Penn State is coming off a near-upset of No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. The Lions roared out to a 12-3 lead in front of a season high 2,364 fans in an electric Rec Hall, but fell victim to Michigan's string of four ranked wrestlers down the stretch as the Wolverines fought off the upset bid and escaped with a hard-fought 23-15 win. Michigan won six of the four bouts and collected five bonus points off a pin and two majors. Penn State got three bonus points off a pin. Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) won at 197, Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) won at 125, Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) got a pin at 133 and James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) got his third straight win over a ranked opponent.
Yonushonis and Davis lead Penn State with 5-0 marks while Strayer remains undefeated at 4-0. All three of those Nittany Lions have posted their undefeated seasons in dual matches. Haas is undefeated at 6-0, with five of those wins coming in his title run at the East Stroudsburg Open.
Six Nittany Lions will be wrestling attached, including Brad Pataky at 125, Bryan Heller at 133, Mark Friend at 157, Philip Bomberger and Brian Cantalupi at 165 and Aaron Anspach at HWT. Over 20 other Nittany Lions will be wrestling unattached at the event.
Penn State will return to action on Friday, Dec. 9, with a dual at Navy and Saturday, Dec. 10, at Penn. The Nittany Lions next home dual is set for Jan. 8 vs. Cornell. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.
WRESTLING ATTACHED FOR PENN STATE...
Wt. Name Yr. Hometown 2005-06 Rec.
125 Brad Pataky Fr. Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield 2-2
133 Bryan Heller So. Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven 8-1
157 Mark Friend Fr. Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville 0-1
165 Philip Bomberger Fr. Port Royal, Pa./Juniata 0-2
165 Brian Cantalupi Jr. Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle 6-3
HWT Aaron Ansapch Jr. Columbia, Pa./Columbia 4-4
WRESTLING UNATTACHED FOR PENN STATE...
Over 20 Nittany Lions will take part in the event unattached
HEAD COACH TROY SUNDERLAND
Troy Sunderland (Penn State, '93) is in his 8th year at the helm of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program. Sunderland has coached two NCAA Champions, 15 All-Americans as a head coach (23 overall) and five Big Ten Champions. He was also the 2003 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Sunderland is 69-66 overall.
As a wrestler at Penn State from 1988-93, Sunderland was a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Runner-Up. He earned both EWL and Big Ten Individual Championships during his days as a student-athlete and was a University and Espoir National Champion. Sunderland's accolades are as follows: EWL Champ at 150 (1992); Big Ten Champion at 150 (1993); NCAA Runner-Up at 150 (1992 and 1993) and 4th at 150 (1991); Career NCAA Tournament record of 13-4; Three-time All-American (1991, 1992 and 1993); 100 career victories (100-13-3 overall record).
THE TROY SUNDERLAND SHOW
The Troy Sunderland Show will debut on Wednesday, Nov. 2, on WBLF Radio (970 AM). Co-hosted by Jeff Byers, voice of Penn State wrestling, and Troy Sunderland, head wrestling coach, the thirty-minute call in show airs form 7 to 7:30 p.m. nearly every Wednesday night throughout the season. The show, which will feature in-depth interviews with Coach Sunderland and other guests throughout the season, will give Nittany Lion wrestling fans a chance to call in and ask the coach questions. Fans wishing to take part simply call 814-272-9700. "This show gives fans a chance to get some insight into our team's development throughout the year," Sunderland said.
"I'm very pleased that we have the chance to give our fans something on a weekly basis that they can look forward to and get excited about." The weekly show will also be streamed live on www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.
BROADCAST INFO (RADIO AND/OR TV)
Local radio station WBLF 970 AM will broadcast the entire season of Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling. Continuing a long-standing tradition of full season coverage, each of Penn State's dual matches and four major tournaments will be carried by the station. Jeff Byers, long-time voice of Nittany Lion wrestling, will be at each event to call the action. In addition to the full schedule of duals, WBLF will air the finals of the Nittany Lion Open, the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18, the Big Ten Championships on March 4-5 and the NCAA Championships on March 16-18. Nittany Lion wrestling fans have been treated to a full season of radio coverage for over 25 years.
