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teammates – Jason Nolf (157) and Geno Morelli (165) – are set to make their na- tional tourney debuts. A native of Kittaning, Pa., Nolf has never been to New York, nor to the NCAA Championships – not even as a fan. "So I'm pretty excited," he said. Nolf will enter as a third seed in one of the most anticipated brackets of the competition. Zain Retherford (149) and Morgan McIntosh (197) are ready for the city lights as well. They are Penn State's only unde- feated wrestlers and, like Nickal, are seeded No. 1 in their respective weight classes. Retherford, a Benton, Pa., native, hasn't lost a match since the 2014 na- tional tournament in Oklahoma City, in which he finished fi@h as a true fresh- man. He's been to New York before, so instead of worrying about new scenery, he's focused on what he learned during his first go-around and is aiming to cap- italize on that experience. "It doesn't matter the venue," he said. "I'm always looking to add something to my wrestling game. I don't think there's a change. I'm in the best state of mind when I'm thinking about having fun and doing what I can do best. That's what I'm going to be thinking about." McIntosh, who grew up in Acton, Calif., has never been to New York. But while this will be his first visit to the Big Apple, it will be his fourth and final voy- age through the tournament. He went 12-5 in his three previous appearances and has placed as high as third, so he knows what it takes to be successful. "I didn't medal [as a true freshman] and kind of realized how serious of a tournament it is, and you've got to suck it up sometimes," McIntosh said. "I think I might have been feeling a little sorry for myself. I was a little hurt with a banged- up knee and I didn't realize how tough the tournament is and how, no matter what, you're going to feel tired and worn down a little bit. But now I know that's how it's going to go and I'm ready for it." For those fans who aren't able to make the trip, ESPN has made it possible to view each match. For the third consecu- tive season, all six sessions – every mat, every match – will air on the ESPN fam- ily of networks. ESPN3 will offer multi-mat viewing throughout the preliminary rounds, while ESPNU will offer 13 hours of cov- erage of the first, second and medal rounds. The semifinals will air live on ESPN Friday (8 p.m. ET) before the final championship rounds air at the same time Saturday on the same channel. "The TV coverage has been fanatic and it keeps growing each year," Sanderson said. "We are very appreciative of ESPN for what they're doing, but they wouldn't be expanding if people weren't watching it. It's a great event and it's great for the sport. ... You have to have stories and you have to have action. That's one thing that we are proud of. For the most part we feel like our guys are fun to watch wrestle. If you're flipping through the channels and see somebody with a Penn State singlet, it's going to catch your attention and hopefully it'll hook you as a wrestling fan. I know the event is outstanding. "If you go to this tournament for the first time, and maybe you're not a wrestling fan, you're going to leave a wrestling fan. It's just incredible energy, and the atmos- phere and the intensity with that individ- ual title race, coupled with the team race, it's the best thing in wrestling. It's not as prestigious as the world championships or the Olympic Games, but as far as pure en- ergy, it's pretty amazing." M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 WHERE Madison Square Garden (18,000 capacity) // New York, N.Y. WHEN March 17-19 // Day 1 First session is scheduled for noon to approximately 4 p.m., with pigtails and first-round action taking place on eight mats; second session begins at 7 p.m. and features wrestle-back preliminaries and first-round matches, followed by second-round and consolation-round matches in the championship bracket. Day 2 Quarterfinal action takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on four middle mats, with wrestle-back second- and third-round matches on the outside mats; semifinals will take place on two middle mats beginning at 8 p.m. (one weight at a time), with fourth-round wrestle-backs on four outside mats and fifth- round wrestle-backs on all six mats following championship semifinals. Day 3 Wrestle-back semifinals take place on all four mats beginning at 11 a.m., followed by the third-, fifth- and seventh-place medal-round matches; the Grand March Parade of All-Americans will be from 7:35 to 7:50, followed by the championship finals from 8 to 11 p.m. TV ESPNU will air portions of the tournament, while ESPN will have live coverage of the semi- finals (8 p.m. March 18) and finals (8 p.m. March 19). RADIO WRSC in State College (103.1 FM/1390 AM) will provide tournament coverage, with Jeff Byers handling the play-by-play call. WEB BlueWhiteIllustrated.com will provide live match updates and tournament news in the Lions Den message board. THE NCAA TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE

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