Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/109500
headed toward the locker room. Life is good for Penn State���s senior 197-pounder, who is ranked in the top three of his weight class by Intermat.com. For the first time in his career, he���s undefeated in February, with a record of XX, he recently married his college sweetheart and he���s on a collision course for his third consecutive appearance in the national final. And the fans, especially in Rec Hall, are loving it. So after his 100th victory on Jan. 18, he had to pay small debt of gratitude to the home crowd. He is, after all, ���the hometown hero,��� as his coach says. ���It means a lot, giving back to the people around me and to the community,��� said Wright, a native of nearby Wingate, Pa. ���It really means a lot, because being a local kid, everything you do and say, everybody gets to see it. These people have been with me since I started wrestling. I have a relationship with a bunch of different people. So for them to come together to support you ��� win or lose ��� it means a lot to be out there and to give them the opportunity to enjoy the moment with me.��� With his victory, Wright became the 27th Penn Stater to join the 100-win club. And it came in a fitting style that Penn State fans have come to expect during his five-year career. Facing No. 20 Jackson Hein of Wisconsin, Wright locked up a spladle ��� a painful variation of the spread eagle that is commonly referred to as the ���banana split��� ��� to spread Hein���s legs and plant his shoulders to the mat. The referee slapped the mat for the pin 1 minute, 24 seconds into the bout. ���Winning my 100th match by fall, by spladle, it���s incredible,��� Wright said. But then he turned the focus of the post-match news conference to freshman teammate Jordan Conaway. Conaway had just upset the thirdranked 133-pounder in the country, drawing an even louder round of applause than the one for Wright���s 100th win. Of course, Wright had to talk about that, too. He���s a student of the sport QUENTIN WRIGHT ���It���s time to go out big. There���s no other opportunity or chances. This is the last moment to make the most of it.��� and always is quick to congratulate a teammate. How could he ignore a good old-fashioned upset such as Conaway���s? So as he lauded the freshman���s third-period stamina and his late, bout-clinching takedown, he also described the memory that Conaway left with the 6,515 fans who were in attendance ��� an impact only a fifthyear veteran can truly grasp. ���He doesn���t realize right now that he created a memory in 6,000 people that they will remember for the rest of their life,��� Wright said. ��� ���Remember that time when Jordan won the match in Rec Hall and beat [Tyler] Graff? He came up and he won it.��� [The fans] will relive that moment over and over. It���s a testament to the person he is ��� a never-say-die attitude.��� During his career, Wright has created a few of those memories himself. He���s had arguably the most complete, successful career of any Penn State wrestler since current UFC star Phil Davis wore the blue and white five years ago. He was recruited by former head coach Troy Sunderland after winning two state titles for Bald Eagle Area High. During his first year on campus, he earned All-America status with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds. He finished with a 33-13 record. The next year, Cael Sanderson was hired to be head coach. So Wright helped with the transition period be- tween the two head coaches, and thrived through the meshing point. In Sanderson���s first year, he and Wright decided it would be best if Wright were to redshirt and use the year to bulk up in preparation for a move to 184 pounds. He came back as a redshirt sophomore, and after an up-and-down regular season, in which he suffered a shoulder injury, Wright stormed through the postseason and finished as the national champion at 184. As a junior, Wright made a repeat trip to the national finals. He faced childhood friend and State College High grad Steve Bosak of Cornell in the championship match and fell, 4-2, in a sudden victory decision. ���When it came to his junior year, it was pretty different,��� said Wright���s high school coach, Skip Pighetti. ���He was kinda on top and was expected to win. During his sophomore year, he was more of an underdog. [Opponents] knew Quentin was good, but they really didn���t know how good. I think that changed during his junior year. ���That���s Quentin Wright,��� so everyone gave a little bit extra.��� Being so close to a second national championship has left a sour taste in his mouth for his final campaign. Sure he���s still having fun while he���s wrestling ��� he makes that clear in nearly every interview ��� but this season he said there���s a newfound sense of urgency that he���s using as fuel.