Nittany Lions Jump to No. 15 in NWCA Coaches Poll

Story Published Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Nittany Lions Jump to No. 15 in NWCA Coaches Poll

Five Penn Staters maintain individual rankings

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Five members of the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team continue to hold rankings in the latest individual rankings released by Intermat and viewable at www.intermatwrestle.com. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad jumped four spots to No. 15 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll after is 3-0 day at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals.

Senior Cyler Sanderson (Heber City, Utah) remains Penn State’s highest ranked individual with his No. 4 ranking at 157. Sanderson is 4-1 with his only loss being to No. 3 J.P. O’Connor of Harvard. Junior Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) stays at No. 6 at 125 with his perfect 5-0 record, including a win over No. 8 Eric Morrill of Edinboro on Sunday.

Sophomore Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J,) moved up one spot to No. 7 at 149. Molinaro, like Pataky, is undefeated with a 5-0 mark including three majors. Senior Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) stays at No. 9 at 165 with a 4-1 record. His only loss is to defending national champion Jarrod King of Edinboro (a close 4-3 setback on Sunday). Sophomore Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) made the biggest jump for Penn State, moving up to No. 12 at heavyweight after a convincing 9-2 win over then No. 11 Chris Birchler of Edinboro on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions moved up to No. 15 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. Iowa leads the poll in first with Ohio State sitting at No. 4 and Minnesota at No. 5. The Big Ten has seven teams in the top 25; including Indiana (13), Penn State (15), Wisconsin (T17) and Illinois (22) and three others receiving votes (Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State).

Penn State is now 4-1 on the year and winners of four straight. The Nittany Lions return to action on Sunday, Dec. 6, when they will take part in the Nittany Lion Open at Rec Hall. The open tournament, which will feature many of Penn State’s red-shirts, begins at 8:30 a.m. in Rec Hall and runs all day. Penn State’s next home dual is set for Jan. 22 when it hosts Illinois at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. Single event tickets will cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. Group sales are available once again for groups of 15 people or more. Group prices are $4 in advance and $5 walk-up. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1.800.NITTANY between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. 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.

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