The Nittany Lions, 8-2 overall and winners of five straight, host No. 18 Michigan State (2-3 overall) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall. Penn State then readies itself as No. 1 Minnesota invades Rec Hall for a 1 p.m. dual on Sunday. Sunday's battle with the Gophers will also serve as Senior Day for Penn State.
Using USA Today/NWCA rankings as of 1/17, a total of 21 ranked wrestlers are on tap in the three probable starting line-ups, including two individuals ranked No. 1 in the country at their respective weight classes. Penn State, with a total of eight ranked grapplers, will be led by senior Eric Bradley (Plaistow, N.H.), who is ranked No. 1 at 184. Bradley, the reigning two-time Big Ten Champion and a returning All-American, is 3-0 on the season. Minnesota's Cole Konrad, a junior heavyweight, is ranked No. 1 at heavyweight and is a perfect 26-0 on the year.
Each weight class could feature exciting bouts and will showcase some of the nation's top wrestling talent. Michigan State's Nick Simmons leads the charge at 125, sporting a 20-0 mark and a No. 4 ranking. Penn State will send either sophomore Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) at 13-4 or freshman Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) at 12-6. Minnesota will go with either freshman Travis Lang, 21-10 overall, or junior Andrew Domingues, 13-7.
Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) heads into the weekend with a 14-1 record and a No. 10 national rank at 133. Strayer will certainly be tested in a match-up with No. 3 Mack Reiter of Minnesota, who comes in with a 21-2 record. Michigan State will counter with freshman Jeff Wimberly, who is 9-12 overall.
The 141-pounder weight class will feature three ranked wrestlers. Penn State senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.) is ranked No. 9 nationally and sports a 10-4 mark while Michigan State's Andy Simmons is 22-2 and ranked No. 4. Minnesota's line-up will feature No. 19 Manuel Rivera, who is 20-9 overall.
At 149, Nittany Lion senior James Woodall (St. Dupont, Pa.), ranked No. 10 and 5-2 overall, will get a shot at two national powers. Michigan State senior Darren McKnight is 17-7 and ranked No. 12 while Golden Gopher Dustin Schlatter brings a superb 28-1 overall mark and a lofty No. 2 ranking to the table.
Tough battles loom at 157 as well for Nittany Lion junior Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.), who comes in ranked No. 14 and sporting a 9-7 mark. Galloway will face Michigan State's Tony Greathouse, a junior with a 12-7 record, and Minnesota's C.P. Schlatter, a sophomore with a 25-4 mark and a No. 6 rank.
Penn State true freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), who has burst onto the scene with an 18-4 mark and a No. 11 national rank, will face stern tests each night out this weekend. Michigan State will go with one of two talented sophomores, either Greg Goidosik, 10-5 overall, or Bryan Harney, 6-6. Minnesota's Matt Nagel is a senior with a 21-6 record and a No. 10 ranking.
Junior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) will look to continue his hot year at 174 for Penn State. Yonushonis is ranked No. 12 in the country and is 13-3 overall. The Philipsburg native will battle two ranked grapplers. Michigan State will send senior R.J. Boudro to the mat. Boudro is 17-3 and ranked No. 7 nationally. The Golden Gophers counter with sophomore Gabriel Dretsch, who is 21-8 and ranked No. 16.
At 184, Nittany Lion Bradley will face two of his toughest foes to date this season. The Spartans will go with either No. 20 Joe Williams, who is 6-7 overall, or outstanding freshman John Murphy, who is 14-8. Minnesota features sophomore Roger Kish, who is 24-3 and ranked No. 13.
Returning All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) leads the charge at 197 for Penn State, sporting a 10-3 mark and a No. 6 national rank. Michigan State will go with senior Jeff Clemens, who is 13-9 overall. The Golden Gophers will enter one of two sophomores, either 7-13 Justin Bronson or 5-6 Mitch Kuhlman.
Set to challenge top-ranked and undefeated Konrad at heavyweight will be one of two talented Nittany Lions. Penn State will go with senior Joel Edwards (Upper Darby, Pa.), 10-2 overall and ranked No. 20, or junior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), 13-8. Michigan State counters with senior Max Lossen, who is 10-8.
In addition to the outstanding talent that will be featured in the two duals, exciting promotions are also on tap. The first 1,000 fans through the Rec Hall doors on Friday night will receive a free Jeff Prescott Bronze mini-statue. The first 1,000 fans through the doors on Sunday will receive a free Kerry McCoy Bronze mini-statue.
Also, due to the shipping problems that prevented distribution of the Andy Matter statues on Jan. 8, fans with vouchers from that dual can pick up their statues this weekend. Additional Matter statues will be made available to those without vouchers on a first come first serve basis.
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. Both duals will be televised. The PSU/MSU match will be a WPSU-TV live broadcast while the Nittany Lion/Golden Gopher dual will be 'live-to-tape' and shown on a tape delay basis to a CSTV national audience. Check local listings for exact dates and times. The action can also be heard live on WBLF 970 AM, streamed live on www.GoPSUsports.com (which also features live scoring of every home dual).
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