Despite suffering a knee injury during last weekend's Big Ten tournament, 141-pound true freshman Garrett Scott insists he's ready to wrestle at the highest level in this week's NCAA tournament. "I want to be standing on top of the podium," Scott said in a telephone interview yesterday. That goal seemed out of reach when he crumpled to the mat and clutched his left knee after Wisconsin's Kyle Ruschell took him down March 8. The loss to Ruschell (by injury default) ensured Scott would finish no better than seventh -- the final qualifying spot for nationals.

After the injury, an early diagnosis by team trainers wasn't good. Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland was mum when he told CSTV after the match that it was "very unlikely" Scott would be able to wrestle for seventh. The team doctors diagnosed his injury as a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) tear, which is far less serious than the initial diagnosis of a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear. According to jointpaininfo.org, the LCL can heal without surgery, as opposed to the PCL. Scott said he thought his season was over as he sat in his hotel room that night. Then, he was visited by Penn State assistant coaches John Hughes and Matt Dernlan. The coaches had three words of encouragement -- "Suck it up." "When I got back to my hotel room, I sat down and talked with Coach Dernlan and Coach Hughes and they were just like, 'Listen, this is the most important time of the year. You've got to get out there and do it,' " Scott said. "I knew myself that's what I needed to do, so I just taped it up and went out there and wrestled."

Scott won the seventh and final qualifying spot -- with his knee heavily wrapped -- for the NCAA tournament when he easily pinned Michigan State's Jeff Wimberly just 1:56 into the final consolation match the next day. The win guaranteed Scott a trip to St. Louis. All season, Scott has prided himself on being tougher than his opponents. He is 18-5 on the season with eight pins. With the pain in his knee, Scott said he felt as if he was the tougher wrestler that day. "He's an all right wrestler," Scott said of Wimberly. "I take nothing away from him, he's good, but I just don't think he was that tough. That was another incentive to finish that match."

Sunderland has watched Scott battle adversity all year and described the freshman as a "competitor" after practice yesterday. Scott struggled early in the year to get certified at 141-pounds and has battled All-American Jake Strayer most of the season for the starting spot at 141-pounds. Despite the challenges Scott's faced, Sunderland said the injury was probably the toughest of Scott's career. "He stepped it up," Sunderland said. "It was the first time in his career he's had a pretty significant injury and has had to deal with that mentally and physically." On Sunday, he ran with the team and has been able to do drills in practice. Yesterday he wrestled his first match since the injury and said the knee didn't give him problems. "He's progressed pretty well," Sunderland said. "He's taped up and everything, so he's ready to go."

Thanks to Travis Johnson and the "Daily Collegian" (PSU) for the article