Meet the New King
2010-11: A quick look back the first team title under Cael Sanderson
"Meet the New King…Things are different here."
We knew what was coming, even if no one else did. After a campaign of growth, of buying in, and coming off a culture-creating season that put enjoyment of the sport at the forefront – as the basis for hard work, dedication and commitment, Penn State entered the 2010-11 season quietly confident, flying under the national radar with two returning All-Americans and a handful of new and talented faces.
Frank Molinaro was the only All-American returning from the previous season, but sophomore Quentin Wright was back…Q, who was a true freshman All-American and redshirted during head coach Cael Sanderson's first season the year prior. Two pretty exciting young wrestlers, both of whom redshirted in 2009-10, Ed Ruth and David Taylor, were set to make their Penn State debuts as well. Molinaro, still rehabbing off-season injuries, sat on the sidelines as the season began, watching…and waiting.
Things started with a bang. Penn State made the short trip down I-80 to open the season at Bloomsburg. While the dual was lopsided, a 41-3 Penn State victory, what fans in front of a Bloomsburg record sellout crowd witnessed was the future becoming the present. True freshman Andrew Alton, vaunted Lock Haven native who wrestled with upper-body technique of such quickness and torque, made his Penn State debut, pinning Bloomsburg's Derek Shingara in just 0:54. The much anticipated debut of vaunted redshirt freshman David Taylor resulted in a 5:00 takedown and tilt clinic as the Lion rolled to a 20-5 technical fall over Bloomsburg's Frank Hickman. Harrisburg-native Ed Ruth matched Taylor in score and gave fans an extra minute-plus, posting a 20-5 tech fall over Mike Dessino in 6:16 in his collegiate debut. Oh, and the Wright kid pinned Bloomsburg's Nate Graham at the 3:07 mark, just seven seconds into the start of the second period, using a blistering move to send the crowd to its feet. Penn State left Bloomsburg with the knowledge that anything was possible. Tone set; message received.
Two days later, Penn State hosted long-time Rival Lehigh and notched a hard-fought 21-17 win over the Mountain Hawks. Alton posted yet another pin and Taylor picked up the fall in front of over 5,000 fans in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions travelled to Binghamton for the Sprawl and Brawl Duals and rolled to three wins by a combined score of 107-13. Alton picked up two pins before winning by a simple decision in his fifth collegiate bout. Molinaro made his season debut, downing #13 Mario Mason 4-3 in the Lions' victory over Rutgers. It was the first of 32 wins that year.
After hosting the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 5, crowning four champions, Penn State hosted Lock Haven on Dec. 12 and shut the Bald Eagles out 48-0. Sanderson's squad then hammered Big Ten rival Ohio State in the Big Ten dual opener 42-3. It was a dominating win over the Buckeyes. Bryan Pearsall took care of #10 Ian Paddock at 133, posting a 9-4 win. Alton grabbled another pin as did Molinaro at 149 and Taylor majored #13 Colt Sponseller 14-1.
The Nittany Lions made their first-ever trip to the Southern Scuffle, this time at its birth-place of Greensboro, N.C. Penn State would tie Cornell for first-place, sharing the crown in its first trip down. Penn State would never take part in the Scuffle again without rolling to the championship outright. Taylor and Ruth won titles at 157 and 174 while heavyweight Cameron Wade clinched the tie with the title at 285. Ten days later, Penn State travelled to the Virginia Duals and downed VMI, #23 Kent State and #15 Michigan to win the Duals title. All-America transfer Andrew Long made his Nittany Lion debut, rolling to four wins in Virginia.
The Nittany Lions hosted in-state rival #22 Pitt on Jan. 21, rolling to a 30-7 victory and then hit the road for its first Big Ten dual two days later, downing Indiana 36-8 in Bloomington on Jan. 23. The win over Indiana was Penn State's 13th-straight to open the season. The Lions, who began the season ranked #6, had moved to the top of the national polls and prepared to host #8 Iowa on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in sold out Rec Hall. The Hawkeyes down Penn State 22-13 in State College, picking up a number of upset wins in the process to hand the Lions their first, and only, defeat of the dual meet season.
