HEFLIN LEADS LIONS TO 34-9 ROUT OVER #5 OHIO STATE
Sophomore All-American Ed Ruth made short work of 8th-ranked Nick Heflin of Ohio State in a marquee match-up at 174 to lead Penn State to a resounding 34-9 thumping over the 5th-ranked Buckeyes on 1/29. The dual, in a sold out Rec Hall, saw Penn State win eight of ten bouts, post a 16-4 takedown edge and amass a number of lopsided riding time advantages. Penn State got wins from #8 Nico Megaludis at 125 (over #15 Johnnie Dejulius), #1 Frank Molinaro at 149 (a 12-0 major), #7 Dylan Alton at 157 (4-0 over #20 Josh Demas), #1 David Taylor at 165 (a tech fall), #2 Quentin Wright at 184 (a pin), #12 Morgan McIntosh at 197 (a 5-4 win over #20 Andrew Campolattano) and #6 Cameron Wade at 285 (a 9-0 major over #16 Peter Capone.
RUTH AND McINTOSH LEAD LIONS OVER IOWA
All-American Ed Ruth posted a major at 174 and true freshman Morgan McIntosh clinched the deal with a win over a returning All-American as Penn State downed Iowa 22-12 in front of nearly 7,000 fans in a sold out Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 22. Ruth's 10-1 major over No. 9 Ethan Lofthouse at 174 helped keep the momentum going in what would be seven straight wins by Penn State to close out the dual. McIntosh thrilled the capacity crowd with a 5-3 sudden victory win over All-American Grant Gambrall at 197, clinching the victory. Penn State got consecutive wins from Frank Molinaro (149), Dylan Alton (157), David Taylor (165), Ruth (174), Quentin Wright (184), McIntosh (197) and Cameron Wade (285). The Lions dominated the dual in terms of wins (7), riding time points (4-0 edge) and takedowns (18-10).
IOWA CROWD LARGEST SINCE REC HALL RECONFIG!
The crowd of 6,796 fans that saw Penn State take down Iowa 22-12 on 1/22 was the largest Rec Hall crowd since the building was reconfigured in the early/mid-1990s. The crowd out-distanced last year's Penn State/Iowa crowd of 6,686 on Jan. 30, 2011.
MOLINARO'S ASSAULT ON THE PSU RECORD BOOKS
Senior Frank Molinaro is currently moving up many of Penn State's all-time records lists. His 11-5 dismantling of Iowa's Mike Kelly on Jan. 22 was the 137th match of his Penn State career, moving him into the top 20 all-time. Here is a breakdown of where the Lion veteran sits on some Penn State lists: Matches wrestled (20th with 138); victories (14th with 109); dual meet victories (11th with 51).
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.
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 29-0 in collegiate duals with 140 dual meet points. That's an average of 4.83 dual points per match. Classmate Ed Ruth passed the 100 point mark a mere 23 matches as well. Ruth is now is 28-0 with 130 career dual meet points for an equally impressive average of 4.64 dual points per match.
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 61-0 with 14 majors, 17 tech falls, 19 pins and an injury default victory. They have combined for 51 bonus point wins in 61 matches. Molinaro is 21-0 with 8 majors, 5 techs and three pins, giving him 16 bonus wins in 21 matches. Taylor is 19-0 with 9 pins, 6 tech falls and 2 majors, giving him 17 bonus point wins in 19 matches. Ruth is 21-0 with 7 pins, 6 techs, 4 majors and 1 injury default, giving him 18 bonus wins in 21 matches.
THREE WEEKENDS, THREE ROAD TRIPS, SUCCESS!
Penn State left for the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., on New Year's Eve Day to compete in the Scuffle on Jan. 1-2. Add to that three straight Big Ten road duals over the next two weekends and the Nittany Lions have been living, and feasting, on the road for quite a while. Penn State won the Southern Scuffle, running away from Minnesota and Cornell in the process; won nine of ten bouts in a 36-6 dual win at Michigan State on 1/8; won nine of ten bouts in a 38-3 dual win at Northwestern on 1/13; and won all ten bouts in a 43-0 shutout at Wisconsin on 1/15 (Penn State's first ever Big Ten dual shutout and the first shutout of UW since 1958). All in all, that's a major national tournament title with four individual champions and three Big Ten road duals by a combined score of 117-9 (with a 28-2 record).
