Blue White Illustrated

ond again. In any other world – without those two college wrestling greats – Ruth would be a two-timer working toward a historic third Hodge Trophy. Even without the laurel, Ruth is considered a great in his own right, having already claimed two NCAA crowns and three All-America citations. He's at peace with what he's accomplished in his college career. If he can add a Hodge Trophy to the shelf next year, that will be an added bonus. "If it comes to me, it comes to me," Ruth said. "If I focus on something too much, I feel like I have too much to lose. If I don't focus on it and I just keep performing the way that I do, then I feel like I'll get it when I get it. Guys who take life too seriously or worry about something too much, once something slips up or one little thing goes wrong then [it seems like] their world is going to end. I'd rather work toward doing my best. Then if it doesn't fumbles, three interceptions) that he managed to get himself drafted by the Minnesota Vikings even after suffering a devastating knee injury in the Lions' next-to-last game. Penn State has some pretty good young linebackers on its roster, and more appear to be on the way. But this school won't see the likes of Mauti again for a long, long time. D.J. NEWBILL BASKETBALL The Nittany Lions needed a point guard after Tim Frazier went down with a seasonending Achilles tendon injury in the Lions' fourth game. They also needed points. Newbill, a transfer who was making his Penn State debut after a season on the happen, my whole world won't end. I'm still moving on. There's still wrestling after college." That nonchalant demenor has helped Ruth win his two national championships, a feat matched by only four other Nittany Lion wrestlers. He also has the best winning percentage (98.1) in Nittany Lion history and sits third in the school's record book with 35 falls. (Taylor is in second place with 37.) But winning didn't always come easily, and Ruth's initial struggles helped him develop his relaxed approach. During his redshirt year he lost three matches at open tournaments – two of the losses came against former teammate Quentin Wright – and he also took his thumpings inside the practice room, even if he doesn't have a quarter-sized scar on his eyebrow to match his coach. It took some time for Ruth, a national prep champion at Blair (N.J.) Academy, to get adjusted to dealing with the collegiate losses, but once he accepted them as part of the sport, he saw his success skyrocket. "When you lose a wrestling match as a little kid, you wanna break everything, you wanna kick staircases and punch walls," Ruth said. "Once I got to college – when I started losing – I stopped walking off and being mad. I just put on a smile and walked right off the mat, because I never died after a match. I didn't lose a piece of my soul." If anything, the losses strengthened Ruth's resolve. Since that first season, he has lost just two matches in his career, one of which he avenged in the 2012 NCAA 174-pound final. And he has plans to continue competing even after his senior season concludes. Winning an Olympic gold medal is No. 1 on his postgraduate to-do list and maybe a stint in Mixed Martial bench, delivered both. Playing out of position as Penn State's lead guard, the sophomore averaged 16.3 points and four assists per game, ranking fifth in the Big Ten in both categories. It was a tough season for Penn State, no two ways about it. But it would have been a lot tougher if not for Newbill. (Penn State's first first-teamer in 73 years) and earned the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Award recognizing the year's top goalie. AUSTIN KAUT LACROSSE Hoping to join the national lacrosse elite, the Nittany Lions got a big lift from their goalkeeper. Kaut, a junior from Morton, Pa., was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after ranking third in the country in goals-against average (7.37) and second in save percentage (61 percent) while making a careerhigh 194 saves. And that was just the beginning. After the season, he was named a first-team All-American QUENTIN WRIGHT WRESTLING Could anyone have conjured up a more heartwarming script for the end of Wright's college career? Seems unlikely. The senior 197-pounder, a fan favorite due to his local ties, his onthe-mat success and his down-toearth demeanor, enjoyed a brilliant final year. He went 14-0 in the dualmeet season, then won his second Big Ten title, then clinched the Nittany Lions third consecutive team championship with a decision over Kent State's top-ranked Dustin Kilgore in the NCAA finals. In finishing first at nationals, he became only the sixth wrestler in Penn State history to claim All-America honors all four seasons.

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