Feb. 6, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
TODAY'S ACTION
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (9-1, 6-1 B1G), ranked No. 1 nationally in Intermat's TPI, will continue a four-dual road trip against ranked foes when its visits No. 15 Pittsburgh (8-4) on Friday night and No. 6 Ohio State (10-2, 4-2* B1G) on Sunday. The Lions and Panthers tangle at 7 p.m. on Friday while Penn State invades Columbus for a 4 p.m. dual on Sunday. Ohio State is at Michigan on Friday night while the Lions and Panthers are battling in Pittsburgh.
Penn State is coming off 1-1 road weekend in Big Ten action, dropping a tough 22-16 decision at Iowa last Friday night in front of over 15,000 fans in sold out Carver Hawkeye Arena. Penn State rebounded from having its 20-dual win streak snapped by shutting out Illinois 37-0 in Champaign. The shut-out was Penn State's third in Big Ten duals this year and the seventh under head coach Cael Sanderson in this, his fourth season at the helm of the program.
The Nittany Lions feature a talented and balanced line-up. Sophomore Nico Megaludis is 17-2 and ranked No. 2 at 125 while red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway is 11-5 at 133 and, while not ranked by Intermat, is ranked No. 16 by WIN Magazine and other publications. Conaway owns two wins over top-ten wrestlers in conference action. Senior Bryan Pearsall is 17-7 overall at 141 and 8-2 in duals with a 6-1 mark in conference duals. Sophomore Andrew Alton is 19-1 and ranked No. 7 at 149 while twin brother Dylan Alton is 18-3 and ranked No. 5 at 157. Junior David Taylor is 19-1 overall and ranked No. 2 at 165 while sophomore Matt Brown is 18-3 and No. 5 at 174. Junior Ed Ruth is undefeated at 21-0 and ranked No. 1 at 184 while senior Quentin Wright is unbeaten at 197, with a 20-0 mark and ranked No. 3. Sophomore Jon Gingrich is 14-6 overall and ranked No. 17 while classmate Jimmy Lawson is 17-3 at 285 as well. Penn State's line-up includes five returning All-Americans, all of whom placed in the top three last season. Three of those Lions (Taylor, Ruth and Wright) have own NCAA individual titles while Megaludis was a true-freshman NCAA finalist and Dylan Alton took third as a red-shirt freshman.
Pittsburgh comes into the dual with an 8-4 overall record. The Panthers are ranked No. 15 in Intermat's TPI and are coming off a strong 31-9 win over West Virginia on Saturday. Head coach Rande Stottlemyer's squad features five ranked grapplers. Senior Matt Wilps is 16-1 at 197 and ranked No. 2 nationally, setting up a showdown with Wright. Senior Zac Thomusseit is 20-2 and No. 8 at 285 while brother Max, a sophomore, is 12-2 and No. 13 at 184. Junior Shelton Mack is 14-6 and No. 16 at 133 while sophomore Tyler Wilps is 17-5 and No. 17 at 165.
Ohio State, which wrestles at Michigan on the same Friday that Penn State visits Pitt, features a very talented and balanced line-up as well. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 6 on Intermat's TPI, have nine wrestlers ranked nationally, including the undefeated Stieber brothers at 133 and 141. Both sophomores, Logan is 16-0 and ranked No. 1 at 133 while Hunter is 24-0 and ranked No. 2 at 141. Junior Nick Heflin is 10-2 and ranked No. 7 at 174 while senior Nikko Triggas 17-7 and ranked No. 12 at 125. Junior Peter Capone is 17-5 and No. 12 at 285 while sophomore Andrew Campolattano is 15-7 and No. 13 at 197. Freshman Kenny Courts is 18-7 and No. 16 at 184 while sophomore Cam Tesari is 12-6 and No. 19 at 149. Classmate Josh Demas is 15-6 and No. 19 at 157.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Pitt, a former Eastern Wrestling League rival, 52-12-3. The Nittany Lions have won two straight, including a 33-6 win in Rec Hall last year (2/19/12). The two teams battled to a 19-19 tie in the last meeting in Pittsburgh on 12/12/09. Pittsburgh's last victory over Penn State was an 18-12 Panther win on 1/5/02 in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions own a 15-11 edge in the all-time series with Ohio State, including the last two. Penn State won 34-9 last year in Rec Hall (1/29/12) while Ohio State won the last meeting in Columbus, 21-14, on 1/24/10.