WBLF is owned by Magnum Broadcasting, which owns and operates four stations locally, including WPHB 1260 AM in Philipsburg. WPHB will also carry select wrestling events. The television schedule is still being finalized.
SINGLE MATCH TICKETS AVAILABLE
Single match tickets are still available for Penn State's three remaining home duals against Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m.; Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7;30 p.m.; and Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased at the door for the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 4. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the BJC Ticket Center or by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.
YONUSHONIS MAKES IT THREE STRAIGHT VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Junior 174-pounder James Yonushonis downed No. 11 Nick Roy of Michigan, 3-1 (sv), in Penn State's dual vs. Michigan on 11/26, posting his third straight win vs. a ranked foe. Yonushonis beat No. 10 Kelly Flaherty of Wisconsin, 5-3, on 11/20 and No. 7 Travis Frick of Lehigh, 6-4 (sv), on 11/13.
HAAS MAKES '05-06 DUAL DEBUT WITH WIN
Sophomore Tim Haas made his 2005-06 dual match debut with a 6-4 win over Michigan's Jim Shutich on 11/26. Prior to that, Haas reeled off five wins to claim the 125 pound at the East Stroudsburg Open on 11/19.
STRAYER GETS FIRST CAREER FALL
Freshman 133-pounder Jake Strayer got his first career fall with a pin of Michigan's Brandon Elliott at the 5:34 mark. The pin was Strayer's fourth straight to begin the 2005-06 season.
HART AND THREE OTHER FORMER LIONS IN 2006 CLASS OF PWCA HALL OF FAME
Penn State assistant wrestling coach Dave Hart, a former All-American and Academic All-American for Penn State, as well as former Nittany Lion wrestlers Sean Finkbeiner and Steve Sefter, will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2006. The induction ceremonies will be held in conjunction with the PIAA State Wrestling Championships, to be held at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., on March 9-11, 2006. The ceremonies will precede the championship finals on March 11 (further details will be announced at a later date). Hart is an '88 graduate of Juniata High School and a '93 Penn State grad. As a Nittany Lion, he won the 1992 Eastern Wrestling League Title and the 1993 Big Ten title at 167. He was a two-time All-American (placing third in 1993 and fourth in 1992) and team captain in 1993. During his Nittany Lion career, he collected an 89-17 record and was a three-time Academic All-American. Penn State won two NWCA Dual Meet National titles during his wrestling days and placed third and fourth at the NCAA Championships. He is now in his eighth year as an assistant coach at Penn State. Finkbeiner is an '84 graduate of Northampton High School and an '88 Penn State grad. As a Nittany Lion, he earned four letters and was the EWL Champion at 150 in 1987. Finkbeiner earned All-America laurels that year, placing sixth at 150. Sefter is a 1980 graduate of Cedar Cliff High School and an '84 Penn State graduate. Sefter was a four-year letterman at Penn State, earning letters in 1981, 82, 84 and 85. Sefter was a two-time EWL champion at HWT, claiming the titles in 1981 and 1982. He was a two-time All-American, finishing sixth in 1981 and fourth in 1985.
PENN STATE MAINTAINS TOP TEN SPOT IN 11/29 W.I.N. RANKINGS
The Penn State Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the most recent issue (11/29) of W.I.N.'s NCAA wrestling rankings. The Nittany Lions stayed at No. 10 after battling Michigan (W.I.N.'s No. 5 team) tough in a 23-15 loss.
Individually, eight Lions are ranked in the top 20 at their respective weight classes. Freshman Jake Strayer stayed at No. 14 at 133, Senior DeWitt Driscoll fell to No. 12 at 141, James Woodall moved up to No. 11 at 149, Nathan Galloway dropped to No. 19 at 157, 174-pounder James Yonushonis (unranked at the beginning of the year) moved into the top ten with a No. 9 ranking at 174, Eric Bradley maintained his No. 1 perch at 184, sophomore All-American Phil Davis remained at No. 5 at 197 and Joel Edwards maintained his No. 11 ranking at HWT.
