Blue White Illustrated

lege wrestling," Sanderson said. "He's a guy who we're going to [start]. He has a history of success." Moss has already seen his endurance improve since he's been training at PSU. "I think my conditioning was a little rough last year," he said. "But a:er going hard in the o8-season, it has helped out a lot." ZACK BEITZ WT 149 YR R-So. Like Conaway, Beitz isn't a stranger to the starting lineup. He defeated a cou- ple ranked opponents – and almost beat a few more, including last year's national champ at this weight – during dual meets last year. This season he'll 6ll in as a full- time starter, at least for the 6rst part of the year, while Andrew Alton recovers from an o8-season injury. Sanderson said Beitz "is a guy we're counting on. I think he can win, and we believe in him. He's put the time in, he's a competitor, now I'm just excited to get this started." Beitz, who graduated from Juniata High in Mi9intown, Pa., spent much of the summer preparing for this role. A:er starting last season at 141, he felt somewhat undersized against some opponents once he made the jump to 149 in late November. This year he's hoping to 7ip the script. "I've been looking to go 149 again," he said. "I let myself grow a little bit this summer. I was weighing a little bit heavier [in order to] be a bigger 49-pounder." His coaches have noticed the e8ort. "Beitz is a kid who is like Conaway; he's here all summer training, loves wrestling, does a great job," Sanderson said. "I think he's improved quite a bit from last year." Beitz 6nished last season with an 11-9 record, including a 5-5 mark in Big Ten competition. He was replaced by James English, who has since graduated, as the postseason starter. CODY LAW WT 157 YR R-Fr. Law wrestled the opener in place of senior All- American Dylan Alton, who had shoulder surgery shortly a:er the 2014 postseason. Alton has been medically cleared to compete, but Sanderson said, "he needs a little more time." Until then, Law, a 2013 Pennsylvania state champion for Forest Hills, gets the nod. During his redshirt season, Law com- piled a 14-4 record in open tournaments. Sanderson said Law is someone who "can score a lot of points for us. He's a good athlete, he's strong, he scrambles well. He has all the tools to be successful." In addition to adding strength this past o8-season, Law said the area in which he's improved most from last season is in the bottom position. "When I 6rst got here, I got rode for days," said the Windber native. "So it's getting a lot better. I'm still working on top, too, but I'm de6nitely getting better." The coaches feel that will continue to show up this season. "We're very con6dent, and Cody has looked very good, very strong," Sanderson said. "He's made a lot of progress. He's another one of those guys [who] we're excited to see compete." GARRETT HAMMOND WT 165 YR R-Fr. Of all the wrestlers who took a redshirt last season, Hammond tallied the best win-loss record. He went 29-7 and col- lected nine pins, seven tech falls and four major decisions. Although he wrestled unattached, his nine pins ranked third among all PSU wrestlers. "Hammond is a kid who is going to en- tertain the crowd," Sanderson said. "He's a big-move guy. He can score points in a hurry. He's tough on top. He's a guy who is a two-time state champion. If you can win two Pa. state championships, then you're pretty darn good." When IntermatWrestle.com re- leased its preseason tournament rankings in early November, nine Big Ten teams were listed in the top 15. In order, Minnesota, Ohio State and Iowa held the top three spots in the poll, with Penn State coming in at No. 5. (Fourth-ranked Cornell was the only non-Big Ten school in the top 6ve.) The other Big Ten programs rep- resented were Northwestern (eighth), Nebraska (11th), Illinois and Michigan (tied for 13th), and Wisconsin (15th). Head coach Cael Sanderson stopped short of saying the conference is stronger than at any point since his arrival at Penn State six years ago, but he acknowledged that "it's not getting any weaker, I don't think." The addition of Rutgers (No. 23) and Maryland (unranked) contributes to the conference's depth, Sanderson said. The ultimate sign of the confer- ence's strength, however, requires just one look at the NCAA's champi- onship history. A Big Ten program has won the national championship in each of the past eight seasons. And that trend is likely to continue this season. "There are several teams in [the Big Ten] that aren't just trying to win the conference, they're trying to win na- tionals," Sanderson added. "That's a pretty good indicator of the strength of a conference. How o:en does that conference win the national champi- onship?" – T.O. Big Ten dominates Intermat preseason poll

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