Blue White Illustrated

WRESTLING LABOR OF LOVE A year ago, Zain Retherford was PSU's most heralded recruit. Now, the 141-pounder from Pennsylvania farm country ranks among the nation's top wrestlers | B y his own admission, Zain Retherford is a farm boy. And maybe, just maybe, that's where his grind-it-out, wear-himdown wrestling style is rooted. "I think it's the culture in general, said Penn State's starting " 141-pound true freshman, who grew up on a small farm in Dornsife, Pa. "Farm boys want to be tough and wrestle with a tough mentality. " Retherford learned about that culture firsthand in high school. He transferred to Benton before his junior year – and was ruled ineligible for a season because of it. But even while sitting out, he was learning from Benton head coach Russ Hughes, a 150-pound All-American for the Nittany Lions in 1996. And that experience helped prepare Retherford for a stellar senior season in which he finished 47-0 and won a state title. Hughes is a farmer, too. Retherford said his former coach raises "a couple thousand" pigs in his new barn. "Russ would always come into practice smelling like a pig," recalled Retherford. "You can't get it off you. You can shower as much as you want, but you'll still smell like it a little bit. " Throughout his two years at Benton, Retherford would help his coach wrangle the hogs in the off-season. He also handled a variety of other farmhand chores. In fact, when Retherford first committed to Penn State two years ago – when he said "Penn State is the place I can get the job done" – he talked to this reporter on the phone following an afternoon of tossing hay bales and stacking them on Hughes' farm. Since arriving at Penn State, Retherford has been getting the job done – albeit on the wrestling mat instead of in the barn. As of this writing, he had won 20 consecutive matches to begin his career. The most notable of those victories came over Ohio State junior Logan Stieber, the No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country at the time according to FloWrestling.com. Retherford forced Stieber into overtime and then outworked the two-time NCAA champion by wearing him down and grinding it out – farm boy style. With about 17 seconds left in the overtime period, Retherford attacked Stieber's left leg off a reshot and then gathered the right leg for the decisive takedown. It was only Stieber's third career loss. Head coach Cael Sanderson regularly expresses admiration for Retherford's poise, and he did so in the Rec Hall media room after that match. For a first-year college wrestler, Sanderson said, Retherford rarely gets shaken. No matter the opponent or the occasion – in the practice room or under the spotlight – he gives maximum effort. Said Sanderson, "That's the sign of a great one." But as Retherford admitted, he briefly lost his composure after defeating the nation's best wrestler. Once he planted Stieber for the winning takedown, the Rec Hall faithful erupted into a hair-raising roar. A few observers said it was the loudest they had ever heard the audience in the old fieldhouse. Sanderson said the increased decibel level barely registered with him, so he couldn't vouch. "I don't remember how loud it was," he said after the Nittany Lions' 31-6 hammering of the Buckeyes. "We were all pretty excited. That was a great moment." No one was more amped than Retherford. "I usually don't celebrate too much after a match, but the crowd definitely got me pretty fired up, he said, still riding a wave " of adrenaline. "I kinda lost my head for a second right after the match. It was electric in there." Part of the all-around consistency that Sanderson has seen from Retherford extends to his demeanor. "He is calm and

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