The Nittany Lions continue a four-dual road trip next weekend with a trek to Pittsburgh on Friday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., and a Big Ten road dual at Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 4 p.m. The final Nittany Lion home dual of the season is set for Sunday, Feb. 17, when Rider invades Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. dual. Penn State's full season of home duals is sold out. For information on a limited number of SRO tickets that might be available, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows. Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2012-13 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (9-1, 6-1 B1G)
WT NAME EL HT/HS REC
125 #2 Nico Megaludis So. Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional 17-2
133 Jordan Conaway Fr. Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford 11-5
141 Bryan Pearsall Sr. Lititz, Pa./Warwick 17-7
149 #7 Andrew Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 19-1
James English Sr. York, Pa./Central York 14-4
157 #5 Dylan Alton So. Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain 18-3
James Vollrath Jr. Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South 23-5
165 #2 David Taylor Jr. St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham 19-1
174 #5 Matt Brown So. West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus 18-3
184 #1 Ed Ruth Jr. Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township 21-0
197 #3 Quentin Wright Sr. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 20-0
285 #17 Jon Gingrich So. Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area 14-6
OR Jimmy Lawson So. Tom's River, N.J./Manchester Township 17-3
#15 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (8-4)
WT NAME EL HT REC
125 Godwin Nyama Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa. 2-8
133 #16 Shelton Mack Jr. Meadville, Pa. 14-6
141 Travis Shaffer So. Derry, Pa. 7-9
149 Ronnie Garbinsky Fr. Tyrone, Pa. 11-5
157 Donnie Tasser Sr. Belle Vernon, Pa. 11-6
165 #17 Tyler Wilps So. Pittsburgh, Pa. 17-5
174 Nick Bonaccorsi Fr. Bethel Park, Pa. 13-6
184 #13 Max Thomusseit So. St. Paris, Ohio 12-2
197 #2 Matt Wilps Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. 16-1
285 #8 Zac Thomusseit Sr. St. Paris, Ohio 20-2
#6 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (10-2, 4-2 B1G*)
WT NAME EL HT REC
125 #12 Nikko Triggas Sr. Moraga, Calif. 17-7
133 #1 Logan Stieber So. Monroeville, Ohio 16-0
Kyle Visconti Fr. North Reading, Mass. 4-7
141 #2 Hunter Stieber So. Monroeville, Ohio 24-0
149 #19 Cam Tessari So. Monroeville, Ohio 12-6
157 #19 Josh Demas So. Columbus, Ohio 15-6
165 Mark Martin Fr. Strongsville, Ohio 16-9
174 #7 Nick Heflin Jr. Massillon, Ohio 10-2
184 C.J. Magrum Sr. Oak Harbor, Ohio 10-3
197 #16 (184) Kenny Courts Fr. Harrisburg, Pa. 18-7
#13 Andrew Campolattano So. Bound Brook, N.J. 15-7
285 #12 Peter Capone Jr. Johnson City, N.Y. 17-5
Ohio State is at Michigan on 2/8 -- All Rankings are Intermat as of 2/5/13
HEAD COACH Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson, last year's Intermat National Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team. The veteran head coach now has two straight NCAA and Big Ten titles in hand as the 2012-13 season unfolds.
THE PENN STATE YEARS...
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.
In 2010-11, Sanderson guided the Nittany Lions to its first-ever Southern Scuffle Co-Championship and its first Virginia Duals Championship since 1991. 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.
Last year, Sanderson led Penn State to a school record 7-1 Big Ten dual record and a share of the 2012 Big Ten dual meet championship. Sanderson then made it two in a row by leading Penn State to the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Purdue on March 3-4 and was named 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight season. Two weeks later, Sanderson led Penn State to a second straight NCAA crown, helping Penn State to become just the fourth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles.
In three years as Penn State's coach, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to two-straight conference titles, two straight national titles, collected 14 All-Americans, three national champions, two Gorriaran winners, one NCAA tourney OW and one Hodge Trophy winner.