RUTH NABS LIONS' THIRD BIG TEN WoW HONOR
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Ed Ruth was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 15, 2012. The honor is the second for the Nittany Lion sophomore and he shares this week's with Ohio State's Logan Stieber. The Lion All-American, ranked No. 2 at 174, was unstoppable in a 2-0 road weekend for Penn State in Big Ten action. Ruth made short work of No. 9 Lee Munster of Northwestern, blistering the top-ten Wildcat to the tune of an 18-3 technical fall at the 5:37 mark. Ruth helped spark Penn State to a 38-3 dismantling of No. 17 Northwestern in Evanston. Two days later, Ruth posted an equally quick 17-2 tech fall over Wisconsin's Matt Liegel at the same 5:37 mark. Ruth's win was part of Penn State's 43-0 shutout of Wisconsin in Madison. The shut-out was Penn State's first ever in a Big Ten dual and was the first shut-out of Wisconsin since 1958. The honor was the third for Penn State this year as junior Bryan Pearsall won on Dec. 20 and sophomore All-American David Taylor won on Jan. 3.
NITTANY LIONS POST FIRST EVER BIG TEN DUAL SHUTOUT AT WISCONSIN; HAND BADGERS FIRST ZERO SINCE 1958
Two days after downing Northwestern 38-3 on 1/13, Penn State posted a resounding 43-0 shutout win at Wisconsin on 1/15. The shutout, highlighted by All-American Frank Molinaro's 12-0 major over #9 Cole Schmitt at 149, marks the first time that Penn State notched a shutout in a Big Ten dual, home or away. The blanking of the Badgers was the first against UW since Iowa shut out the Badgers in 1958. MEGALUDIS DOWNS #7 MELE; RUTH TECHS #9 MUNSTER AS LIONS ROLL 38-3 AT NORTHWESTERN True freshman Nico Megaludis handed #7 Leve Mele of Northwestern a 7-3 loss at 125 and All-American Ed Ruth hammered #9 Lee Munster at 174 to the tune of an 18-3 technical fall at the 5:37 mark of the second period. The wins highlighted a 38-3 dismantling of the Wildcats in Evanston. Penn State's only loss was #9 Dylan Alton's close 2-1 decision on riding time to #3 Jason Welch at 157.
RUGGEAR TAKES THIRD AT HITCHCOCK INVITATIONAL
- Red-shirting sophomore Nick Ruggear had a fine day at Sunday's Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Invitational on the campus of Millersville University. The Nittany Lion heavyweight led a contingent of Penn Staters who competed unattached at the open event. Ruggear, who started at 197 for Penn State last year and is red-shirting this season, went 5-1 at heavyweight with a pin. He advanced to the semifinals before losing to Lehigh's John Delia by decision. Ruggear then wrestled back to take third place.
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.
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.
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.
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 and Luke Frey and sophomore Andrew Church 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, who went 2-2 at 141; and Brandon Phillips, who went 2-2 at 174.
PENN STATE RANKED #2 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. Penn State is now 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten, after a resounding 34-9 thumping of Ohio State in a sold out Rec Hall last Sunday. Head coach Cael Sanderson's Lions are ranked No. 2 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 21-0 on the year and ranked No. 1 at 149. All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is 19-0 thus far and is No. 1 at 165 and All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 21-0 at ranked No. 2 at 174. Two-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is No. 2 at 184 with an 18-2 mark. Senior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is 18-4 at heavyweight and is ranked No. 6 and red-shirt freshman Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 16-4 at 157 and ranked No. 6. True freshman Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is 17-5 at 125 and ranked No. 9 while classmate Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.) is 14-5 at 197 and ranked No. 12. Penn State is now ranked No. 2 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. Oklahoma State is No. 1 with 250 points while the Lions follow with 236. Cornell is No. 3 with 227; Minnesota is No. 4 with 214 and Iowa No. 5 with 212. The Nittany Lions retain their hold on the No. 1 spot on Intermat's Tournament Power Index with 102.0 points while Oklahoma State is second with 81.5. Minnesota (73.0), Cornell (69.5) and Iowa (54.0) follow to round out the TPI top five.
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.