Penn State’s recruiting efforts never stopped when Andrew and Dylan Alton, Dirk Cowburn and Sam Sherlock faxed letters of intent to the wrestling office last fall. Looking back on it, the Nittany Lions were just getting started. By officially landing two-time New Jersey state champion Hank Stinson, Shady Side Academy’s Frank Martellotti, Juniata’s Seth Beitz, Oxford’s Nick Ruggear and Cameron Kelly of Pittsford (N.Y.), head coach Cael Sanderson added five wrestlers with combined 697-123 high school records to his first full recruiting class. “If you look at the teams around the country that are winning conference and national championships, you will see they do a good job of building depth in the (wrestling) room,” associate head coach Cody Sanderson said Monday. “That’s what you want to do to win a championship.”

Some of Penn State’s newest signees might be more than auxiliary roster parts. Stinson accomplished a difficult feat by winning a 135-pound title in New Jersey’s one-class state tournament as a sophomore at Eastern Regional High School. Injuries derailed his attempt to repeat as a junior, but he recovered to win a state title at 140 this past season, ending his career with a 120-10 record. Stinson’s relentless style caught the attention of Cody and assistant coach Casey Cunningham, who were in the stands watching high school matches between Penn State’s rounds at January’s Virginia Duals. Cael then visited Stinson’s house later in the month. The visit led to Stinson, who projects as a 133-or 141-pounder, orally committing to Penn State before the end of the season. “I think what happened is that he had an injury and dropped off the radar,” Cody said. “Casey and myself were sitting at a tournament and watching him, and he went out there and went after falls and looked to score points. After that, we checked into him.”

Martellotti, who orally committed to Penn State last fall, also won a state title, capturing a PIAA Class AA championship at 103 in 2007. He placed third the next two seasons before losing to Boiling Springs’ Joe Spisak 4-3 in this year’s 130-pound final. Beitz lost to Schuylkill Valley’s Colin Shober 11-4 in the 140-pound final. Beitz, who attended the same high school as former Nittany Lions Dave Hart and Phil Bomberger, compiled a 154-31 career record. Cody said Martellotti projects as 133-or 141-pounder while Beitz will wrestle 141 or 149 to begin his career. Ruggear projects to wrestle 197, a weight where Penn State struggled throughout 2009-10. Ruggear, who attended the same high school as Nittany Lion 174-pounder Justin Ortega, had a breakthrough season as a senior, finishing 40-4 and placing third in a difficult Class AAA 215-pound weight class. Ruggear is the only 2010 recruit projected to wrestle above 184, although the staff hasn’t completed its meetings with high school seniors. “It’s always a challenge finding bigger guys,” Cody said. “From 141 to 184, you can always find kids. But if one of your bigger kids gets hurt, things can get thin.”

Kelly, a projected 125-pounder, went 135-31 and qualified for the New York state tournament twice. He placed fifth at 119. Throw in the Altons, Cowburn and Sherlock, and Penn State’s recruiting class features nine wrestlers who earned a combined 23 state medals, including 11 golds. “The quality of this class is excellent,” Cody said. “We have some guys who bring more of a pure talent aspect to the room and we have other guys who might not be as talented but they are hard-working, hard-nosed kids. They are kids that want to beat people and they are determined to find a weight in the lineup.”

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