Blue White Illustrated

tude that we're looking for, and that's the biggest thing. Obviously in recruit- ing, there's a lot of talent and a lot of people who work hard, but having that attitude and that con/dence is key. They bring that to the table. We have Shakur Rasheed also, who is from Long Island, coming in. We have a great class. We're excited. We want kids who want to be at Penn State. We want kids who want to be wrestling in front of sold-out crowds and have the expectations of be- ing the best. A'er the freshman year that Zain Retherford had at 141, what do you want to see out of him during the o&- season? I think Zain just needs to improve a little bit technically. He's winning matches just because he's a tough kid. He's obviously very good at what he does, but we want to expand his skill set so he can score easier points. Those are some of the things he's been working on. He's a tough kid and he finds a way to win. To step in and do what he did as a true freshman, I mean, that made the difference for us in winning the national championship this year. That was with only a couple months of training. He's just a remarkable kid with a bright future. He wants to win the nationals. He has three more [seasons] here. He just has to keep doing what he's been doing and keep getting better. We're going to try and slow things down a little bit for him. He's a guy who will just train, train, train, but we need to improve his skills in di0erent situations. He's already very good, but we're going to take it up a notch. Taylor and Ruth were such a big part of what you've done the past four years. What are the challenges in try- ing to replace them? You don't look it at as though you're trying to replace them. We're trying to build another championship team. We want to win more championships, and that just comes from getting good kids who can score a lot of points at the na- tional tournament, kids who love wrestling and have that same passion. Obviously, [Taylor and Ruth] have tremendous ability, in addition to a great attitude and work ethic and passion for the sport. But we do that every year. That's all we do – we plan ahead. If you're not planning three or four years ahead, then you're years behind. We knew these guys were obviously going to graduate. We're going to miss them. What they accomplished in their time is nothing short of amazing. But I am ex- cited for the challenge of continuing on. Have you made a decision about whether you'll redshirt Nico Mega- ludis next year? No /nal decisions have been made. We're going to /gure that out as we move closer to the season. We just want the guys to keep making progress and getting better. We had our guys who were sort of beat up this year. [Jimmy] Lawson is getting back into it. [Jon] Gin- grich is just getting back into it from his injury at nationals. Morgan McIntosh hasn't been on the mat yet. He had a mi- nor surgery right a1er nationals on his [right] elbow. It was more of a cleanup deal. He's ready to go now. Dylan Alton had [shoulder] surgery. It was kind of a rough year as far as injuries are con- cerned. We have to get everyone back and get them to 100 percent. Then we'll start rolling here. How do you see the Altons ap- proaching this %nal season? Their ca- reers have gone up and down with in- juries. What have you seen from them this o&-season, and what do you ex- pect from them going into their last year? We're counting on them, obviously. We need them big-time. They're both sen- iors. They're both experienced. Yeah, the last two years they've been injured. Shoulders are a big deal in any sport, but in wrestling – with the pulling and push- ing, and the positions you get extended in – the shoulders make a big di0erence. You just want to get them back to full speed. When they're at full speed, they're pretty remarkable at what they do. They haven't had that opportunity, and I know that's been frustrating for them. It's tough to watch guys compete when they're not 100 percent. Hopefully they can get back to full speed. That's what we're pushing for. When they're full- speed, they're contenders, and we need them. Any plans to use the Bryce Jordan Center again this upcoming season? We haven't made any decisions on that, but we will soon. It went well last year and we'll probably do the same thing. Our demand was real high last year with Ed and David being seniors and that class that we had, and that team that we had. So we have to decide if it's the right thing for the program, but we want to give [fans] one chance to watch the team be- cause we're going to be pretty darn good again this year. ■

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