This year, Penn State is 9-1 overall and won its third straight Southern Scuffle title in early January. Coach Sanderson now sports an 96-19-2 dual meet mark in this, his seventh year as a head coach. He is 52-9-2 and in his fourth year at Penn State.
THE IOWA STATE YEARS...
Sanderson 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.
RUTH AND MEGALUDIS GET PINS IN 37-0 ROAD SHUT-OUT AT ILLINOIS; CONAWAY DOWNS #8 THOMAS
All-American's Ed Ruth and Nico Megaludis pinned nationally ranked opponents and freshman Jordan Conaway beat yet another top-ten opponent as Penn State rolled to a 37-0 Big Ten road shut-out at Illinois on 2/3. Ruth got a first period pin over #20 Tony Dallago at 184 (0:47) and Megaludis used a late scramble to pin #5 Jesse Delgado with just fifteen seconds left (6:45) at 125. Conaway dominated the action in an 8-6 win over #8 Daryl Thomas at 133, his second win over a top-ten ranked grappler as of 2/3.
LIONS NOTCH THIRD BIG TEN DUAL SHUT-OUT; FIRST ROAD SHUT-OUT SINCE LAST YEAR
Penn State rolled to a 37-0 shut-out win at Illinois on 2/3. The win was Penn State's third Big Ten dual shut-out of the year and the first road shut-out in conference action for the Nittany Lions since a 43-0 win in Madison last January. Penn State also shut out Indiana (52-0) and Michigan State (41-0), both in Rec Hall.
LAWSON PICKS UP FIRST BIG TEN DUAL WIN AT ILLINOIS
Sophomore Jimmy Lawson picked up his first career Big Ten dual meet victory, posting a 9-4 win over Illinois' Chris Lopez on 2/3. The win secured a 37-0 Big Ten road shut-out victory for Penn State in Champaign.
LIONS' 20-DUAL WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT #3 IOWA
The Penn State Nittany Lions had their 20-dual win streak snapped at No. 3 Iowa on 2/1, dropping three one-point decisions on the way to a hard-fought 22-16 loss. David Taylor (a tech fall at 165), Andrew Alton (a major at 149), Ed Ruth (a major at 184) and Quentin Wright (a decision at 197) picked up wins for the Nittany Lions. The loss was Penn State's first since a set-back to Minnesota last season in November of 2011.
PEARSALL DOWNS #19 KILEY, ALTON TAKES DOWN #4 GREEN AS NITTANY LIONS HAMMER #12 NEBRASKA 33-9
In a dual featuring a number of outstanding performances, senior Bryan Pearsall and sophomore Dylan Alton posted signature wins as Penn State beat visiting Nebraska 33-9 on 1/27. Pearsall continued his unbeaten ways in Big Ten duals, beating #19 Ridge Kiley 2-0 at 141. Alton used a third period takedown to defeat No. 4 James Green 3-1 at 157. Top-ranked Ed Ruth dismantled #8 Josh Ihnen 18-3, getting the tech fall at 184.
SYREK WINS MESSIAH OPEN CROWN
Four members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team competed at the Messiah Open on Saturday, with three earning a place at the event. Red-shirt freshman Scott Syrek won the 197-pound title to lead the Nittany Lions. Syrek went 4-0 at 197 with a pin to claim his crown. Red-shirt freshman Michael Waters took second at 141, going 2-1 with a pin. Red-shirt freshman David Owens placed fifth at 149, going 5-2 with three pins. Josh Rogers also competed, going 1-2 at 197.
TAYLOR, RUTH AND CONAWAY LEAD LIONS TO ROAD WIN AT PURDUE
All-Americans David Taylor and Ed Ruth both notched pins to lead Penn State to a rousing 35-3 road dual victory at Purdue on 1/20. Taylor picked up the pin over Doug Welch at the 2:41 mark of the first period while Ruth got the fall over Dion Crowder at the 3:42 mark. Conaway stayed, at the time, unbeaten in dual meets with a 13-4 major over Danny Sabatello. Quentin Wright posted a 7-1 win over #17 Braden Atwood and Nico Megaludis downed #17 Camden Eppert 5-1.
