Former PIAA Class AAA champions Quentin Wright and Jake Kemerer are redshirting at Penn State. The incoming recruiting class includes Central Mountain’s Andrew and Dylan Alton, Coudersport’s Dirk Cowburn, Shady Side Academy’s Frank Martellotti and West Mifflin’s Sam Sherlock, wrestlers who own PIAA titles. Dylan Alton and Cowburn could become three-time state champions this week while Martellotti and Andrew Alton are searching for their second titles. Sherlock, a state champ last year, missed his senior postseason because of knee surgery. Other Big Ten schools have tapped into Pennsylvania’s strong 2010 recruiting class. Iowa’s class includes Council Rock South’s Josh Dwieza while Northwestern signed Schulykill Valley’s Colin Shober and Wyoming Seminary’s Mike McMullan. Central Dauphin graduate Tony Dallago is redshirting at Illinois. The abundance of high school talent in Pennsylvania is one thing that attracted coach Cael Sanderson to Penn State last April. Sanderson expects more Pennsylvania wrestlers to make it through next year’s conference tournament. “That’s not going to happen again,” he said. “We are Penn State. We’re going to be recruiting Pennsylvania kids.”
Bubble bursted?
Lynch started this season slow. He generated a buzz with a mid-season surge. Now, his season might be over. Lynch suffered two lopsided losses Sunday, falling to Purdue’s Jake Archuleta 15-5 and Wisconsin’s Cole Schmitt 18-3. Lynch went 2-3 this weekend. He defeated Indiana’s Geno Capezio 17-3 and received a forfeit against Illinois’ Ryan Prater before losing to Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey 14-4 in the semifinals. Lynch is 13-13. He entered the weekend in the top 30 of the RPI and coaches’ rankings thanks to three wins over ranked wrestlers in January. Five wrestlers will receive at-large selections at 141. The NCAA wrestling committee meets Wednesday to decide those spots. Cael Sanderson said Lynch belongs in the national tournament. “He has several wins over ranked wrestlers in the last month in a half,” Sanderson said. “That’s what it comes to down. He has those wins.”
No wait
Frank Molinaro knows all about the NCAA selection process. He parlayed an at-large spot into All-American honors at 141 last season. Molinaro, now a 149- pounder, doesn’t have to fret over a selection after taking fourth at 149. But Molinaro left Crisler Arena agitated for a different reason: He was pinned by Wisconsin’s Kyle Ruschell in the consolation finals. Molinaro fell onto his back when a scramble ensued after his own double- leg attempt. The bout was tied 2-2 at the time of the fall. The loss could impact Molinaro’s NCAA seeding because he defeated Ruschell earlier in the season. Molinaro also lost to Iowa’s Brent Metcalf 12-3 in the semifinals. “That last match made me really, really mad,” he said. Still, Molinaro, who entered the weekend ranked fourth nationally, feels better than he did after last year‘s tournament. “I’m far ahead of where I was last year, just mentally and physically,” he said. “I’m training full out every practice, eating right, doing everything right. I have nothing to hold me down. I just have to make it happen at nationals.”
Thanks to the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article