Penn State took down Michigan State 28-13 and Illinois 23-13 before an 18-18 tie at #5 Minnesota on Feb. 3. The Nittany Lions closed out the dual meet season with a 30-12 victory over #16 Wisconsin. In that dual, Lion Quentin Wright lost his third match in four efforts after suffering a shoulder injury prior to the slump. He was pinned by Wisconsin's Travis Rutt in just 4:11. The dual, while a win for the team overall, was a pivot point for Wright, and thus the team in general. It's hard to say how someone will react to adversity. No one doubted Wright's ability, or his ceiling, or his drive. Maybe Q just need to remind himself of that. He had two weeks to do it as he and the Nittany Lions had two weeks to prepare for the Big Ten Championships at Northwestern. Wright never lost again that year.
Penn State posted a 17-1-1 dual meet record, went 6-1-1 in Big Ten duals, won the first (of many) Southern Scuffle titles and took home the Virginia Duals crown.
Penn State headed to Evanston, Ill., for the 2011 Big Ten Championship. While many viewed Penn State as an underdog to defending champion Iowa, particularly after the result of the dual in Rec Hall earlier in the year, Sanderson and company never wavered from their plan. For Penn State it was always quite simple in theory. Be grateful for the opportunity to wrestle, enjoy the hard work it took to be successful, and simply try to score for 7:00. The rest would take care of itself. It did. And it all started in Welsh-Ryan Arena in March of 2011.
Penn State had never won a Big Ten Championship in wrestling and heading into day two of the tournament, the unsuspecting assumed that was still the case. Penn State trailed Iowa but did have five wrestlers in the finals and a number of other grapplers competing for placing points. Sanderson's team would have to be nearly perfect, and certainly perfect in the finals, to have any chance. Okay then.
The Nittany Lions roared through the final day of the 2011 Big Ten Championship and overcame Iowa's lead to grab their first-ever Big Ten Championship. Penn State had 139.0 points at day's end, just one more than Iowa's 138.0. How the Lions got there, and the clinching match, was memorable indeed.
With placing action taking place weight-by-weight, senior Brad Pataky had already posted a tech fall in the seventh-place bout to pick up key bonus points at 125, setting up Penn State's first finalist. Sophomore Andrew Long took Wisconsin's Tyler Graff to sudden victory in the finals and walked away with a 7-3 (sv) victory in the first of Penn State's five Big Ten title bouts. Andrew Alton then won his fifth-place bout at 141 and the Nittany Lions inched even closer to Iowa.
Frank Molinaro finished off a perfect run at 149 with a 3-0 victory over Michigan's Eric Grajales in the finals, moving Penn State to a 2-0 record in title bouts. Freshman David Taylor capped off a perfect 3-0 title run at 157 by dominating Iowa's Derek St. John, winning 8-3 in the finals at 157, and Penn State inched closer. Earlier in the day, the late James Vollrath picked up critical bonus points with a pin in the seventh-place match at 165. Continuing Penn State's prowess in the finals, freshman Ed Ruth dismantled Ohio State's Nick Hefflin, posting an 8-5 victory to cap off a 3-0 run at 174 to win the Big Ten title. Ruth's win moved Penn State to 4-0 in the finals. Only Wright's title bout, and heavyweight Cameron Wade's fifth-place match at 285, remained. Penn State still trailed Iowa, the first title was still out of reach.
Enter stage, Wright. Quentin entered the Big Ten tournament with a 12-6 record and was seeded eighth at 184. A late-season injury hampered his progress, and results, as the season wound down. Two weeks can be a lifetime. He opened the tournament with a 10-2 major over Michigan's Hunter Collins, setting up a rematch with Wisconsin's Rutt, the top-seed at the tournament. Trailing 3-2, Wright used a second period reversal and a thrilling escape from trouble in the third period to down Rutt 4-3 and move into the semifinals. In the semis, Wright took down fifth-seed Tony Dallago of Illinois 8-5 and advanced tot the finals. He took on second-seed Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota in the finals and used second period reversal and two escapes to post the 4-3 win and become Penn State's fifth Big Ten Champion of the day. Despite a 5-0 run in the finals, the Nittany Lions still had work to do.
