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six bouts remaining in the tournament. By the time the event was over, Penn State had outpaced the second-place Hawkeyes by 23.5 points. "I think I'm most proud of my team and my coaches and just the way that this team, in particular, has approached com- peting," Retherford said on the Big Ten Network broadcast a7er his win. "It's a lot of fun to compete with them. It rubs o6." In addition to Retherford, Bo Nickal (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197) claimed weight class championships. A redshirt freshman, Nickal won a Big Ten title for the 5rst time in his career, while McIntosh earned his second consecutive conference championship to remain unbeaten as a senior heading into the NCAA tourna- ment. Not only did Penn State win more indi- vidual titles than any other team, it also claimed a few of the individual post-tour- nament and postseason awards. Retherford was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, while Sanderson was named Coach of the Year. Jason Nolf was named Freshman of the Year. Nolf, however, would have likely traded the individual award for a crown at 157 pounds. He was denied that title by Illinois sophomore Isaiah Martinez in a highly anticipated rematch. Along with Nico Megaludis (125) and Jimmy Gulibon (141), Nolf was one of three PSU 5nalists who placed second. Additionally, Jordan Conaway (133) 5nished fourth, while Matt McCutcheon (184) placed 57h. Nolf had pinned Martinez in a January dual meet, serving Martinez the first and only loss of his career, but this time around it was Martinez who prevailed in a double-overtime sudden-victory dragged-out decision, 4-3. Martinez earned the winning point due to his ad- vantage in the riding time differential during overtime. "Things definitely changed," after the first meeting, Martinez told BTN's Shane Sparks after the match. "I've got a lot more respect for him now. He proved himself to me as a competitor, so I had to take him a lot more seriously this time." Penn State had to wait until March 9 to learn whether Geno Morelli (165) would earn a wildcard bid to the NCAA tourna- ment. A7er an eighth-place 5nish at Big Tens, it appeared unlikely that he would have an opportunity to compete in New York. In all, Penn State will send eight wrestlers to the national tournament in Madison Square Garden, two of whom – Retherford and McIntosh – are unbeaten on the year. However, many eyes will turn back to the 157-pound weight class in the coming days, as Nolf and Martinez will be expected to meet for a third time – a rubber match of sorts that could ultimately decide the national championship. "We've still got one more," Martinez said, "and that's what I'm looking forward to now." ■ That's right...If you're a parent of a current PSU student or a member of the Penn State Alumni Association, this offer is for you! Come stay with our Lion Country Lodging family and receive a 15% discount on your stay each time you visit. It's simple to get started. Go to lioncountrylodging.com, click the "Parent" or "Alumni" icon on the home page and register. :H¶OOVHQGDQHPDLOFRQ¿UPDWLRQWR\RXWRTXDOLI\IRUWKH 15% discount at any of our hotels listed below.* ID for Alumni: 8SRQDUULYDOVKRZ\RXURI¿FLDO PSU Alumni Association Card. ID for Parents: We will send you an ID card to use. Penn State Fans ...Get 15% Off your hotel stay! lioncountrylodging.com CARLISLE, PA *Not valid on Special Event Weekends or PSU Football Games That's r i g h t . . . I f y o u b f t h u ' re re a p a re e n t o f a c u rr re e n t P S U U s t u d e n t o r a t h i ff f i m e m b e r o f t h e f fo r y o u ! C o m e s ta a re e c e i v e a G o t o :H¶OOVHQGDQHPD a t ay y w i t h o u r L i o n C o u n t ry ry L o d g o n y o u r s t a ay e a c l i c o n t h e h o m e p a g e DLOFRQ¿UPDWLRQWR\RXWRTXD t a n y o f o u r h o t e l s l i s t e d b e l o 8 L O K I t h i s o of ff fe r i s g i n g family and family and m i l y a n d a c h t i m e yo o u v i s i t . c k t h e e a n d re re g i s t e r. r DOLI\IRUWKH I I\ I\ o w.* I¿ L O 8SRQDUULYDOVKRZ\RXURI I¿FLDO I¿ CARLISLE, PA CARLISLE, PA

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