A two-time Big Ten Champion and 2005 All-American (4th), Bradley is the highest returning 184-pound placer from the 2005 NCAA Championships and a favorite to claim Penn State's 21st NCAA title. He enters the season ranked No. 1 in three national polls. Bradley received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA following the 2004-05 season, his fifth at Penn State. A quick and agile athlete, Bradley was told that his wrestling career was over prior to the 2002-03 campaign due to a fractured vertebra in his back. Not to be deterred from his goals of becoming a national champion, he took up boxing and won a National Boxing Championship during his first season of competition. After his successful season in the ring, doctors determined that the fracture had fused and healed sufficiently to allow Bradley to try to return to the mat. Bradley was 31-5 in 2004-05.
Woodall was on the verge of a breakout season in 2004-05 when he tore the ACL in his right knee in the finals of the Midlands Tournament. Ranked No. 12 and having posted a 10-2 mark at the time, he was primed to break into the top 10 and looked like a strong All-America contender. Woodall was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in the summer. Back to full strength, he looks to continue his surge toward the top of the 149-pound rankings in his final campaign. A 1999 PIAA champion, he has also had considerable success in national and international freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. Woodall was 10-2 at the time of his injury last season.
"James and Eric were captains last year, so they've shown their teammates that they are proven leaders," said head coach Troy Sunderland. "They're respected by their teammates. We have a number of good leaders on this team and James and Eric do a great job of allowing those leaders to step forward as well."
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