LIONS SPLIT BOUTS WITH BADGERS BUT BONUS POINTS GIVE UW UPSET
The Penn State Nittany Lions, ranked No. 12 heading into its match with No. 15 Wisconsin, won the first three bouts of the Big Ten dual to bolt out to a 9-0 lead. Wisconsin answered with a pin and a major to take a 10-9 lead and post the bonus points that would ultimately decide the match. Penn State won five bouts as did Wisconsin, but the four points won in those two bouts were the difference in the dual as Wisconsin upset Penn State 19-15.
HAAS WINS TITLE AT EAST STROUDSBURG OPEN AS FOUR LIONS PLACE
Sophomore 125-pounder Tim Haas went 5-0 to claim the 125-pound title at the East Stroudsburg Open in action that went late into Saturday night. Haas was one of five attached Penn State wrestlers at the event, four of whom earned spots in the top eight. Haas claimed the title with an impressive 5-2 win over Jeffrey Sato of Columbia and now sports a perfect 5-0 mark on the year. Sophomore Bryan Heller won his first bout at 133, dropped his second, but reeled off six straight wins in the consolation bracket to place third. Heller is now 8-1. Junior Brian Cantalupi placed seventh at 165, going 5-2 on the day. Cantalupi improved to 6-3 on the year. Junior Aaron Anspach finished sixth at HWT, going 4-3. On route to his sixth place finish, Anspach downed Harvard's Bode Ogunwole, 3-2 TB, who entered the tournament ranked No. 12 in the nation. True freshman Jason Lapham was the other attached Lion grappler at the event, going 1-2 at 149.
ROHAN MURPHY QUALIFIES FOR WORLD PARALYMPIC POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Rohan Murphy (Long Island, N.Y.) has qualified for the fourth International Powerlifting Paralympic Championships in Buran, Korea. The 11-day event takes place April 1-12, 2006. Murphy, a bilateral amputee who is a member of the Nittany Lion wrestling team and head coach Troy Sunderland, posted a lift of 285-pounds, which sets a national record at 125-pounds for paralympians. The competition in Korea is the last international competition before the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Murphy is coming off a 1-2 weekend, wrestling unattached at the East Stroudsburg Open. The junior 125-pounder grabbed his first win of the season, posting an impressive 19-4 technical fall over an unattached grappler from Lehigh.
DAVIS NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Phil Davis has been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (11/13/05). The sophomore 197-pounder shares the honor with Northwestern 141-pounder Ryan Lang. Davis, a returning All-American, was a perfect 3-0 last Sunday, recording falls in each of his matches to help lead Penn State to the title at the 2005 Pennsylvania State Dual Championships. His pin of Lehigh's Paul Weibel in 3:30 to spark a Penn State rally and help the Lions to an 18-17 win over the No. 8 Mountain Hawks. The Harrisburg native was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler and won the Most Pins in the Fastest Time Award, getting three in 13:35.
PENN STATE CLAIMS PA. STATE DUALS CROWN
Trailing by eight with just two bouts left, Penn State thrilled the nearly 2,000 fans in Rec Hall to come from behind and defeat No. 8 Lehigh 18-17, grabbing the title in the second annual Pennsylvania State Dual Championships. Sophomore Phil Davis got a pin at 197 at the 3:20 mark to turn a 17-9 Lehigh lead into a two-point deficit for the Nittany Lions. Senior Joel Edwards followed that up with a thrilling 8-7 win at HWT to complete the comeback and give the Lions the crown, avenging a team loss in the event's finals last year.
Edwards scored a takedown with :20 remaining to tie his bout at 7-7 and posted a plus-2:00 riding time edge to get the RT point and the victory. Penn State got to the finals by defeated Pitt-Johnstown 31-10 in the opening round and York 47-3 in the semifinals. Both Davis and Edwards went 3-0 in the tournament as did 174-pounder James Yonushonis.
