Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling

The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program is a NCAA Division I Wrestling team competing as members of the Big Ten Conference.

Penn State Nittany Lions
UniversityPennsylvania State University
Head CoachCael Sanderson (11th season)
Assistant CoachCasey Cunningham
Cody Sanderson
Jake Varner
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
LocationUniversity Park, PA
ArenaLorenzo Wrestling Complex at Rec Hall
(Capacity: 7,000)
NicknameNittany Lions
ColorsBlue and White[1]
         
Fight songFight On, State
Team national championships
1921(pre-NCAA), 1953, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
NCAA individual national championships
1935, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
NCAA individual champions
44 (by 30 athletes)
All-Americans
221
Conference Tournament championships
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association
1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1936, 1937, 1942, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1960, 1971, 1973

Eastern Wrestling League
1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992

Big Ten Conference
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019

The team is coached by Olympic Champion Cael Sanderson (Athens 2004) and have maintained status as one of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the country, with a four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2011-2014, and an additional four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2016-2019. From February 22, 2015 to November 22, 2019, the team achieved a 60 dual meet win streak.

Former wrestlers include Dan Hodge Trophy Winner Kerry McCoy and Bo Nickal, and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy Winners David Taylor and Zain Retherford.

History

The Penn State wrestling program was established in 1909 and was declared national dual meet champion in 1921.[2] [3] In 1925, Penn State won all seven team duals in which they competed, finishing the dual meet season undefeated.[4]

Charlie Spiedel coached the team from 1927-1942 and 1947-1964, taking a four-year break to serve during World War II. He is credited with laying the groundwork for the Nittany Lion wrestling program's standard of excellence. He guided the team to the 1953 national title.[5]

Prior to competing in the Big Ten Conference, the Penn State wrestling program competed as members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (1918-1974) and the Eastern Wrestling League (1975-1992).

Current Roster 2019-2020
Weight (Pounds)NameYear
125 lbs.Brandon MeredithR-Fr.
133 lbs.Roman Bravo-YoungSo.
141 lbs.Nick LeeJr.
149 lbs.Jarod VerkleeranR-So.
157 lbs.Bo PipherR-Jr.
165 lbs.Vincenzo JosephSr.
174 lbs.Mark HallSr.
184 lbs.Aaron BrooksFr.
197 lbs.Shakur RasheedSr.
285 lbs.Seth NevillsFr.

National championships

Team Championships

In 1921, Penn State was declared the National Dual Team champion after defeating Indiana University & Iowa State. [5]

In addition, Penn State has won nine NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as a team.

YearCoachNCAA Meet PointsDuals Record (W-L-T)
1921William E. LewisN/A6-1
1953Charlie Speidel219-0
2011Cael Sanderson107.517-1-1
2012Cael Sanderson143.013-1
2013Cael Sanderson123.513-1
2014Cael Sanderson109.515-1
2016Cael Sanderson123.016-0
2017Cael Sanderson146.514-0
2018Cael Sanderson141.514-0
2019Cael Sanderson137.514-0

Individual Championships

The program’s record for most NCAA Champions in one season was set in 2017, with 5 NCAA Champions crowned - Zain Retherford (149 lbs), Jason Nolf (157 lbs), Vincenzo Joseph (165 lbs), Mark Hall (174 lbs), and Bo Nickal (184 lbs).

YearNCAA ChampionWeight Class
1935Howard Johnston165 lbs
1952Joe Lemyre167 lbs
1953Hud Samson191 lbs
1955Larry Fornicola137 lbs
1955Bill OberlyHeavyweight
1957Jon Johnston130 lbs
1971Andy Matter167 lbs
1972Andy Matter167 lbs
1975John Fritz126 lbs
1984Carl Destefanis118 lbs
1984Scott Lynch134 lbs
1988Jim Martin126 lbs
1991Jeff Prescott118 lbs
1992Jeff Prescott118 lbs
1994Kerry McCoy275 lbs
1995John Hughes142 lbs
1996Sanshire Abe126 lbs
1997Kerry McCoy275 lbs
1999Glen Pritzlaff174 lbs
2000Jeremy Hunter125 lbs
2008Phil Davis197 lbs
2011Quentin Wright184 lbs
2012Frank Molinaro149 lbs
2012David Taylor165 lbs
2012Ed Ruth174 lbs
2013Ed Ruth184 lbs
2013Quentin Wright197 lbs
2014David Taylor165 lbs
2014Ed Ruth184 lbs
2015Matt Brown174 lbs
2016Nico Megaludis125 lbs
2016Zain Retherford149 lbs
2017Zain Retherford149 lbs
2017Jason Nolf157 lbs
2017Vincenzo Joseph165 lbs
2017Mark Hall174 lbs
2017Bo Nickal184 lbs
2018Zain Retherford149 lbs
2018Jason Nolf157 lbs
2018Vincenzo Joseph165 lbs
2018Bo Nickal184 lbs
2019Jason Nolf157 lbs
2019Bo Nickal197 lbs
2019Anthony Cassar285 lbs

