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By: Pat Donghia
Dec. 7, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
TODAY'S ACTION
No. 5 Penn State (1-1, 0-1 B1G) will take part in two tough eastern duals this weekend. Penn State visits No. 10 Lehigh (5-2) in its first road action of the year on Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions then return to Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, for a 2 p.m. dual with West Virginia (2-0).
Penn State enters the weekend's duals coming off a successful outing at the 2011 Nittany Lion Open last Sunday. Penn State crowned six champions with eight finalists and 18 total placewinners. Nico Megaludis won at 125, Frank Molinaro at 149, David Taylor at 165, Ed Ruth at 174, Quentin Wright at 184 and Cameron Wade at 285. Dylan Alton (157) and Morgan McIntosh (197) each advanced to the finals.
Penn State will take eight ranked grapplers into action this weekend, led by three-time All-American Molinaro who is 8-0 at 149 and ranked No. 1. All-American Taylor is 6-0 at 165 and also ranked No. 1 while classmate Ruth is 8-0 at 174 and ranked No. 2. Two-time All-American Wright is 6-1 at 184 and ranked No. 5. Senior Wade carries a 7-1 mark and is No. 8 at 285 as well. Red-shirt freshman Alton is 5-2 at 157 and carries a No. 10 ranking while true freshman McIntosh is an identical 5-2 at 197 and ranked No. 10 as well. True freshman Megaludis is 6-1 at 125 and ranked No. 15.
Lehigh will enter Friday's dual with a 5-2 mark. The Mountain Hawks are an outstanding squad and feature five ranked grapplers in a deep and balanced line-up. Stephen Dutton is 4-0 at 141 and ranked No. 7 while Brandon Hatchett is 11-1 and ranked No. 9 at 165. 2011 National Runner-Up Robert Hamlin is 9-0 at 184 and ranked No. 1 while senior Joe Kennedy is 9-2 at 197 and ranked No. 7. Defending national champion Zach Rey is 6-1 and ranked No. 3 at 285.
The dual with Lehigh will be the 100th between the two venerable teams, by far the longest running dual in Penn State's long wrestling history. Penn State owns a 62-34-3 lead in the all-time series, including last year's 21-17 win in Rec Hall on Nov. 14. The last time the team's met in Lehigh was two years ago when the Mountain Hawks grabbed a 23-14 win.
West Virginia comes in with a 2-0 mark and plenty of action in various open tournaments. The Mountaineers are being led by senior Matt Ryan, who is 5-1 and ranked No. 17 at 184. Sophomore Nathan Pennesi is 12-2 and ranked No. 19 at 141. Penn State leads the all-time series with the Mountaineers 27-7, including a 40-3 win at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals last Nov. 21 in Binghamton, N.Y. Penn State won the last meeting in Rec Hall, 27-10 on 12/14/05 and has won five straight.
The Nittany Lions trek to neighborhood rival Lock Haven on Sunday, Dec. 18, for a 2 p.m. battle with the Bald Eagles in their next action. Penn State's next home dual is on Jan. 22 when Iowa comes to Rec Hall for a dual that is already sold out. Penn State then hosts Ohio State on Jan. 29 and only standing room only tickets remain. Fans can purchase a very limited number of those SRO tickets by calling 814-865-5555. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under) and can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day or in person at the Bryce Jordan Center box office. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased per person. The full season slate of live dual meet and tournament action will air locally on WRSC AM (1390 AM) with Friday evening duals being simulcast on WRSC FM (103.1 FM). Lock Haven's WBPZ (1230 AM) will also carry the entire season live and further affiliates may be added soon. WIEZ 670 AM (Huntingdon/Lewistown) will carry all Sunday duals during the regular season plus the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in March. The regular season schedule of radio broadcasts will be streamed live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of Penn State's All-Access package, which will also feature live video streams of many home events. Ticket information is accessed easily online at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
#5 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (1-1, 0-1 B1G)
WTNAMEELHT/HSREC
125#15 Nico MegaludisFr.Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional6-1
133Derek ReberJr.Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg2-2
141Sam Sherlock R-Fr.West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin3-3
149#1 Frank MolinaroSr.Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional8-0
157#10 Dylan AltonR-Fr.Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain5-2
165#1 David TaylorSo.St. Paris, Ohio/St. Paris Graham6-0
174#2 Ed RuthSo.Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.8-0
184#5 Quentin WrightJr.Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area6-1
197#10 Morgan McIntoshFr.Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel5-2
285#8 Cameron WadeSr.Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel7-1
#10 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (5-2)
WTNAMEELHT/HSREC
125Mason BeckmanFr.Greenville, Pa./Reynolds8-2
133Alex AbreuJr.Highlands Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon0-4
ORChris DinnienFr.Ambler, Pa./Germantown Academy1-6
141#7 Stephen DuttonSo.Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point4-0
ORJimmy CarucciFr.New Hartford, N.Y./Shenendehowa2-6
149Kyle RosserSr.Durand, Mich./Corunna4-5
157Brian TanenSr.Harleysville, Pa./Souderton3-2
165#9 Brandon HatchettSr.Winter Springs, Fla./Oviedo11-1
174Nathaniel BrownFr.Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg8-3
184#1 Robert HamlinJr.Jonesville, Vt./Mt. Mansfield Union9-0
197#7 Joe KennedySr.Milford, Pa./Deleware Valley9-2
285#3 Zach ReySr.Hopatcong, N.J./Hopatcong6-1
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (2-0)
WTNAMEELHTREC
125Shane YoungJr.Jeannette, Pa.9-0
133Colin JohnstonJr.Eighty-Four, Pa.6-0
141#19 Nathan PennesiSo.Latrobe, Pa.12-2
149George ScheffelFr.Oakland, Md.12-5
157Dominic PrezziaFr.St. Clarisville, Ohio9-4
165Kyle EasonSr.Dauphin, Pa.10-5
174Lance BrysonJr.Shoaf, Pa.11-4
184#17 Matt RyanSr.Eighty-Four, Pa.5-1
197Mac MancusoSo.Atlantic City, N.J.12-3
285Brandon WilliamsonSr.Riverside, Conn.10-3
Indiv. Rankings Intermat as of 12/6; Team Rankings NWCA/USA Today as of 12/6
Tags: Cameron Wade, David Taylor, Derek Reber, Dylan Alton, Ed Ruth, Frank Molinaro, Morgan McIntosh, Nico Megaludis, Quentin Wright, Sam Sherlock
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