Complete team scores are as follows -- Opening Round: PENN STATE 31, Pitt-Johnstown 10; York 25, Clarion 15; Lehigh 50, Williamson 6; Lock Haven 25, Mercyhurst 17. Semifinals: PENN STATE 47, York 3; Lehigh 32, Lock Haven 3. CONSO SEMIS: Mercyhurst 48, Williamson 3; UPJ 26, Clarion 12. FINALS: PENN STATE 18, Lehigh 17; 3rd Place: Lock Haven 28, York 11; 5th Place: UPJ 30, Mercyhurst 7; 7th Place: Clarion 49, Williamson 0.
DAVIS PINS THREE AT DUALS; GETS O.W.
Sophomore All-American Phil Davis pinned his first three opponents of the year, going a perfect three for three in pins during the Pa. State Dual Championships on Nov. 13. Davis pinned his three foes in 13:35 to earn the Most Pins in Shortest Time Award. He was also named the event's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
YONUSHONIS PERFECT IN PA. DUALS
With a number of Lions seeing action in the Pennsylvania State Dual Championships on Nov. 13 and many going 2-0, only three went 3-0 in the event. Senior HWT Joel Edwards and sophomore Phil Davis turned the trick as did junior 174-pounder James Yonushonis. Yonushonis posted a big win over No. 7 Travis Frick of Lehigh in the tournament's title match, grabbing a 6-4 sudden victory decision.
EDWARDS 3-0 IN PA. DUALS; CLINCHES TITLE
Senior Joel Edwards posted an exciting 8-7 win over Lehigh's Tom Curl in the tournament championship deciding bout. With Penn State trailing 17-15, Edwards erased an early 5-0 deficit to post the win and give the Nittany Lions an 18-17 victory over No. 8 Lehigh and the 2005 Pa. Duals crown. Edwards scored a takedown with :20 left and got the win with a plus-2:00 riding time advantage.
NITTANY LIONS SIGN THREE OF NATION'S TOP 15 RECRUITS TO NLI'S
Penn State Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland and his outstanding staff are seeing the fruits of their recruiting labors pay off as a trio of the nation's best high school wrestlers have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State on day one of the signing period. Alphabetically, high school standouts Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio) and Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.) will attend Penn State in 2006-07 as members of one of the nation's top recruiting classes. "We are extremely pleased to get commitments from wrestlers and young men of this caliber," Sunderland said. "All three are ranked number one in their weights in at least one poll, so getting wrestlers ranked that high across the board adds to the credibility of this class being considered one of the best incoming classes in the nation."
Rella, who projects at 165 for Penn State, is the defending Ohio State Champion heading into his senior season at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2005 Junior National Freestyle runner-up, he was a Junior National All-American. Rella was also runner-up at the FILA Junior National Freestyle Championships and is a two-time Powerade Champion and an Ironman Champion. Rohler, who projects at 157 at Penn State, is heading into his senior season at St. Vincent/St. Mary High School. The 2005 Ohio Division II third place finisher also placed third in the 2005 Beast of the East Championships. Rohler was the 2004 Ironman runner-up and an Ohio State runner-up in 2004. Rohler also is a two-time Cadet National All-American. Scott, who projects at 141 or 149 for the Nittany Lions, is a three-time defending Pennsylvania AA State Champion at Juniata Valley High School. He heads into his final season at JVHS looking to join an elite group of four-time champs. Scott was the 2005 FILA Junior National Freestyle eighth-place finisher and the 2004 Cadet National Greco runner-up. He won the Cadet Freestyle National title in 2002 and 2003 and was National Greco runner-up both those years as well.
Penn State's incoming recruiting class, which is considered among the best in the nation by nearly every wrestling publication and outlet, follows closely on the heals of last year's 12-man recruiting class, which was ranked No. 5 by Intermat. Intermat is the official website and media outlet of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).
NITTANY LIONS FACING ONE OF NATION'S TOUGHEST SCHEDULES
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 12 in the initial USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, will face one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2005-06 as 11 of the Lions' 17 dual matches will be against teams ranked in the poll's top 25. The Nittany Lions are now 1-2 vs. ranked teams this year. Penn State downed No. 8 Lehigh 18-17 on Sunday, Nov. 13, but were upset, 19-15, by No. 15 Wisconsin on Nov. 20. Penn State lost to No. 3 Michigan, 23-15, on Nov. 26.