Cameron Wade made good. After a first-round win and a loss to Minnesota's Tony Nelson in the semifinals, Wade suffered a 4-3 upset loss in the consolation semifinals and found himself in the fifth-place match. With Penn State not just needing a win, but bonus points to stay in the title hunt (or avoid a dispiriting title tie with Iowa), Wade delivered. He took on Michigan's Ben Apland in Penn State's final bout of the day. Wade dominated Apland, rolling up takedown after takedown and walked off the mat with a 9-0 major, that one lone, late bonus point serving as the difference in Penn State's one-point team title edge.
In all, eight Penn Staters qualified for the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia later that month. All eight would produce as Penn State went on to make school (and NCAA history). In Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, Penn State was unstoppable as a team. While only walking away with one champion, the Nittany Lions talent and depth were on full display as Penn State left Philly with its first NCAA team title since 1953. Penn State's five Big Ten Champions all earned All-America laurels as well. Every Lion scored.
Pataky picked up a win at 125 but an injured knee hampered the Clearfield natives efforts to become an All-American. . Wade went 2-2 at 285 and finished just one win away from becoming an All-American. Alton won his first two bouts, by pin and major, but finished just one win shy of All-America status at 141.
Long wrestled to seed, going 5-1 with two pins to take third place and earn All-America status. Long ended the season with a 20-2 overall record, including three pins, a tech and seven majors. Ed Ruth, on a tear of bonus point wins, appeared to be rolling to the NCAA finals at 174 when a sudden injury in the quarterfinals left the Lion unable to continue in the bout. Ruth took an injury default in the match against Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui on Friday morning and his status for the rest of the tournament was unclear. Well, to some, but not to Ruth. The Lion rookie, undaunted and unphased, returned to action Friday night to pick up consolation victories and stayed alive for third place. He ended the tournament with two more wins on Saturday, including a dominant 6-2 victory over #3 Mack Lewnes of Cornell in the third-place bout. Ruth ended the tournament with a 6-1 mark, including two pins, to become an All-American despite the setback earlier in the tournament. Ruth ended the year with a 38-2 record, with 13 pins, five techs and four majors.
Molinaro was Penn State's first finalist after winning his first four matches against Rider's Zac Cibula, Virginia's Derek Valenti, Rutgers' Mario Mason and Jason Chamberlain of Boise State. The Lion fell in the title bout at 149 and ended the tournament with a 4-1 mark. Molinaro ended his campaign with a 32-3 record, including three pins, three techs and 10 majors. He left Philadelphia as a three-time All-American, with one more season to hit the mark and reach his goal of being an NCAA Champion.
Taylor won his first four matches of his first NCAA tournament. He majored Robert Erisman of Oklahoma State, rolled to a tech fall over Northern Iowa's David Bonin, downed Iowa's Derek St. John yet again and took down American's Steve Fittery 7-1 in the semifinals. Taylor suffered his first loss of the season in the NCAA finals and settled for second place. Taylor ended his freshman year with a 38-1 record with eight pins, 15 tech falls and 11 majors. He opened up his rookie campaign with 38-straight wins and left Philadelphia with the feeling of that lone loss driving him, already towards a focus on the next season.
With the team title already in hand, Wright took the stage in Philadelphia as Penn State's last finalist, and last hope for an individual champion to celebrate along with team gold. Wright, wrestling three-hours from his home in Wingate, Pa., entered the tournament as the #9-seed after his Big Ten title run two weeks earlier. He beat Virginia's Jonathan Fausey 8-4 in the first round and #8 Kevin Steinhaus off Minnesota yet again, 8-4, in the second round. Wright then met #1 Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro in the quarterfinals and simply dominated the Fighting Scott grappler, rolling to a 7-3 win to clinch All-America laurels for the second time. In one of that season's seminal moments, Wright took on Iowa's Grant Gambrall in the semifinals and pinned him in the second period. Leading 5-0, Wright wrapped Gambrall in a cradle at the 3:53 mark and, with Sanderson and assistant coach Casey Cunningham's epic reactions in the background, picked up the pin and moved into the NCAA finals. In the finals, Wright's dream season reached its storybook conclusion. Wright dominated Lehigh's Robert Hamlin, the #2-seed. Wright used two second period takedowns to roll to a 5-2 win and become Penn State's first NCAA Champion of the Cael Sanderson era. Wright ended the year with nine straight wins for a 21-6 overall mark, including six pins and five majors.
