Blue White Illustrated

With two newly named starters in the lineup, Penn State travels to Madison, Wis., this weekend with hopes of claim- ing its fourth consecutive Big Ten Tour- nament championship – a feat never accomplished in school history. Head coach Cael Sanderson, however, isn't necessarily fixated on writing an- other school record. As always, he's looking ahead to the national tourna- ment (March 20-22) in Oklahoma City, Okla., and he says a strong performance in Wisconsin's Kohl Center Saturday (action begins at 11 a.m.) and Sunday (finals air on Big Ten Network at 2 p.m.) can provide a boost for their NCAA tourna- ment aspirations. "I think our guys are ready to go," Sanderson said. "This is obviously a huge weekend for us, but it's an even bigger weekend two weeks later. To have the opportunity at nationals, you have to have a good weekend [at Big Tens.] We have to move all our guys through and set them up with [the best] seeds possible." Six of Penn State's 10 Big Ten wrestlers have been to the tournament before, but the rest are newcomers to the grind of a college wrestling postseason. Jimmy Gulibon at 133 pounds and Zain Rether- ford at 141 are both freshmen, while up- perclassmen James English (149) and Jon Gingrich (285) secured starting spots late in the season. English has been in the program for six years. He has battled various injuries since high school, and although he has been able to secure the starting spot, he said, "I haven't been 100 percent all six years that I've been here but I'm good enough. I'm ready to go now." English recently won wrestle-offs against redshirt freshman Zack Beitz, who went 11-9 on the year as a spot starter, and last year's 149-pound NCAA qualifier Andrew Alton, who will require shoulder surgery for the second consec- utive off-season. Sanderson called the 149-weight class "a very unusual situa- tion. We had three guys who we're very confident in." But the staff has the most confidence in English, a native of York, Pa. "He had a lot on his pate this year, but he's just resilient and determined," Sanderson said. "If things end the way he's planning on them ending, I think you'll have a nice script for a movie." At heavyweight, Gingrich is "defi- nitely" excited for his postseason oppor- tunity after the staff chose Jimmy Lawson as the postseason 285-pounder last season – despite Gingrich winning two of three wrestle-offs. This year, Lawson went down with a knee injury at the end of January. He tried making a return for the Nittany Lions' final dual meet vs. Clarion Feb. 23, but he lost the match and reportedly is not healthy enough for a postseason run. "Gingrich is healthy and they have been very close," Sanderson said. "In the past we've been happy with Lawson and the progress that he's made. We really thought he was doing a great job. But that's life sometimes; things happen. He was injured in the Northwestern match and he's going to need a little bit more time." Sanderson added that Gingrich, a na- tive of Milesburg, Pa., has "some really good counter offense and he's got a great double leg that he [uses]. He is a real strong kid and a real good athlete. He's just a pure athlete, I'd say. He just has to match it with the right attitude. He's not a guy you can take for granted if you're drawing him – whether you're the re- turning national champ or the three or four seed." M A R C H 5 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 7 The next step PSU begins its postseason run for four straight titles W R E S T L I N G BIG TEN TOURNEY PREVIEW PSU'S LINEUP 125|NICO MEGALUDIS – Jr. (23-2) Rival Jesse Delgado of Illinois awaits Megaludis again, but Mega- ludis earned the No. 1 pre-seed. 133|JIMMY GULIBON – R-Fr. (14-11) It's been an up-and-down season for Gulibon, but he tends to hit his stride during tournaments. Gulibon earned a No. 7 pre-seed. 141|ZAIN RETHERFORD – Fr. (26-0) Retherford finished his regular sea- son undefeated. Can he carry the momentum into the postseason? Retherford earned a No. 1 pre-seed. 149|JAMES ENGLISH – Sr. (8-3) After battling injuries for his six- year PSU career, English won a late wrestle-off to secure this spot. Eng- lish earned a No. 7 pre-seed and must finish in the top six in order to qualify for the NCAA tourney. 157|DYLAN ALTON – Jr. (16-2) After off-season shoulder surgery, Alton aims to return to All-America form in a top-heavy weight class. Alton earned a No. 5 pre-seed. 165|DAVID TAYLOR – Sr. (26-0) It's the Big Ten and NCAA titles and Hodge Trophy or bust for Tay- lor, who earned a No. 1 pre-seed. 174|MATT BROWN – Jr. (24-3) Brown seeks a return trip to the final, competing in maybe the toughest weight class in the tour- ney. He earned a No. 2 pre-seed. 184|ED RUTH – Sr. (25-1) At NCAAs, Ruth will look to avenge his loss to Cornell's Gabe Dean. But first his sights are set on a fourth-straight conference crown. Ruth earned a No. 1 pre-seed. 197|MORGAN MCINTOSH – So. (25-2) After a redshirt season, he has only lost to Missouri's J'Den Cox this year. People close to the program believe McIntosh can win it all. He earned a No. 1 pre-seed. 285|JON GINGRICH – Jr. (20-5) After Jimmy Lawson went down with a knee injury, Gingrich got the nod for his first postseason and earned the No. 8 pre-seed. T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M

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