Penn State will visit No. 25 Penn on December 10 before a trip to the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18.The Lions will visit No. 8 Lehigh on Friday, Jan. 6 and then quickly turn around to host No. 9 Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 8. Four other Big Ten schools and a Big 12 powerhouse will also face off against Penn State. The Nittany Lions host No. 19 Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 27, and No. 6 Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 29. Penn State then faces its toughest road stretch of the season, visiting No. 5 Iowa on Feb. 3, No. 7 Iowa State on Feb. 5, and No. 16 Indiana on Feb. 10.
PENN STATE RANKED NO. 12 IN USA TODAY/NWCA PRE-SEASON POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will enter the 2005-06 season with a No. 12 national ranking in the USA Today/NWCA Pre-Season Ranking. The poll, voted on by the nation's wrestling coaches and maintained by Intermat, the NWCA's official website, also includes six Nittany Lions in the individual rankings
Senior Eric Bradley made it a perfect four-for-four with his No. 1 ranking at 184. Bradley has been ranked No. 1 in each of the previous national polls to come out this fall. Sophomore Philip Davis comes in ranked No. 6 after finishing seventh at nationals in 2005 as a freshman. Senior James Woodall is ranked No. 14 at 149. The 2004 national qualifier is coming off a medical red-shirt year. Senior Joel Edwards is ranked No. 19 at Heavyweight. Junior Nathan Galloway is No. 10 at 157 and senior DeWitt Driscoll is No. 16 at 141. Oklahoma State carries the No. 1 team ranking and all 12 first place votes as it returns eight qualifiers from the national title squad last year. The Big Ten is well represented in the team rankings with nine teams in the top 25: Michigan (3), Illinois (4), Iowa (5), Minnesota (6), Northwestern (11), Penn State (12), Wisconsin (15), Indiana (16) and Michigan State (19) are all included in the poll.
PENN STATE RANKED IN AWN'S PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT RANKINGS
The Penn State Nittany Lions are ranked No. 13 in Amateur Wrestling News' 2005 Pre-Season Top 20. The Nittany Lions are one of eight Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 and one of nine in the top 20. Oklahoma State is No. 1 in the poll. Five Penn Staters earned pre-season individual rankings, led by Eric Bradley's No. 1 ranking at 184. The senior All-American is the top returning place-winner from the 2005 Championships. Sophomore Phil Davis is ranked No. 5 at 197 after earning All-American laurels as a freshman last year. Senior Joel Edwards is No. 11 at HWT, junior Nathan Galloway is No. 12 at 157 and sophomore Bryan Heller is No. 15 at 133.
PENN STATE ALL-TIME VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
If the first few pre-season rankings released are any indication, Penn State will once again face one of the nation's toughest dual match schedules this year. With nearly all the Big Ten teams being ranked and a tough non-conference schedule, the Nittany Lions will once again square off against the nation's best. The Nittany Lions are 1-2 vs. ranked teams this season. Penn State went 7-8 vs. ranked team's last year and 4-7 against ranked foes in 2002-03. Penn State is 37-62 under Head Coach Troy Sunderland against ranked teams, 5-39 against the Top 10 and 2-24 against the top five.
WRESTLING ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO SHINE ON A NATIONAL LEVEL
Last season, Penn State wrestling drew an average of 2,209 fans per contest, which was fourth in the entire nation and second in the Big Ten. Iowa (5,073), Oklahoma State (4,542) and Lehigh (2,488) were the only teams that drew more fans per match than Penn State.
This year, Penn State had over 1,500 fans for Wrestle-Offs, the most in recent memory. While that figure does not count towards the total, Nov. 13's 1,802 was a solid start to the 2005-06 season. The Lions drew 1,752 for a Sunday afternoon dual with Wisconsin on Nov. 20. A season-to-date-best of 2,364 packed Rec Hall for its dual with No. 3 Michigan on Nov. 26.
Please join us in thanking these companies and organizations for helping to make your GoPSUsports Web site Possible. Pepsi Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board VisitPA.com Spirit Ready Penn State Alumni Association PA Pork Council Merrill Lynch Hersheys Infield MFG Aeropostale Rockvale Outlets
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now