For Penn State, a culture of team camaraderie and friendship founded on a love off the sport had created bonds that go beyond winning. Because of that, each wrestler's goals are equal to that of the other, and of the team as a whole. Penn State had three finalists during that team-title run in 2011 and came away with one champion. While celebrating the conclusion of Wright's amazing post-season run and the culmination of a team title built on hard-work, dedication and focus spread team-wide, Penn State left Philadelphia victorious, but with the knowledge that more work remained, more goals needed to be reached…every loss hurt. But you pick up, you move on, you reset your gaze. Penn State won the title, Q was an NCAA Champion, but some goals remained. So What? What do you do? Don't dwell, don't pout – smile, be grateful, review, rework, revise and re-attack. The next year began on the bus ride back to State College.
Retrospectacle…
Final Results (17-1-1, 6-1-1 B1G, 1st B1G, 1st NCAA)
Nov. 12 at Bloomsburg 41-3 W
Nov. 14 #15 LEHIGH 27-17 W
Nov. 21 vs. Harvard$ 45-0 W
vs. West Virginia$ 40-3 W
vs. #24 Rutgers$ 22-10 W
Dec. 12 LOCK HAVEN 48-0 W
Dec. 19 #22 OHIO STATE* 42-3 W
Dec. 29-30 Southern Scuffle at UNC-Greensboro 1st
Jan. 7 vs. VMI! 42-3 W
vs. Edinboro! 37-12 W
vs. #23 Kent State! 27-15 W
vs. #15 Michigan! 24-12 W
Jan. 21 #22 PITTSBURGH 30-7 W
Jan. 23 at Indiana* 36-8 W
Jan. 30 #8 IOWA* 13-22 L
Feb. 4 at Michigan State* 30-9 W
Feb. 6 at #13 Michigan* 28-13 W
Feb. 11 #20 ILLINOIS* 23-13 W
Feb. 13 at #5 Minnesota* 18-18 T
Feb. 18 #16 WISCONSIN* 30-12 W
March 5-6 Big Ten Championships 1st
March 17-19 NCAA Championships 1st
$ Sprawl and Brawl Duals, Binghamton, N.Y.;
! Virginia Duals, Hampton, Va. -- * Big Ten Dual
Signature Wins
-- The Nittany Lions opened up Big Ten dual meet action with a resounding 42-3 win over Ohio State on Dec. 19.
-- Sanderson led Penn State to four straight wins at the Virginia Duals on Jan. 7-8 for the school's first Virginia Duals title since 1991.
-- Penn State's 30-12 Senior Day win over Wisconsin in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd helped the Lions finish with a 6-1-1 Big Ten dual meet record, tying the school record for conference dual wins in a season.
Highlights
-- The Nittany Lions sold out two duals in Rec Hall and averaged nearly 5,500 fans per home event.
-- Penn State tied Cornell for the Southern Scuffle title in the school's first ever appearance at the event in Greensboro, N.C.
-- Sanderson led Penn State to its most dual meet wins (17) since the team went 18-3 in 1998.
-- Penn State's 6-1-1 Big Ten dual meet record tied a school record for conference wins in a season.
-- The Nittany Lions claimed the school's first-ever Big Ten Championship with a stunning final session run at Northwestern in March. Penn State crowned five Big Ten Champions, going 5-0 in the finals, and picked up key consolation wins from a number of wrestlers to out-distance Iowa by a single point.
-- Sanderson led Penn State to the 2011 NCAA Championship in front of a home-state crowd in Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on March 17-19. The Nittany Lions stormed the competition, clinching the title early on the third day of the event, before the national finals even began.
-- Penn State had five All-Americans, all finishing in the top three, none of whom were seniors at the time.
-- Sophomore Quentin Wright became Sanderson's first Penn State National Champion, claiming the 184-pound title.
-- Penn State's team title was the school's first NCAA crown since 1953, only the second in school history.
-- The win by Penn State marked the first time since 1973 that a school east of the Mississippi River won the NCAA wrestling title (Michigan State).
-- Sanderson was named 2011 Big Ten Coach of the Year and became the first person ever to win both Big Ten and Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
