Wisconsin’s lineup features six ranked wrestlers, meaning dwelling on what happened at Carver-Hawk-eye Arena will hurt the Nittany Lions (9-5-1, 1-2). The lopsided score aside, Sanderson said he saw some encouraging things against Iowa, which has dropped four bouts in three Big Ten duals. Adam Lynch’s 8-6 overtime victory over fifth-ranked Montell Marion at 141 and David Erwin’s 6-4 decision over seventh-ranked Phil Keddy at 184 were Penn State’s lone victories Friday. “I think we can move on,” Sanderson said Saturday. “We are going to take the good things — and there were a lot of them — and build on them, try to compete hard and have fun. They guys are in good spirits. They are excited about wrestling (today).”
Penn State will lean on some of its best wrestlers to ensure the Iowa loss doesn’t linger. And considering Friday’s events, the motivation displayed by the All-American trio of Frank Molinaro, Cyler Sanderson and Dan Vallimont’s might swell when today’s whistle sounds. All three wrestlers fell against Iowa, with Brent Metcalf pinning Molinaro at 149, Jake Kerr upsetting Sanderson at 157 and Vallimont losing 2-0 to Ryan Morningstar at 165. Cael Sanderson said the trio can — and will — learn from the setbacks. “Frank got a big takedown, but got beat in a couple of positions,” he Sanderson said. “He knows what he needs to work on. He’ll be better because of that. Cyler’s match was more about outside things. He has to make sure he’s cutting weight right and things like that. He’ll be perfectly fine and a better wrestler with more motivation. He’s obviously not happy. “Vallimont needs to finish takedowns. If he does, that’s a different match. They are right there with those guys. They are mature competitors and they know what they need to do.”
Molinaro and Vallimont also fell to highly-regarded opponents — Lance Palmer and Colt Sponseller — during last Sunday’s loss at Ohio State. Wisconsin also has strong 149-and 165- pounders. Senior Kyle Ruschell (21-1) is ranked second behind Metcalf at 149 while Andrew Howe (22-0), a sophomore who lost to Edinboro’s Jarrod King in last year’s NCAA finals, is No. 1 at 165. “They are both matches where Frank and Vallimont can show they are making progress and that they can compete with the best,” Cael Sanderson said. “If they wrestle in the areas they are strong in, they have an opportunity to show they will be in hunt.”
The Nittany Lions’ schedule is tamer after today. They don’t travel again until visiting No. 5 Minnesota on Feb. 19. For Cael Sanderson, two-site, two-dual Big Ten weekends are part of his adjustment from the Big 12 to Big Ten. “It’s a little different,” he said. “ But it’s all the same thing and it’s fun. That’s why as a coach you want competitive duals. You train year-round for the big matches. Those are the ones you get excited about.”
Thanks to the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article