WRIGHT PINS #20 HEIN FOR 100TH CAREER WIN
Senior Quentin Wright got his 100th career win in rousing fashion, pinning #20 Jackson Hein of Wisconsin in the final bout of Penn State's 36-6 blowout win over the Badgers. Wrestled in front of a sold our Rec Hall crowd of over 6,500 fans on 1/18, Wright turned a first period takedown into a spladle at the 1:24 mark to hit the century mark in career victories. It was also, at the time, his 34th career pin. CONAWAY'S WIN OVER #3 GRAFF SPURS PENN STATE ONTO 36-6 VICTORY OVER WISCONSIN Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway came back from a 7-3 third period deficit to beat #3 Tyler Graff of Wisconsin on 1/18, bringing a sold out Rec Hall crowd of 6,515 to hits feat and leading Penn State to a 36-6 win over the visiting Badgers. Conaway wore the UW All-American down, notching two third period takedowns to tie the bout and then securing the 10-8 (sv) win with a takedown midway through the sudden victory period.
FOUR LIONS WIN TITLES AT HITCHCOCK
Thirteen members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took park in the Floyd `Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Tournament held at Millersville University. With five finalists, the Nittany Lions came home with four coming home champions. Sophomore Andrew Alton won at 149, sophomore Dylan Alton won at 157, senior Nick Fischer won at 165 and sophomore Jimmy Lawson won at 285, beating teammate Nick Ruggear in the finals.
GINGRICH DOWNS #4 McCLURE TO SPARK LIONS IN WIN OVER MICHIGAN STATE; NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF WEEK
Sophomore Jon Gingrich used a four-point move late in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and roll to a 5-3 win over #4 Michael McClure of Michigan State on 1/13, securing Penn State's second straight Big Ten dual meet shutout in a 41-0 win. The victory, in front of over 6,300 fans in Rec Hall, was also Gingrich's second over a top-ten Big Ten foe to secure a shut-out (Gingrich beat then #8 Adam Chalfant of Indiana in Penn State's 52-0 win over the Hoosiers). Gingrich was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (1/15) for his efforts.
VOLLRATH DOWNS #19 CHEZA OF MICHIGAN STATE
Junior James Vollrath got the nod at 157 against #19 David Cheza of Michigan State in the Nittany Lions' 41-0 dual meet win over the Spartans on 1/13. Vollrath came away with a convincing 6-4 win in helping Penn State secure the shut-out.
PENN STATE SHUTS OUT MICHIGAN STATE FOR 2ND STRAIGHT BIG TEN DUAL SHUT-OUT
Head coach Cael Sanderson led Penn State to its second straight shut-out in a Big Ten dual as his Lions blanked Michigan State 41-0 on 1/13. Penn State used two pins, a tech fall and three majors, as well as two big wins over MSU's ranked wrestlers, to roll the victory. The shut-out was Penn State's second in Big Ten action to start the season as the Nittany Lions opened Big Ten dual action with a 52-0 win over Indiana in December. Penn State went 20-0 in its first two conference duals, outscoring IU and MSU 93-0 and owning a 60-2 edge in takedowns. The MSU shut-out was the sixth for Penn State under Sanderson. The Lions had two in 2011-12 and two in 2010-11, but the IU and MSU ones were Penn State's first ever in its Big Ten history. Penn State last had three shut-outs in one year in 1971-72.
LIONS CLAIM THIRD STRAIGHT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE TITLE
By virtue of five finalists, including three champions, and a number of strong individual performances, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team ran away from the field to claim its third straight Southern Scuffle Championship on Jan. 1-2. Wrestled over two days in Chattanooga, Tenn., Penn State tallied 178.5 team points, more the 20 points ahead of second place Oklahoma State's 158.0. The Nittany Lions had 11 of 17 competing wrestlers place and crowned three champs: Nico Megaludis at 125, Ed Ruth at 184 and Quentin Wright at 197.
RUTH NAMED B1G WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Nittany Lion wrestler Ed Ruth has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 6, 2013. The honor is Ruth's third overall and the first for Penn State this season. Ruth dominated the competition at the 2013 Southern Scuffle, winning his third straight Scuffle individual crown and leading Penn State to its third straight Scuffle team title. Ruth went 6-0 with three pins and two majors, advancing to the finals where he dismantled defending NCAA 184-pound champion Steve Bosak of Cornell 7-3 with nearly 3:00 riding time. Ruth's unstoppable performance helped Penn State to a runaway team title. Ruth is now 15-0 on the year with five pins, five majors and two tech falls.
