Nov. 5, 2014
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State wrestling team enters the 2014-'15 season in both a very similar and very different situation.
On one hand, the Nittany Lions are defending national champions for the fourth straight year. At the same time, a new era has clearly begun for head coach Cael Sanderson and company.
For starters, David Taylor and Ed Ruth are no longer in the lineup, having both graduated after finishing two of the greatest careers in recent wrestling history. The Lions will also likely be without All-Americans Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford this season, as both have been granted redshirts.
Sanderson knows he doesn't have the same team as last year. The Nittany Lions are young and will need to take the wrestling world by surprise.
"This year, it's a different type of a challenge I think," Sanderson said. "We were sort of favored the past couple of years. It was very competitive ... but we felt very confident. This year, there's a different dynamic. We've got to climb and improve and make progress."
Still, that climb is part of the fun for the Nittany Lions. After winning with same faces for so long, trying to accomplish the same goals with some new wrestlers is an exciting task.
And make no mistake, the same goals still exist. True, the Nittany Lions have a long way to go, but the winning culture that has been built is very much alive.
"Every year's different regardless and you always have change over and different obstacles and blessings," Sanderson said. "We'll see what we can do this year, we'll see how well we can coach."
Let's take a look at the 2014-'15 Nittany Lions.
New Kids on the Block When the Nittany Lions take the mat against Lehigh for their opener on Sunday, at least four wrestlers without significant starting experience will be in the lineup.
First off, at the 141-pound weight, redshirt freshman Kade Moss will get the start but will always see competition from junior Michael Waters throughout the year.
While both could see dual action this season, they'll have the tough task of replacing Retherford, who was remarkable during a 33-3 campaign last year that included a perfect regular season and a fifth-place NCAA finish.
"Kade Moss had a solid summer," Sanderson said. "He's a guy that's going to have to get some experience and develop, but he's the kind of guy that's got the mentality that we feel he can do that."
Even more daunting will be the task of filling the voids at 165 and 184, where Taylor and Ruth dominated for four years respectively.
Right now, redshirt freshman Garett Hammond will start at 165 while sophomore Wes Phipps and freshman Matt McCutcheon will compete at 184.
Phipps already has a taste of dual experience, having gone 2-2 in four starts last year. McCutcheon on the other hand, is eager to prove he can hold his own at this level.
"Wrestling with these Penn State guys, it doesn't get much better than the competition we have in this room," McCutcheon said. "This year is a little different, because we don't have the guys we may have had last year, but I think we're going to be an excellent group from top to bottom."
Finally, redshirt freshman Cody Law is expected to start the season at 157 while senior Dylan Alton recovers from injury.
Veteran Experience
Even with the new, youthful additions, there are still some familiar faces in the Penn State lineup.
It all begins at the 174 and 197-pound weights, where All-Americans Matt Brown and Morgan McIntosh will be relied on heavily.
There's no questioning the talent and production of the duo. Brown is 62-11 over the past two seasons and was the NCAA runner-up in 2013, while McIntosh went 32-5 last year and finished seventh at nationals in March.
What the Lions really need from both is leadership, something that Brown, a redshirt senior and two-time All-American, is more than capable of providing.
"Every year have a team vote on the leaders, and it seems he's always won that award," Sanderson said. "He leads by example, now we just need him to step it up a notch and compete with the same mentality he has from the beginning."
McIntosh, while only a junior, is looking forward to taking on a more vocal role as he works towards his personal goal of being a national champion.
"I want to start taking more responsibility," McIntosh said. "I want to be one of those guys that carries the team, and leads the team and scores bonus points."
Elsewhere, the Lions also have sophomore Jimmy Gulibon returning at 133, sophomore Zack Beitz getting more action at 149, and Alton, a 2012 All-American, looking to bounce back from a shoulder injury and regain his previous form.
At the end of the lineup, the battle for the heavyweight spot remains the same as the past two seasons. Seniors Jimmy Lawson and Jon Gingrich, who each have NCAA Tournament experience, will compete for duals while fellow senior Nick Ruggear is also in the mix.
"They all have experience and all have the potential to do well," Sanderson said. "That's a must score weight class for us at the national tournament."
Back in the Saddle
And then there's Jordan Conaway, who almost feels like a new addition even though he has plenty of experience.
Two years ago, the redshirt freshman was expected to be a temporary starter at 133 and proved to be more than capable in the role, going 19-10 (11-2 in duals) and coming one win short of being named an All-American.
With Gulibon sliding into the 133-pound weight class last year, the Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, native was relegated to the sidelines for all but five duals. Now, with Megaludis redshirting, he'll have a chance to make his mark at his natural weight of 125.
"After what happened last year, starting a little bit and getting beat out, I'm ready to go again," Conaway said. "Top position and riding people and a little more defense on my feet are the things I was working on [in the offseason]."
As tough as it is to have a three-time All-American in Megaludis sit out, Sanderson is glad that Conaway will once again get chance to showcase his skills.
In a sport that exemplifies hard work and dedication, the 125-pounder somehow manages to go beyond the call of duty when it comes to effort.
"He's a kid that doesn't ever want to go home. We have to say, `hey Jordan, you need to go home for a few days,'" Sanderson said. "He trains all summer long and he's here working because he wants to be the best."
Like the rest of his teammates, Conaway knows that people think this is a rebuilding year for the Nittany Lions. But proving everyone wrong, that's where the fun begins.
"We have a lot of guys that are stepping in for the first time and it's exciting to see how they're going to do, "Conaway said. "I think they're going to do really well."