UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eight members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team remain ranked nationally by Intermat, seven of whom appear in the top six at their respective weights. In addition, head coach Cael Sanderson’s two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions are the No. 1 team 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 with 106.0 points on Intermat’s TPI, almost 16 point in front of second place Minnesota. Iowa is in third and Oklahoma State sits in fourth.
Sophomore All-American Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked No. 2 at 125 with a 2-0 record with a pin and a tech fall. Senior Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) ranked No. 19 at 141 with a 2-0 record. Sophomore Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa) is 0-0 and ranked No. 6 at 149. Alton looks to return to action at the 2012 Nittany Lion Open. Sophomore All-American Dylan Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) is ranked No. 5 at 157 with a 1-1 mark.
Defending NCAA Champion and two-time All-American David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) is ranked No. 2 at 165 and is 2-0 with two tech falls. Sophomore Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) is ranked No. 3 at 174 and is 2-0 with a pin and a major. Defending NCAA Champion and two-time All-American Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) is ranked No. 1 nationally at 184 with a 2-0 mark and a major. Three-time All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa) is ranked No. 3 at 197 with a 2-0 record and a pin.
The Nittany Lions will take part in the 2012 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 2, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Rec Hall (The NLO is NOT part of Penn State’s season ticket package, tickets are sold at the door the day of the event, $5 for adults and $3 for students). Penn State’s next home dual is set for Sunday, Dec. 9, when the Indiana Hoosiers come to town for a 2 p.m. meeting. Penn State’s full season of home duals is sold out but limited Standing Room Only tickets are available for select dual meets. For information on which duals have a limited number of SRO tickets available and to purchase tickets, fans can call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office windows from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 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.