MEGALUDIS, RUTH AND WRIGHT WIN SCUFFLE GOLD
All-Americans Nico Megaludis, Ed Ruth and Quentin Wright were three of Penn State's five finalists at the 2013 Southern Scuffle and the trio came away with Scuffle Gold on Jan. 1-2. Megaludis went 4-0 over the tournament at 125, including wins over the No. 10 and No. 8 ranked wrestlers. Ruth was a stellar 6-0 with three pins and two majors to win at 184. He downed defending national champion Steve Bosak by a lopsided 7-3 score in the finals with over 3:00 riding time. For Ruth, it was his third straight Scuffle championship (he won two at 174). Wright went 5-0 with two pins at 197 to win his second Scuffle crown, pinning No. 9 Jake Meredith in the finals. Penn State had two second place finishers as All-American David Taylor lost 3-2 in heated fashion to No. 1 Kyle Dake at 165 and junior James Vollrath lost a tough 3-1 (sv) decision to No. 14 Jedd Moore in the finals at 157.
BROWN AND ENGLISH LEAD PENN STATE PLACERS AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE
Sophomore Matt Brown and senior James English each rolled to third place finishes at the 2013 Southern Scuffle, helping lead Penn State to its third straight Scuffle team title. Brown took third at 174 while English took third at 149. Joining that duo as placers was true freshman Jimmy Gulibon, who placed third at 133 as an unattached wrestler; senior Bryan Pearsall, who was eighth at 141; red-shirt freshman Luke Frey, who was seventh at 149; and sophomore Jimmy Lawson, who was seventh at 285.
TWO LIONS WIN TITLES AND F&M OPEN
Five members of the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team trekked to the Franklin and Marshall Open as unattached wrestlers. Four of those five unattached grapplers placed at the one day event. Sophomore Andrew Alton, ranked No. 5 at 149, blazed through his weight class, going 5-0 with three pins, a tech fall and a major to win the title. Andrew improves his unblemished record to 13-0. Sophomore Dylan Alton, ranked No. 5 at 157, was equally impressive, going 5-0 with three pins and a major to win his weight class. Dylan improves to 12-2 on the year. True freshman Wes Phipps had an outstanding tournament. Phipps rebounded from a quarterfinal loss at 184 to take fourth place. Phipps went 4-2. Red-shirt freshman Rex Lutz posted a 3-2 mark with a pin at 165 and placed eighth. Junior Andrew Church competed at 174, going 2-2.
LIONS NOTCH FOUR PINS IN 42-3 ROUT OF LOCK HAVEN
Penn State notched four pins in a 42-3 home win over Lock Haven on 11/15/12. Nico Megaludis (125), David Taylor (165), Matt Brown (174) and Quentin Wright (197) all got falls while Ed Ruth (184) picked up a tech fall and Jordan Conaway (133) posted a major. The Nittany Lions also got decisions from Andrew Alton (149), Dylan Alton (157) and Jimmy Lawson (285).
LAWSON WINS REC HALL DUAL DEBUT
Sophomore heavyweight Jimmy Lawson thrilled a sold out Rec Hall crowd of nearly 6,300 fans with a 5-1 win in his Rec Hall dual meet debut. Lawson posted a 5-1 win over Lock Haven's Harry Turner in the final bout of a 42-3 win on 12/15/12.
LIONS POST HISTORIC NUMBERS IN SHUT-OUT WIN OVER INDIANA HOOSIERS
Penn State won all ten bouts, including tallying six pins, in a record-breaking 52-0 shut-out win over the visiting Indiana Hoosiers on Dec. 9, 2012. The Big Ten opener for both teams saw Penn State reel off four straight pins to begin the dual from Nico Megaludis at 125, Jordan Conaway at 133, Bryan Pearsall at 141 and Andrew Alton at 149. Matt Brown added one at 174 and Ed Ruth picked up one at 184 as well. David Taylor added a major at 165 and Quentin Wright picked up a forfeit at 197. Dylan Alton grabbed a decision at 157 but the evening belonged to sophomore heavyweight Jon Gingrich, who upset No. 8 Adam Chalfant 6-5 (with two third period takedowns) to secure the shut-out. The win was the most-lopsided in Penn State's Big Ten history dating back to 1992-93. It was also the second largest margin of victory for the Lions (Penn State beat Millersville 54-0 in 1983).
