RACE TO THE TOP One of
Ruth���s closest bouts of the
year came against Lehigh���s
Robert Hamlin ��� an 11-9
decision at Rec Hall
on Nov. 16.
Mark Selders/Penn State Athletic Communications
through eighth-place medals is wide
open.
Stieber, the returning champion,
was the most dominant wrestler in
the country during the regular season, according to the NCAA. But
Ramos arguably has been just as effective, and he has more mat time
than Stieber, who was sidelined for a
few weeks in January with a leg injury. They met for the first time in the
Big Ten final and Stieber won, 3-1, in
overtime. The rivals are bound to
meet again in Des Moines.
FAVORITE Logan Stieber, Ohio State
DARK HORSE Nathan McCormick, Missouri
141 For the first time in his career,
Penn State���s Bryan Pearsall is heading to the national tournament. Finishing at 23-9, Pearsall had an upand-down regular season and never
broke into the top 20. Although he is
the only unranked Nittany Lion,
Pearsall is eager to make the most of
his postseason experience. Earning
All-America status might be difficult
in a top-heavy weight class, but look
for him to make some noise early in
the tournament.
This weight class has been dominated by Oklahoma���s Kendric Maple
and Ohio State���s Hunter Stieber.
They will be vying for their first appearance in a national final, while a
host of wrestlers ranked third
through 14th, have All-America potential.
