University Park, Pa. — The Penn State wrestling team, led by head coach Cael Sanderson, is now ranked No. 3 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. The 13-1 Nittany Lions also maintain eight individual ranked by Intermat, with six of those grapplers listed among the top 10 at their respective weights.
Cornell continues to hold the top spot with 272 points while Iowa is No. 2 with 264. Penn State is close behind in third with 255, picking up more points from last week after this weekend’s 2-0 swing through the state of Michigan. Oklahoma is No. 4 with 236 while Minnesota is No. 5 with 235. Virginia Tech (6), Rutgers (7), Boise State (8), Oklahoma (9), Lehigh (t10) and Michigan (t10) round out the top ten. Wisconsin (12), Northwestern (16), Illinois (20) and Purdue (23) are also ranked, giving the Big Ten eight teams ranked in the top 25.
While the USA Today/NWCA poll reflects projected dual meet strength, Intermat’s official tournament team ranking (projecting post-season tournament finishes based on each entity’s individual rankings) has Penn State in the No. 3 spot. TheOpenMat.com also compiles a comprehensive tournament strength ranking and has Penn State No. 3 while W.I.N. Magazine has the Lions No. 4 on their TPI.
A brief look at the top 25 shows that Penn State’s final three duals are all against ranked opponents (Feb. 11 vs. No. 20 Illinois, Feb. 13 at No. 5 Minnesota and Feb. 18 vs. No. 12 Wisconsin). Penn State owns six wins over teams now ranked: No. 7 Rutgers, No. 10 Lehigh, No. 10 Michigan twice, No. 15 Kent State and No. 22 Pittsburgh.
Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is 26-1 on the year and sits at No. 2 at 174. Ruth has 10 pins, five technical falls and three majors this year. Classmate David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is undefeated this year, posting a 28-0 mark at 157 and is ranked No. 3. He has 27 bonus point victories with seven pins, eleven tech falls and nine majors. Two-time All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) is ranked No. 5 at 149 with a 22-2 mark. He has three pins, three techs and seven majors. Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is No. 6 at heavyweight with a 23-4 mark. Wade has nine pins, three techs and two majors as well. Joining that quartet is true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), who is ranked No. 7 at 14 with a 25-4 mark and 16 pins. Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) is No. 9 at 133 and is 8-1 on the year while senior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), 7-2 at 125, is ranked No. 11. Sophomore All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) is 12-3 this season and is ranked No. 13 at 184.
The Nittany Lions will entertain No. 20 Illinois on Friday at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall and then trek to Minneapolis for a Sunday afternoon battle at No. 5 Minnesota. The Illinois dual will air live on www.BigTenNetwork.com as part of the StudentU package while the Minnesota dual is a Big Ten Network telecast that will air as a same day tape delay on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets for Penn State’s final two home duals are going fast but are still available. The Nittany Lions also host Wisconsin on Feb. 18. 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.
