He wrestled his final dual meet last month. He chuckled when somebody mentioned it two days beforehand. He begins his final Big Ten Championships today. He chuckled when somebody mentioned it a week beforehand. If Penn State’s three other seniors handle nostalgic moments with the same resolve as Dan Vallimont, the Nittany Lions could be primed for a better postseason showing than last year. When the conference tournament begins at 11 a.m. today at Michigan’s Crisler Arena, the Nittany Lions are relying on seniors with conflicting postseason histories. Vallimont and Cyler Sanderson are looking to return to the NCAA podium, a place they reached in 2008, but missed last season. David Erwin is seeking for a spot in the national championships after going 0-for-2 in Big Ten tournaments and missing last year’s postseason with a shoulder injury. And then there’s Adam Lynch. This could be his first — and possibly last — collegiate postseason.

Strong showings by its seniors and Penn State could join Ohio State and Minnesota in pursuing Iowa. Poor showings, and the Nittany Lions could be in the middle again. The Nittany Lions haven’t posted a top-3 finish since 2003. Penn State finished seventh in the conference and 17th nationally last season. The pressures facing the seniors were implied during the past two weeks. “We want them to be calm and ready to go,” first-year coach Cael Sanderson said. “They should be nervous and fired up a little bit. We’re making sure we view it in the right away. This is their last opportunity.”

Vallimont’s recent behavior suggest he’s prepared for Big Ten and NCAA runs at 165. His serious moments are plentiful, especially during workouts with assistant coach Troy Letters, a former NCAA 165-pound champion. The demands of being an engineering major often force Vallimont to train alone with Letters. The duo sometimes ends workouts by chatting as they pace around the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex mats. Any apprehension Vallimont feels fades once he leaves the mat. Recovering the 2008 version of Vallimont could produce ample points this season. As a sophomore 157-pounder, Vallimont finished second in the conference. He then placed third at the NCAA tournament, helping Penn State to a third-place finish. Vallimont regressed as a junior, moving to 165 midway through the season and failing to return to the NCAA podium. He lost 12 times, an alarming total considering he went 32-3 in 2007-08. “Last year there was a lot of stuff going on,” he said. “This year I have been in the weight class all year and I have had time to adjust to it. I have confidence in myself at this weight this year whereas last year I didn’t have as much.” Competing at 165 in the Big Ten requires some swagger. Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe, Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar and Ohio State’s Colt Sponseller are three of the nation’s best middleweights. Vallimont, the No. 4 seed, went 0-3 against the trio before ending the regular season with four convincing victories. “I just need to go out there and open up and wrestle like I do in practice,” he said. “I feel like I wrestle to those guys’ styles instead of going out there and wrestling my style of match. That’s what I’m going to be focused on this time around.”

Cyler Sanderson enters this postseason in an odd spot: He’s seen almost everything college wrestling offers, sans a Big Ten Tournament. Cyler won a Big 12 title at 157 in 2008 at Iowa State. But he faltered last postseason, finishing 1-2 and placing fourth in the five-team conference. His first Big Ten tournament includes few traps. The conference receives just four NCAA qualifiers at 157, and Minnesota’s Dustin Schlatter is the only top-5 wrestler. Sanderson pinned four straight conference opponents, but ended the regular season with a 4-0 loss to Schlatter. Erwin has flourished against Big Ten opponents, finishing 7-1 in conference duals. But he missed NCAA spots after ending the 2005- 06 and 2007-08 with above- .500 confernece marks. Now at 184 pounds, an older and wiser Erwin enters the conference tournament seeded second behind Illinois’ John Dergo.

Lynch is an enigma. He defeated three ranked opponents — Illinois’ Ryan Prater, Iowa’s Montell Marion and Wisconsin’s Cole Schmitt — to snag the No. 4 seed at 141. But Lynch started the regular season 5-8 and ended it on his back against Minnesota’s Mike Thorn. “Thorn is a tough opponent who came out and didn’t give Lynch a chance to do what he does.” Cael Sanderson said. “Lynch’s confidence is improving and growing daily. We know what will get out of Lynch.” Sanderson expects similar efforts from Vallimont, Erwin and his younger brother this weekend. “Those guys are experienced and they have been there before,” he said. “They know what to expect and they are real mature. They have wrestled well and they continue to get better. The goal is for them to be at their best now.”

Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article