Blue White Illustrated

Penn State entered the final round of the 2014 Big Ten tournament with just a 0.5-point lead over second-place Iowa. And that was only one of the dramatic storylines March 9 in Madison, Wis. Nittany Lion David Taylor also became the first four-time Big Ten champion in Penn State history, beating heavier team- mate Ed Ruth to the punch by fewer than 30 minutes. They became the 13th and 14th four-time champs in conference his- tory. "Taylor and Ruth both came through with a major decision for their fourth Big Ten championship," head coach Cael Sanderson said on the Big Ten Network after the tournament. "That's a big deal." But perhaps the bigger deal was how their two titles helped Penn State clinch the tournament crown, its fourth confer- ence championship in four seasons – all of which were spearheaded by Ruth and Taylor. In the end, Penn State outscored second-place Iowa, 140.5-135, while third- place Minnesota scored 118.5. In the 165- pound final, Taylor upended Iowa's Nick Moore with a 14-5 major decision, while Ruth toppled the Hawkeyes' Ethen Loft- house, 10-2, at 184 pounds to clinch the Nittany Lions' championship. Penn State's other three finalists, how- ever, weren't as successful. Nico Megaludis fell to rival Jesse Delgado of Illinois, 3-2, in overtime in the 125-pound final, 141- pounder Zain Retherford lost to Ohio State's Logan Stieber, 7-3, after previously having beaten Stieber in a December dual meet, and 197-pounder Morgan McIntosh dropped a tight 5-3 decision to Ohio State's Nick Heflin. In review, all 10 PSU competitors placed at the conference tournament. Jimmy Gulibon finished seventh at 133 with a 3- 2 record. James English finished fifth at 149 with a 3-2 record. Dylan Alton finished eighth at 157 with a 2-3 record. Matt Brown finished third at 174 with a 4-1 record, and 285-pound Jon Gingrich finished sixth with a 2-3 record. "We're very excited," Sanderson said. "I think it was a great team effort. We got 10 guys through to the national tourna- ment, so we're happy." Taylor was honored as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler for the third time in his career, as well as the 2014 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Sanderson was hon- ored as the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year – for the fourth consecutive season. What must they do in order to find similar success Oklahoma City, Okla., at the 2014 NCAA Championships? "Just get rested up," Sanderson said, "and get ready to go." – T.O. PSU wins league crown for 4th consecutive year Daily Team Coverage Go behind the scenes with exclusive coverage of the Lions throughout the season Recruiting Scoop Breaking news on Penn State's targets Prospect Videos See all of tomorrow's top players in action with our high-quality prospect videos Expert Analysis In-depth analysis from our H[SHUWVLQWKH¿HOG Expert Message Boards Interact with other Penn State fans across the country and discuss the state of the Lions 7-Day Free Trial! POWERED BY 1-866-2-RIVALS FOOTBALL SEASON IS IN FULL GEAR B l u e W h i t e I l l u s t r a t e d . c o m B l u e W W h i t e I l l l u s t r a t t e d . c o m m FU FU U UL UL LL GE GE EA EA AR

• Cover