UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nittany Lion wrestler Jon Gingrich (Wingate, Pa.) has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Jan. 13. The honor is Gingrich’s first and the second straight for Penn State. Teammate Ed Ruth won last week.
Gingrich remained unbeaten against Big Ten top 10 competition by beating No. 4 Michael McClure of Michigan State 5-3 to cap off Penn State’s second straight Big Ten shut-out, a 41-0 win over the Spartans. Wrestled in front of an SRO sellout crowd of over 6,300 fans, Gingrich used a high double leg to take McClure from his feet to his back in the final :30 for a four-point move to break a 1-1 tie. Gingrich also downed then-No. 8 Adam Chalfant of Indiana in December to secure Penn State’s shutout over the Hoosiers. Gingrich is now 12-4 on the year and 2-0 in Big Ten duals with both wins over top 10 wrestlers. The win over McClure kept Penn State undefeated as a team in Big Ten action, now 20-0 in its matches with a 93-0 scoring margin.
Penn State now preps for a busy Big Ten weekend. The Nittany Lions host Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. Penn State then treks to Purdue for its first conference road dual on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. 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 6:00 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.
