Nittany Lion Wrestlers Ranked No. 10 in Final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll

Story Published Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Nittany Lion Wrestlers Ranked No. 10 in Final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll

Six Nittany Lions head into post-season with individual national rankings from Intermat

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; February 24, 2010 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, will end the 2009-10 dual meet season with a top ten national ranking. Sanderson’s Lions received a No. 10 ranking in the final USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for the dual meet season. In addition, six Nittany Lion individuals will head into the post-season with national rankings at their respective weights from Intermat.

Sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) will be Penn State’s highest ranked individual heading into next weekend’s Big Ten Championships. Molinaro is 27-3 overall and ranked No. 4 at 149. Fellow All-American Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) is ranked No. 6 at 157 and sports a 25-4 mark. Senior All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) has a 23-6 record at 165 and is ranked No. 7.

Senior David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) continues his ascent at 184 and is now ranked No. 9 with a 26-6 record (including a team-best tying 7-1 mark in Big Ten duals). Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), 24-6 overall and also 7-1 in conference duals, is ranked No. 12 at 125 and sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) is No. 17 at heavyweight.

Penn State is one of eight Big Ten teams listed in the final rankings. Iowa (1), Ohio State (3), Minnesota (5), Penn State (10), Indiana (13), Wisconsin (14), Purdue (21) and Illinois (23) are all listed among the nation’s top 25 teams.

Penn State closes out the 2009-10 season with a 13-6-1 dual meet record, 5-3 in Big Ten dual and ending the year in fourth place in the dual meet standings. The Nittany Lions will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the 2010 Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7. The two day event is hosted by the University of Michigan. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting’s WRSC (1390 AM) or 3WZ (95.3 FM) and on www.GoPSUsports.com as well. The 2009-10 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

Pat Donghia, Assistant Director — Penn State Athletic Communications — 814-865-1757; –www.GoPSUsports.com / Wrestling Twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat

“Holding a feather won’t help you fly, to rise above yourself and touch the sky. Standing like a lighthouse, oh how it shines — The light is shadowing the darker side.” — Rising Gael, 2008 (…listen… www.risinggael.com )

“If I had a chance for another try, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s made me all of who I am inside……And every day I wake, and tell myself a little lie….The whole wide world is mine.” –AVA, 2007

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