Blue White Illustrated

Lions' schedule features two matches in BJC Penn State will welcome Wisconsin and Ohio State to the Bryce Jordan Cen- ter, two of the highlights of the Nittany Lions' recently announced 2015-16 schedule. The match against the Badgers is set for 1 p.m. Dec. 13 and will open the Li- ons' Big Ten dual meet season. The second of the team's two BJC duals will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 against the Buckeyes. It will be the first Friday night BJC dual since Penn State resumed duals in the arena two years ago. The Nittany Lions set an NCAA dual meet attendance record two seasons ago when they played host to Pitt, and they nearly matched it last year when the Iowa Hawkeyes came to town. Penn State has sold out its past 26 home match- es, the longest active sellout streak in the country. Cael Sanderson's squad opens its upcoming season in Rec Hall against Lock Haven on Nov. 13. Later that month, the Lions will compete on the West Coast for the first time since 1996-97, visiting Cal-Bakersfield on Nov. 20 and Stan- ford on Nov. 22 Other highlights include a New Year's trip to the Southern Scuffle in Chat- tanooga, Tenn. The Scuffle, which Penn State has won five years in a row, takes place Jan. 1-2 at UT-Chattanooga. In addition, Penn State will visit Lehigh for its final road dual of the year, tak- ing on the Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. Feb. 12. The Nittany Lions close out their Big Ten schedule in Rec Hall the next day, hosting Michigan State at 7 p.m. Feb. 13. The next weekend, Penn State will serve as host to part of the 2016 NWCA Division I Dual Championship Series. Designed to showcase the nation's top programs, the event will pit the top 16 teams against each other on the final weekend of the regular season, with the top eight Big Ten teams (based on the Feb. 14 NWCA coaches poll) hosting the top eight non-Big Ten teams at eight different campus sites. Penn State's dual will take place on Feb. 21 in Rec Hall at a time to be announced. Richards at 133 who has two remaining years of eligibility. Cortez will compete at 133 this year while he sits out due to transfer rules, and then his sights are set on 8lling in for Conaway a9er his graduation. Once the likely starter at 141 pounds – All-American Jimmy Gulibon – graduates a9er the 2016- 17 season, Cortez foresees a scenario in which he moves up a weight class and eventually 8lls Gulibon's vacancy, if, of course, that's what's asked of him by the coaches. "I grew out of 125, so the plan is to wrestle '33 this year and next year," Cortez said. "Then Jimmy will be a senior while I'm a sophomore, so we'll be '33 and '41. When he graduates, if they want me to move up to '41, then that's something I'm willing to do. I de8nitely have the frame and size to grow into that, so '33-41 is [the range]." If Cortez is able to move up, Suriano could eventually 8ll out to 133 a9er be- ginning his college career at 125. Suriano said he isn't done growing and is unlikely to stay at 125 for his career. "I think I'll be a 125-pounder my fresh- man year," he said. "If I grow, then 133, but I think [for] my freshman year I'll be at 125 and I'll be perfect for the lineup. I think I'll grow a9er that, too. I don't think I'll be a '25-pounder all four years." Which could work out perfectly for the Nittany Lions. Arguably the No. 1 recruit in the coun- try for next year's cycle – the Class of 2017 – is Spencer Lee from Franklin Re- gional in Murrysville, Pa. He is unde- feated in his high school career, a two- time state champion, an All-American and is currently ranked as the best 113- pounder in the country, according to FloWrestling. Reports suggest that he's likely to wrestle his entire college career at 125 pounds. He'll be the top prospect on PSU's re- cruiting board next year – along with the boards of almost every other Division I program, especially Iowa. Despite adding two highly touted lightweight commit- ments to the lineup in August, it appears as though there will certainly still be room for Lee in Penn State's 2017-18 lineup. ■

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