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All-American and two-time NCAA champ, but was also one of the catalysts behind Penn State's historic four-title run. But the Nittany Lions can't simply forfeit this weight class to honor his success, so some- body has to take the torch. The most likely starter is redshirt fresh- man Garrett Hammond, a two-time state champ from Chambersburg, Pa. Ham- mond is also listed at 157 pounds, but he moved up to compete at 165 at open tour- naments last year and won more matches than any of Penn State's redshirting wrestlers. PROJECTED STARTER Garrett Ham- mond, R-Fr., 29-7* 174 Matt Brown returns for his final sea- son of eligibility – nearly seven years after he graduated high school – and the two- time All-American will be a key figure in this lineup. A senior leader known for his consistency and work ethic, he will be looking to improve upon his results from last year. After a runner-up finish as a sophomore, Brown fell to fifth in 2014. He's hoping to save his best performance for last. PROJECTED STARTER Matt Brown, Sr., 33-6 184 The challenge at this weight class is similar to the one at 165. Whenever you lose one of the all-time greats, it takes a team effort to make up for the loss of pro- duction. Sometimes even that isn't enough. No one on the roster can be expected to match the output of Ruth, but there are a couple guys – Wes Phipps and Matt Mc- Cutcheon, specifically – who are going to try. Incoming freshman Bo Nickal from Allen, Texas, will also get his shot, but it's more likely that he will redshirt. Fans caught a glimpse of Phipps last year in the Bryce Jordan Center when he filled in for Ruth and won a major decision over Pitt's Aaron Rothwell. A week later, he fought hard but fell, 3-1, to eventual NCAA finalist Nick Heflin of Ohio State. In order to permanently take over the spot, Phipps will have to beat out Mc- Cutcheon, a redshirt freshman who is known as a "mat rat" and at times has had to be driven out of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex because he simply had been there too long. McCutcheon, a top-50 recruit a couple of years ago, was also dominant at open tournaments. This will be one of the most scrutinized weight-class battles of the preseason. PROJECTED STARTER Wes Phipps, So., 5-4/Matt McCutcheon, R-Fr., 14-5* 197 Add Morgan McIntosh to the list of outpatients, as he had a minor elbow pro- cedure early in the off-season. McIntosh is expected to be fully recovered by the first whistle of the year, and like Brown, he'll be relied upon this season to be one of the team's top point-scorers. Also like Brown, McIntosh is looking for an im- proved result from last year. He finished as an All-American for the first time in his career, so it's not as if he had a poor showing. But he had to battle a nagging elbow injury en route to a seventh-place showing at nationals. Now healthy, he's hoping to climb the ladder as a junior. PROJECTED STARTER Morgan McIn- tosh, Jr., 32-5 285 If needed, blue-chip freshman Nick Nevills from Clovis, Calif., could probably start – and win – for Penn State from day one. But he's not needed yet. With three fifth-year sen- iors at heavyweight, two of whom – Jim- my Lawson and Jon Gingrich – are na- tional qualifiers, Penn State can afford to give Nevills a year off to grow and ac- climate himself to the college sport. So who gets the start in the meantime? Law- son suffered a knee injury last year that required surgery, and Gingrich hurt his knee during his final bout at nationals. So both have been limited throughout the off-season. Classmate Nick Ruggear is also recovering from a leg injury he suffered last year. At this weight class, it might come down to who is healthiest, or it could be another long, drawn-out battle between Lawson and Gingrich for the third year in a row. PROJECTED STARTER Jon Gingrich, Sr., 23-10/Jimmy Lawson, Sr., 16-5 ■ *Wrestling unattached POINT SCORER The Lions are hoping for big things from McIn- tosh at 197 pounds after he finished seventh at nation- als last season. Steve Manuel

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