GINGRICH DOWNS #8 CHALFANT TO SECURE PENN STATE'S SHUT-OUT WIN OVER BIG TEN FOE INDIANA
Heavyweight Jon Gingrich used two third period takedowns to beat No. 8 Adam Chalfant of Indiana in the Big Ten dual meet debut for the Lion sophomore. Gingrich's 6-5 decision helped secure a team dual shut out as Penn State downed Indiana 52-0 on 12/9/12. With teammate Jimmy Lawson holding the No. 15 spot at 285 in the official Intermat rankings, Gingrich debuted in other national rankings, getting the No. 20 spot from W.I.N. (12/11/12) and AWN/TOM (12/11/12).
Andrew Alton, TAYLOR, BROWN, RUTH AND WRIGHT WIN NITTANY LION OPEN TITLES
Sophomore Andrew Alton made a stellar return to the mat after missing Penn State's first two duals, posting a 6-0 mark at 149 with five pins to win the title. Four of Alton's five pins were in the first period, including two in the first minute. Junior All-American David Taylor was Penn State's next champion, going 5-0 with three pins and two tech falls to win the title at 165. Taylor pinned No. 13 Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo in the finals. Sophomore Matt Brown stormed through 174 to win his first NLO title. Brown went 5-0 on the day with a tech fall and two majors. He downed No. 11 Greg Zanetti of Rutgers in the finals. All-American Ed Ruth was untouchable at 184 as well. Ruth went 5-0 win the 184-pound crown with a pin, a tech fall and two majors. He downed No. 10 Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland in the finals. All-American Quentin Wright met teammate Morgan McIntosh in the finals at 197. Wright grabbed a hard-fought 5-3 (sv) win to claim the crown while McIntosh, who is red-shirting, placed second. Wright went 5-0 with three pins, including two first period falls.
MEGALUDIS, GULIBON, Dylan Alton, McINTOSH AND LAWSON RUNNERS-UP AT NLO
All-American Nico Megaludis went 4-1 at 125, advancing to the finals before losing a 3-2 decision to red-shirting Pitt Panther upperclassman Anthony Zanetta in the finals, taking second place. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision on riding time to Lehigh's Mason Beckman in the finals at 133. Gulibon went 4-1 on the day. All-American Dylan Alton, ranked No. 5 at 157, was 4-1 on the day, advancing to the finals before dropping a tough sudden victory decision (9-4) to No. 3 James Fleming of Clarion. Sophomore Morgan McIntosh lost to teammate Quentin Wright in the finals at 197 to take second. McIntosh was superb with a 4-1 mark, including two majors. Sophomore Jimmy Lawson had a good run to the finals at 285, going 4-1 on the day, his only loss in the finals. Lawson had a major and a pin to take second place.
LAWSON CLAIMS MAT-TOWN TITLE
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Jimmy Lawson was the lone Penn Stater competing at the 2012 Mat-Town Open at nearby Lock Haven University. Lawson stormed through the field to claim the heavyweight title at the event. The sophomore heavyweight began the day with two wins over unattached non-collegiate wrestlers (meaning the results do not count towards his official record). Lawson posted a first period pin (1:11) and a quick tech fall in those two bouts. He then downed Penn's Steven Graziano 5-1 in the semifinals before beating Lock Haven's Harry Turner 4-1 in the finals. Lawson went 2-0 on the day officially plus picked up a pin and tech fall against non-collegiate wrestlers.
PENN STATE USES FOUR PINS TO HAMMER WEST VIRGINIA 44-3 IN ROAD DUAL
The Nittany Lion wrestlers used four pins to coast to a 44-3 road dual win at West Virginia on 11/18. Penn State got falls from Nico Megaludis at 125 (5:53), Dylan Alton at 157 (2:28), Matt Brown at 174 (4:10) and Quentin Wright at 197 (0:25). The Lions also got majors from Jimmy Lawson at 285, Ed Ruth at 184 and James English at 149 as well as a tech fall from David Taylor at 165.
