Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/121281
entered Ruth���s final match in second place behind Oklahoma State. After a 17.5-point run from the Cowboys during Saturday morning���s consolation round and a victory by Chris Perry over Penn State���s Matt Brown in the 174-pound final, the Cowboys jumped in front of the Nittany Lions by one point heading into Ruth���s 184-pound match. ���I was out there watching Brown���s match and I was nervous,��� Ruth said. ���I was like, ���Brown, come on. Get it. Get it.��� I���m never really nervous for some of my teammates because I have confidence in them, but when he was out there, it made me nervous. My spine was tingling and my skin was crawling. I just wanted to get out there and win.��� Once it was his turn, though, he didn���t just win. After Ruth had built a 5-1 lead through two periods, Sanderson yelled an instruction to the native of Harrisburg, Pa. ���Let���s score bonus,��� he told him. So Ruth turned it on during the third period, tacking on three takedowns including a left-handed hicrotch takedown with 10 seconds remaining, to earn the 12-4 major decision. The victory provided a crucial bonus point in a team race that hadn���t yet concluded. ���To get that major, that was a big deal,��� Sanderson said. ���To get a major decision in the NCAA finals, it just shows you that not only is he a talented kid, but he���s a tough kid. He has great character. He���s just an extreme talent, but what I like about Ed is that he���s got a glow about him. You look into his eyes, and he���s sparkling and he���s got that smile. He���s just a good kid.��� Ruth will return for his final season at Penn State riding a 68-match win streak that dates back to his freshman season, when he wrestled back for third place at the NCAA tournament after losing by injury default in the quarterfinals. It���s the longest win streak in school history, and when the 201314 season begins, it will be the longest active streak in Division I. Ruth said he���s in no rush to get back on the mat. He plans on taking it easy until at least the summer, when he���ll hit the youth summer camp circuit as an instructor. Although he has no major injuries, he said the long season has put some wear on his shoulder and one of his legs, so he wants to be sure he���s fully healthy before returning to the practice room for a serious workout. ���I was thinking about taking a good amount of time off the mat because one of my biggest issues is recovery, making sure I stay fresh,��� he said. ���I tend to overwork sometimes.��� When he returns, fresh and ready, Ruth will attempt to cap his college season with a third consecutive individual national championship, a fourth career All-America honor and a fourth team championship. And there are certain to be a few more ���Ruuuttth��� and ���boo��� chants along the way. THE NCAA TOURNAMENT BY THE NUMBERS $15 MILLION Economic impact of the tournament, as estimated by the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. 860,000 ESPN���s average number of viewers during the March 23 championship telecast. It was the network���s most-viewed telecast of the event since it attracted 878,000 in 2004. 97,308 Overall attendance through six sessions at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. 202 Combined career wins by David Taylor (100) and Ed Ruth (102). The program record is 155, held by Jim Martin (1986-89). 116 Quentin Wright���s career victory total. He finished his career tied with current UFC star Phil Davis for 10th place in school history. 72 Number of team points accumulated by Taylor, Ruth and Wright. Their combined total was only one point fewer than what Iowa���s entire nineman contingent produced. 41 Number of first-place votes (out of 43 total) that Cornell���s Kyle Dake received in winning the Hodge Trophy, wrestling���s equivalent of the Heisman. Ruth finished second with two first-place votes. 13 Number of former Pennsylvania high school wrestlers who achieved All-America status ��� two more than second-place Ohio. 10 This year���s tournament was the first in Cael Sanderson���s four seasons at Penn State in which the Nittany Lions qualified all of their starters. 9:23 Combined duration of Taylor���s first four bouts ��� all pins. A full match lasts 7 minutes. The feat earned him the Gorriarian Award ��� which goes to the wrestler who earns the most pins in the least amount of time ��� for the second year in a row. 3.97 Matt Brown���s grade point average, which earned him the ELITE 89 award. The prestigious national honor is given to the athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the tournament. ��� T.O.