Blue White Illustrated

WRESTLING FOR THE LOVE OF THE SPORT Zain Retherford brings unwavering desire and a world title to Penn State | W hen targeting potential recruits, he doesn't look exclusively at results. Wins, losses, championships, rankings and other bits of quantitative data that some might use to evaluate the success of a wrestler are, he insists, secondary. "To me", Cael Sanderson said, standing inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex before practice, "whether they win or lose is not the most important thing with recruits. When we sign them, we sign attitude. With that attitude, if they bring that in here, we'll teach them how to win." But in each of Sanderson's four years as head coach, the Nittany Lions have brought in a few prospects who possess both world-class resumes and an unwavering desire to compete. The Class of 2013 is no different. For the fourth cycle in a row, Sanderson and his staff have landed a recruit who ranks among the top 10 overall prospects in the country, as rated by IntermatWrestle.com. This year's breadwinner is Zain Retherford, a projected 141-pounder. The soon-to-be 18-year -old from northeastern Pennsylvania has already developed a Division I devotion to the sport, and that has translated into results. His is considered one of the best senior seasons in Pennsylvania high school wrestling history. During the past year, Retherford has won a world championship in freestyle, a national championship in freestyle, a state high school championship and a few titles in some of the most prestigious high school tournaments in the country. While Retherford is the most well-known member of the incoming class, Penn State's five other recruits – Devon Bentley, Garrett Hammond, Cody Law, Matt McCutcheon and P.J. Steinmetz – have had their successes, too. As a class, they have amassed six career state titles. That's one reason why Penn State's class is considered to be one of the top three in the Big Ten. But Retherford is the headliner, considering his world crown (How many 17-year-olds can say they're a world champ? At anything?), his No. 3 overall recruit ranking and his 130-3 career record, a mark he compiled in only three scholastic seasons. And he's eager to embark on his next set of championship goals in a blue-and-white singlet. "I'm really excited to get in there and get going," he said. "That was kinda my focus all season, too. I'm always looking forward to the next level. This season I was training for college, too, not just the high school season. There's just something about continuously improving. You can't just stay still and not improve. Other people are going to pass you by." Some might label his approach to the sport obsessive. If so, it's an obsession that has yielded high returns.

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