Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/121281
ON A ROLL Ruth hasn���t lost a match since he was a freshman at Penn State. His 68-match win streak is the longest active streak in Division I. Mark Selders/Penn State Athletic Communications BACK ON TOP Ed Ruth sparks the Nittany Lions by repeating as national champion | D ES MOINES, Iowa ��� At times it was hard to decipher what the crowd was actually chanting. Obviously the Penn State fan section was yelling his last name after each victory ��� ���Ruuuttth!��� ��� elongating the vowel for emphasis. It wasn���t clear, however, whether everyone else in Wells Fargo Arena was following along, or if some fans were booing the 184-pound national champion. Considering that the soldout, 16,000-seat arena was filled predominantly with Iowa fans who were dissatisfied with their team���s fourthplace finish and others who were rooting against Penn State as it chased its third consecutive NCAA title, it���s safe to assume that there were at least some boos mixed in. ���My name sounds like a ���boo,��� anyway,��� a smiling Ed Ruth said. ���I can take it either way. So when I hear it, I just think the whole arena loves me.��� The chants were loudest after Ruth���s victory over Lehigh���s Robert Hamlin in the championship match. As the referee raised his right hand in victory, the arena bellowed. Ruth jogged over to Lehigh���s corner to shake hands with head coach Pat Santoro, something only a few finalists do. Before returning to his corner, he gave Hamlin one more handshake and a pat on the back. Then Ruth was greeted by his head coach. Cael Sanderson ran toward him on the edge of the mat and heaved the junior into the air and onto his shoulder, carrying him off the mat with Ruth���s waist slumped overtop Sanderson���s shoulder. ���That���s one of the things that makes me even more proud to win the title because, at the same time, I���m making my coaches happy,��� Ruth said. ���These guys put so much time and effort into me, and they dedicate a lot of themselves ��� not just time, but themselves and everything that they have to make you who you are. I���m making him proud, and he���s lifting me up on his shoulders. You just kind of feel special.��� Sanderson was especially pleased with Ruth���s performance. Penn State