Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/575323
WRESTLING
n the previous two recruiting cycles,
Penn State signed four wrestlers who
ranked among the top 10 overall
prospects in their respective classes. All
four are expected to wrestle at 149 pounds
or heavier.
The Nittany Lions appear to be well-
stocked in the bottom half of the lineup
for the foreseeable future, but what about
at the top?
With Nico Megaludis (125 pounds) and
Jordan Conaway
(133) embarking
upon their 8nal
season of eligibility,
the demand for
l i g h t w e i g h t
wrestlers has slowly
been reaching a
crescendo in the
Lorenzo Wrestling
Complex.
In August, how-
ever, Penn State
started making headway toward rounding
out its future lineups when it added two
wrestlers who appear poised to take the
reins from Megaludis and Conaway be-
ginning in the 2016-17 season.
One of the nation's best recruits in the
Class of 2016, Nick Suriano chose Penn
State over Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State,
Arizona State and Rutgers on Aug. 16,
with the Hawkeyes, Cornhuskers and
Buckeyes providing the strongest com-
petition. In the end, the New Jersey native
said he chose PSU because "it has every-
thing I need to be successful."
"The reality hit me that Penn State is
the place for me," added Suriano, who is
a three-time state champion for Bergen
Catholic. "All around – the academics,
the wrestling. I believe it's the best
wrestling program in the country. Coach
Cael Sanderson is one of the greatest ever,
so it pretty much speaks for itself. It's a
great place, and I want to be part of some-
thing big."
As he enters his senior year, Suriano is
ranked No. 1 in the country at 120 pounds
by FloWrestling.com and No. 2 by Inter-
MatWrestle.com. Flo considers Suriano
the No. 4 pound-for-pound high school
wrestler in the country.
Suriano carries a 121-0 career record
into the coming season and he's already
only the seventh wrestler in his school's
illustrious wrestling history to win three
state championships. His 8rst title came
at 106 pounds as a freshman before he
moved to 113 as a sophomore.
A