The Nittany Lions’ 2009-10 lineup included just one wrestler recruited by the new staff: 157- pounder Cyler Sanderson, Cael and Cody’s younger brother. Cyler transferred from Iowa State to join his brothers. Advertisement The rest of the lineup included four walk-ons, three key pieces of the 2005 recruiting class, a sophomore heavyweight who dropped 30 pounds and an All- American moving up from 141 to 149. No Quentin Wright. No Bubba Jenkins. No true freshmen. Jenkins didn’t make it to Part 2 of the season. The former NCAA finalist was given his walking papers by Cael in December. He wasn’t the only one to leave. A 37-wrestler roster was pared down to 28 by January. “I think the biggest change was discipline,” sophomore Frank Molinaro said. “We had people that wanted to be here. They wanted to be wrestling and getting better at practice. That’s exactly what we needed.”
The changes showed on the mat. A team that entered the season with mild expectations developed into a formidable opponent for the nation’s best teams. The Lions Nittany increased their win total from eight to 13 despite wrestling two fewer dual meets. When the victories mattered the most, Penn State wrestled its best, jumping from 17th to ninth at the NCAA Championships. Three Nittany Lions — Molinaro at 149, Cyler at 157 and Dan Vallimont at 165 — earned NCAA All- American honors. Vallimont reached the finals one year after failing to place. “Looking back on it, if you had seen the guys at the beginning of the year you would have thought, ‘No way are we taking ninth in the country at nationals,’” said Wright, a 2009 All-American who redshirted this past season. “But the coaching staff cultivated the right attitude this year. Every single guy who started I have to give credit to. They didn’t get spots because they won wrestle-offs. They got spots because they proved themselves.”
The ninth-place finish marked Penn State’s fourth top-10 NCAA performance since 2000. Before leaving Omaha, Cael, who had three top-three showings in three years at Iowa State, said he doesn’t expect Penn State to finish lower than ninth again. He stuck by his words during an interview less than two weeks later. “Yeah, I said that,” Cael said. “Our goal is to win. But it’s not about winning. It’s about putting the right product out there with the right attitude. If you do that, the results will come and we will be there in the mix more times than not. “We’re contending for titles. We’re not trying for second or third. We’re focused on having good people here, doing things the right way and having the right kids in the program who can score points. We want to be a national championship team. It’s just a matter of getting there.”
Cael said the Nittany Lions have already shifted their focus toward 2010-11. The freestyle season begins next weekend when a group heads to the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio. A recruiting class that started taking shape last April when Central Mountain’s Andrew and Dylan Alton orally committed on a Lock Haven radio show arrives in June. The coaching staff must sift through a variety of possibilities before November. Brad Pataky, who will be a sixth-year senior, is set at 125, Molinaro figures to be the 149-pounder and Cameron Wade returns at heavyweight. Freshmen David Taylor and Jake Kemerer will likely replace Sanderson and Vallimont at 157 and 165. Wright and freshman Ed Ruth are also coming off redshirt seasons. Their 2010-11 weights are unclear. Both wrestlers competed at 184 this year, with Wright defeating Ruth in the finals of February’s Edinboro Open. One scenario includes the duo competing at 174 and 184. Another one has them at 184 and 197. “We have to figure that out right away,” Cael said.
The Nittany Lions struggled at 197 this past season as Clay Steadman and Dave Crowell went a combined 5-13 in dual meets. Cael said the staff is waiting to see whether Jared Platt can regain his eligibility. Platt, a former Blair Academy star and 2007 recruit, returned to school this spring after being dismissed from the team following the 2007-08 season. Platt was projected to wrestle 197 coming out of Blair Academy. Developing a national-caliber 197-pounder is important to Sanderson, who won his fourth NCAA title at the weight. Sanderson coached Iowa State’s Jake Varner to the 197- pound NCAA title last year. Varner defended his title this past season. “That’s a weight class we need to have — and will have — a competitor there,” Sanderson said. “Our guys made progress. Steadman is getting better and Crowell was wrestling in the weight class as a 184-pounder. We need to get some prospects in there.” Penn State also has offseason questions at 133 and 141. At 133, Bryan Pearsall, who went 3-23 as the starter this past season, could be competing with incoming freshmen Sam Sherlock and Frank Martellotti. Sherlock, a PIAA Class AAA champ at 125 last season, missed most of 2009-10 after undergoing knee surgery in January to repair a torn ACL. He is expected to return to the mat in late- May or early-June.
Adam Lynch’s decision to return for a fifth-year of eligibility provides multiple options at 141. With Molinaro at 149, one of the Altons could be in the mix with Lynch at 141. Sanderson redshirted every true freshmen this past season. He said that might not be the case in 2010-11. “It’s definitely different,” he said. “If we feel they are ready to go, we are going to wrestle them right away. With having Frank there as a two-time All-American, we have to play around with our lineup.” The issues are different than the ones Penn State faced this past season. But they should keep people talking until November. “We are always thinking future because of the recruiting aspect,” Cody said. “But preparing for 2010-11 was something I guess didn’t get into my thoughts until the season was done. It’s easy to think, ‘Next year, next year, next year.’ If you’re thinking that way, five or six years down it’s still, ‘Next year, next year.’ We’re going to take the team we have and do the best job of preparing them.”
Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article