University Park, Pa. — The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team maintains its No. 5 ranking in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll after shutting out Lock Haven 48-0 on Sunday. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) holds steady with a No. 3 nod at 157 to lead Penn State’s individuals ranked by Intermat at Intermatwrestle.com.
The poll’s top 10 are all unchanged, with Cornell sitting in first with 275 votes, Oklahoma State in second with 264, Minnesota in third with 253, Wisconsin in fourth with 238 and Penn State closing the gap in fifth with 233 votes. Boise State (6), Iowa (7), Oklahoma (8), Illinois (9) and Virginia Tech (10) round out the top 10.
Purdue (15), Michigan (16), Northwestern (20), and Ohio State (22) are also ranked in the top 25, giving the Big Ten nine teams ranked by the coaches. Penn State owns dual wins over two teams that are currently ranked: No. 11 Lehigh and No. 17 Rutgers.
Taylor is 12-0 and ranked No. 3 with three pins, three technical falls and five majors, meaning only one of his 12 wins was by only a decision. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is No. 6 at 149 and is 7-1 after missing the early part of the season with an injury. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is also ranked No. 6 at heavyweight. Wade is 9-2 with three pins, three technical falls and two majors. True freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is 12-0 on the year with nine pins and is ranked No. 10 at 141. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 11-1 and ranked No. 11 at 174 while true freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is 11-0 at 125 and ranked No. 17. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), who is 8-2, was ranked No. 5 at 184 before his injury in the finals of the Nittany Lion Open. He will return to the rankings upon his return to Penn State’s line-up.
Penn State, now 6-0 this year with head coach Cael Sanderson at the helm, returns to action on this Sunday, Dec. 19, when No. 22 Ohio State invades Rec Hall for a 2 p.m. dual in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Fans wishing to purchase single dual meet tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling season can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available.