PEARSALL TAKES DOWN #19 PENNESI IN WIN AT WVU
Senior Bryan Pearsall picked up an impressive win in Penn State's 44-3 dual victory at West Virginia on 11/18. The 141-pounder used an impressive third period ride-out (along with a second period escape) to post the 2-0 win over #19 Nathan Pennesi in the win.
LAWSON WINS IN NITTANY LION DEBUT AT WVU
Sophomore heavyweight Jimmy Lawson was impressive in his first bout in the Blue and White singlet. Lawson beat West Virginia senior Phil Mandzik handily in PSU's 44-3 win at WVU on 11/18, posting a convincing 9-0 major to cap off Penn State's lopsided win in Morgantown.
BROWN AND RUTH LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER #24 LEHIGH IN SEASON OPENER
The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team won eight of ten bouts on its way to a 29-6 win over #24 Lehigh in the season opener for Cael Sanderson's Lions. Wrestled in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd over nearly 6,500, Penn State got two tech falls (Nico Megaludis and David Taylor) and a major (Matt Brown) in the win. All-American Ed Ruth posted a strong 11-9 win over #3 Robert Hamlin and Brown majored #18 Nathaniel Brown 12-1 at 174.
CONAWAY WINS DUAL MEET DEBUT
Red-shirt freshman Jordan Conaway made his Penn State dual meet debut against Lehigh on 11/16 and grabbed an impressive win in the process. Conaway got a takedown with just :07 left to post a 3-2 win over Laike Gardner in Penn State's 29-6 win over Lehigh in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd.
ENGLISH DOWNS #18 WELSH IN SEASON OPENER
Senior James English got the nod at 149 in Penn State's season opening dual against Lehigh on 11/18 and answered with a strong performance. English dominated #18 Shane Welsh of Lehigh on his way to a 5-2 win, helping spur Penn State on to a 29-6 win in Rec Hall.
McINTOSH WINS TITLE AT ESU OPEN
Fifteen members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team took part in the East Stroudsburg Open, which concluded late last evening. Red-shirting sophomore Morgan McIntosh claimed the title at the event in which most Lions wrestled unattached. McIntosh was unstoppable, going 4-0 with three majors and a technical fall to win the 197 pound crown. Junior James Vollrath went 3-1 at 157 with a pin and a major to finish second at 157. True freshman Jimmy Gulibon took second at 133, going 4-1 with two majors. Red-shirt freshman James Frascella had an outstanding tournament, going 4-1 with a tech fall to place second at 174. Also placing for Penn State were the Beitz brothers. Sophomore Seth Beitz went 5-2 with a major to take fourth at 149 while true freshman Zack Beitz was 7-2 with two majors at 141 to take fifth.
GINGRICH WINS HWT CROWN AT BINGHAMTON OPEN
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team sent 17 wrestlers to the Binghamton Open at Binghamton University. Seven Nittany Lions placed at the event, which featured over 300 wrestlers, led by sophomore heavyweight Jon Gingrich who won the crown at 285. Most of the Nittany Lions competing were wrestling unattached. Gingrich was a perfect 4-0 on the day, including a 9-1 major decision over Lock Haven's Harry Turner in the finals.
REGULAR SEASON SOLD OUT BEFORE FIRST DUAL
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team has, for the first time in school history, sold out its entire season in advance of the first dual.
8 NITTANY LIONS RANKED BY INTERMAT AS PENN STATE HOLDS #1 SPOT IN TEAM TPI
Eight members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team remain ranked nationally by Intermat, seven of whom appear in the top eight at their respective weights. Following a third straight Southern Scuffle title last week, head coach Cael Sanderson's two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions solidified the No. 1 team ranking on Intermat's Tournament Power Index (TPI). The full list of national rankings is available at www.intermatwrestle.com. Penn State is ranked No. 1, followed by Oklahoma State in second. All-American Nico Megaludis is ranked No. 2 at 125, sophomore Andrew Alton is No. 7 at 149, All-American Dylan Alton is No. 5 at 157, All-American David Taylor is No. 2 at 165, sophomore Matt Brown is No. 5 at 174, All-American Ed Ruth is No. 1 at 184, All-American Quentin Wright is No. 3 at 197, sophomore Jon Gingrich is No. 17 at 285.