Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD 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 en: WELCOME to the 1st Day of our National Championship sea- son! That's the text message Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan sent to each of his wrestlers one year ago, the day after ri- val Penn State won its fourth consecu- tive NCAA crown. Confident, yes, but it was simply the next step in Ryan's plan. A year ago in Oklahoma City, Ryan redshirted many of his top wresters, notably a returning All-American, an NCAA qualifier and a couple blue-chip freshmen – all with the end-goal of maximizing this year's lineup. Seeming to defer any hope of a current title run in favor of increased odds the following year, it was a bold move. But, 364 days later, it paid off, as the Buck- eyes were crowned 2015 national champs in St. Louis with 102.0 points. If the overall strategy sounds familiar, it might be because it is. Or, at least that's what the Nittany Lions are hoping for, as they installed the roots of a simi- lar method this season. After what many dubbed a "reload year" in 2015, in which the Lions fin- ished sixth nationally with 67.5 points – just over half of what they scored on av- erage in the previous four years – the next part of their plan ends with a championship in 2015-16. It might even be worth a text message. After Ohio State clinched this year's team trophy and as medal matches were wrapping up, PSU's next lineup seemed to become the main topic of conversa- tion in St. Louis. Following Morgan McIntosh's third- place match, for instance, it was brought up. At the threshold of his final season, McIntosh just wrapped up a roller coaster of a year, falling one loss shy of his championship goals. Spirits weren't as low one might expect; he wasn't glowing, either. But when a re- porter asked him about next year's line- up, he perked up. "We've had this year to focus on, but now that it's kind of out of the way, I'm super, super excited for next year," he said. "We have some really, really tough kids, and I can't wait to be on a team with them and watch them go out there and kick butt. The young team we're going to have is going to be a blast. It's going to be a fun last year to be at Penn State, for sure." Highly touted in high school and, in some cases, even more during their first year in the practice room, a host of red- shirt freshmen are set to vie for starting spots – and starting spots will be at a premium in 2015-16, as two All-Ameri- cans return. At which weights? That's yet to be de- termined, and with multiple wrestlers who could potentially fill a couple class- es, it's expected that different combina- tions will be used before a final lineup is settled upon. Considering that only two starters graduate – Matt Brown (174) and Jimmy Lawson (285) – the lineup will be forced to undergo a major over- haul in order to fit the influx of talent. Any overhaul it undertakes, too, is ex- pected to increase Penn State's horse- power at next year's NCAA tournament, which will take place in New York's Madison Square Garden. In addition to the return of Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford, the three top-10 recruits who signed last year are set to make their debut. Wrestling unattached as redshirts this season, Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (174) and Nick Nevills (285) lost a com- bined total of only four matches. And one of Nickal's two losses was a 10-7 decision against his teammate Brown – an even- tual national champ – at the Nittany Lion Open. There's Shakur Rasheed (165-184) and Anthony Cassar (197), as well, who turned heads in the practice room as redshirts. With all that young talent stockpiled, McIntosh wasn't the only one already shifting his attention ahead to next year in the hallways of the Scottrade Center. A few minutes after Brown secured his title – one of the primary goals of the season – Sanderson offered a glimpse of the future. "The attitude we have in the room right now is important," he said. "Nico and Zain are guys who are so tough and so consistent. They're wrestling every second of every match just with that ex- ample they have. Nolf is the same way. So many young kids who are right there: Shakur and Anthony Cassar. We're ex- cited about the future. I think a lot of teams are excited about the future. "That's why this tournament is just going to keep getting better." Especially with teams like the Buck- eyes, who aren't falling from grace easi- ly. Those freshmen they redshirted a year ago? They claimed All-America honors, and one – Nathan Tomasello – won the whole damned thing at 125. It is, after all, only year one of Ryan's plan. "Developing young people," Ryan said in his championship press conference, "it's constant." But if the Lions' similar strategy goes accordingly, OSU might have a road- block awaiting it. Asked if his final year at Penn State could be the start of another champi- onship run, McIntosh smiled and replied, "I believe so, 100 percent." Confident, yes, but it's also just the next step. ■ Delayed gratification M

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