The following table counts the achievements of Nittany Lion wrestlers by name as opposed to year.

WrestlerNCAA ChampionshipsNCAA Runners-upHodge Trophy
Bo Nickal312019
Jason Nolf31
Ed Ruth30
Zain Retherford302017 & 2018
David Taylor222012 & 2014
Quentin Wright21
Vincenzo Joseph21
Andy Matter20
Jeff Prescott20
Kerry McCoy201997
Mark Hall12
Nico Megaludis12
Frank Molinaro11
Jeremy Hunter11
Jim Martin11
John Hughes11
Matt Brown11
Phil Davis11
Sanshire Abe11
Anthony Cassar10
Bill Oberly10
Carl Destefanis10
Glen Pritzlaff10
Howard Johnston10
Hud Samson10
Joe Lemyre10
John Fritz10
Jon Johnston10
Larry Fornicola10
Scott Lynch10
Troy Sunderland02
Aaron Anspach01
Bubba Jenkins01
Cary Kolat01
Clint Musser01
Dan Mayo01
Dan Vallimont01
Greg Elinsky01
Greg Haladay01
Josh Moore01
Morgan McIntosh01
Pat Cummins01
TOTALS44306

Olympics and post-graduate careers

Penn State wrestlers have gone on to have success beyond their NCAA achievements. Wrestlers have had career success in the Olympics and in professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

WrestlerCompetitionNotable Achievements
Katsutoshi NaitoOlympics (1924)Bronze Medal (1924)
Ken ChertowOlympics (1988)
Sanshiro AbeOlympics (1996)
Kerry McCoyOlympics (2000, 2004)

World Championships (2003)

 5th place (2000), 7th place (2004)

Silver Medal (2003)

Phil DavisBellator (2008-)Light Heavyweight World Champion (2016)
Patrick Cummins (fighter)UFC (2010-)
Frank MolinaroOlympics (2016)5th place (2016)
Zain Retherford World Championships (2017, 2019)
David TaylorWorld Championships (2018)Gold Medal (2018), UWW Wrestler of the Year (2018)
Bo Nickal U23 World Championships (2019) Gold Medal (2019)

Coaching

Current coaching staff
Position[6]Name
Head CoachCael Sanderson
Associate Head CoachCody Sanderson
Head Assistant CoachCasey Cunningham
Assistant CoachJake Varner
Director of OperationsAdam Lynch

Head coach history
YearsName
1927–1942, 1947–1964Charlie Spiedel
1965–1978Bill Koll
1979–1992Rich Lorenzo
1993–1998John Fritz
1999–2009Troy Sunderland
2010–presentCael Sanderson

Facilities

The Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, widely considered among the best in the nation, gives Penn State athletes a world-class facility for training. The facility encompasses over 24,000 square feet and includes the practice room, weight room, locker room, and academic support space. Home dual meets are held in the main gym at Rec Hall and on occasion at the Bryce Jordan Center.

(The Lorenzo Wrestling Complex also serves as the training facility for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, a designated U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center.)

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See also

References
  1. Penn State Artwork (PDF). November 6, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  2. "Indiana University Alumni Quarterly". IX. Indiana University Alumni Association. 1922: 210. Retrieved 2010-04-12. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. The Penn State Wrestling Club (2008). A Century of Penn State Wrestling. pp. 18–21. ISBN 978-0-615-19200-0.
  4. http://www.wrestlingstats.com/pennstate/home.php
  5. Palmer, Mark (June 3, 2008). "Intermat Rewind: 1953 Penn State". Intermat. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
  6. "Coaches". Penn State University. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
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