Blue White Illustrated

that was part of the preseason injury. Right now he's walking around in the low 150s, so it's just a matter of doing things correctly. How difficult is it to strike a balance between having the best assistants possible and having a stable staff that isn't always being eyed by other schools that are looking to make a hire? We've been very fortunate. I think both Coach Cody [Sanderson] and Casey [Cunningham] are two of the best coaches in the country. They do incredible jobs. It's just a matter of trying to make sure they're happy and they're doing the things they want to do and focusing on being coaches. That's what they enjoy: the training of the student-athletes. They're a big part of everything that's going on. So they're happy. They're satisfied with what they're doing. Obviously, Penn State and [athletic director] Dave Joyner have helped me to make sure that they know they're appreciated. How did the Penn State hiring process go? There are a lot of myths out there that you had millions of dollars thrown at you. It's kind of a joke but kinda annoying a little bit, too. People still think that [there was a $1 million signing bonus]. I don't know where that stuff came from, but they ran with it. I think people thought that since I was at Iowa State and I was just super happy, that Penn State had to buy me out of it, which wasn't the case. I called them and was interested and knew if I was going to move, Penn State was the place that I would consider. So it was a little different. I think any coach who was watching Penn State was thinking, "Man, that program is a sleeping giant." I heard they had a lot of support, and obviously it's Pennsylvania wrestling. It's the school in the state, and that's a big deal when it comes to recruiting and packing the stands and building a following. I was definitely interested in that. When I [met with Penn State's human resources department], Coach Cunningham was sitting with me and the lady says, "So, I heard that you got a big signing bonus. Is that something that I need to know about?" I'm like, "No." I don't even know who started that. It's wrestling, dude. We sell how many tickets at $6 apiece? It's ridiculous. People will believe anything. I'm more than happy. I'm trying to be somewhere I can be happy so I can be a good father, a good husband and good coach. My family likes it. My wife is very happy here. Every day, 750,000 commuters shuffle through Grand Central Terminal in New York. But on May 15, the hustle and bustle halted for the evening. In the middle of the concourse lay a wrestling mat surrounded by approximately 700 fans, and at one point, Penn State's David Taylor was the center of it all. Taylor was one of five Team USA freestyle wrestlers to win a match against an opponent from Team Russia in the Rumble on the Rails event. Team USA went on to rout the Russians, 8-1, winning two GrecoRoman bouts and the lone women's freestyle match, too. Taylor sent the USA crowd into a frenzy when he pinned Magomed Kurbanaliev 16 seconds into the second period at 74 kilograms and raised his arms in celebration. Taylor topped Kurbanliev, 7-2, in the first period. "I'm just adjusting my style for freestyle, adjusting things up, trying to make improvements every single day," Taylor said. "I want to be the best in the world. Luckily [Team USA] has the best guys in the world, so I know where I'm gauging myself." The match inside New York's historic train station was Taylor's debut on the senior international circuit, coming on the heels of a secondplace finish at the U.S. Open (freestyle) tournament in April. He said it was difficult to hide the excitement of competing internationally, especially since it was on his home turf, or rails, if you will. "I was a little hyped up, wrestling really the first international match for me," he said. "Being at home, being in front of the United States, being in New York – [we went] out there and did really well against Russia." NOTES Four of Penn State's 2013 NCAA finalists placed at the recent Asics Freestyle University Nationals at the University of Akron, with three Nittany Lion wrestlers claiming freestyle championships. The champions were Nico Megaludis in the 55-kilogram weight class, David Taylor (74 kg) and Ed Ruth (84 kg). Ruth had four tech falls in the tournament, including a 10-0 tech fall over Cam Simaz of Cornell's Finger Lakes Wrestling Club in the finals. Matt Brown came back from a thirdround upset loss to reel off six more wins, going 8-1 overall to take third at 79 kg. ... Megaludis (3.54 GPA), Taylor (3.55), Brown (3.97) and Quentin Wright (3.25) have received first-team Academic All-America recognition from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. As a team, the Nittany Lions finished 10th nationally with a cumulative GPA of 3.15. Wright, meanwhile, was one of two Penn State athletes to receive the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, a $7,500 grant that he can use to continue his studies at Penn State or a professional school of his choice. – T.O.

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