Blue White Illustrated

W R E S T L I N G Four Penn State wrestlers fall in Iowa City, delaying Olympic dreams until 2016 UNTIL NEXT TIME BY TIM OWEN Blue White Contributor O nly 34 days after Penn State's David Taylor and Ed Ruth stood atop the podium accepting their first-ever NCAA titles, they were back on the competitive mat. This time, however, they were seeking spots on their nation's Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Trials. With the 2012 Summer Games set to take place in London in August, Tay- lor, Ruth and teammates Quentin Wright and Matt Brown each compet- ed April 21 in Iowa City, Iowa, for a spot on the freestyle national team. All fell short of the ultimate prize in a tour- nament that was littered with former national champions, Olympians and some wrestlers who were nearly a decade older than their college-age op- ponents. Taylor fared the best, picking up three victories, but his two losses were to opponents he could potential- ly face during his junior collegiate sea- son, including Cornell's three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake. Wrestling fans were already pre- dicting a potential Dake-Taylor show- down in 2013, so when the longtime friends met in the consolation semifi- nals at 163 pounds (74 kg) one mat- side announcer for NBC Sports called it the most anticipated wrestle-back in the tournament's history. In front of 13,250 fans, Dake pinned Taylor 1 minute, 28 seconds into the second period. He told reporters after- ward that he felt "a lot stronger" than the Nittany Lion champ. "I just went out and wrestled, wres- tled tough," Dake said, "and that's what happened." Ruth, who competed at 185 pounds (84 kg), went 1-2, losing in the first round before rebounding with a 2-3, 6-0, 5-2 victory over former Wyoming wrestler Joe LeBlanc. He was knocked out of the tournament when he lost to Raymond Jordan, formerly of Missouri. Wright competed with Ruth at 185, and downed former Bloomsburg M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L Boston guard joins Nittany Lions' class Penn State play-by-play man Steve Jones has a problem on his hands. Akosa Maduegbunam, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Boston signed a national letter of intent in mid-April to play for the Nit- tany Lions, becoming the second prospect to join Patrick Cham- bers' class of 2012. Maduegubunam (pronounced Mah-do-way-boo-nam) figures to have his name called early and of- ten at Penn State after joining the Nittany Lions this summer. He finished his high school ca- reer at Winchendon School after W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M two seasons at Charlestown High School, averaging more than 22 points, eight rebounds, three as- sists and two steals per game his junior season. With his team needing immediate scoring help, Chambers is excited to bring Maduegubunam into the fold. "I'm looking forward to Akosa joining our Penn State family," he said. "He is a great young man, and his ability to make long-range shots and his athleticism will make an immediate impact in our program." Maduegubunam is rated a three- star prospect by Rivals.com and was a two-time All-City selection. He also won ESPNBoston MIAA All-State honors his junior year. Maduegbunam said he's excited to further his career under Cham- bers' tutelage. "Somewhere along the line of life, I'll stop playing basketball, and Coach Chambers is a guy who would be there at my wed- ding," Maduegbunam told ESPN.com. "He is more than just a college coach. It's more than just basketball for him. It's about character and personality. He found that in me, and I found that in him." – N.B. wrestler Bryce Hasseman, 6-3, 1-0, be- fore losing two in a row in the conso- lations. Brown, who wasn't even a full-time starter during the Nittany Lions' reg- ular season, won his first match over Ryan Morningstar, a two-time All- American for Iowa, before dropping his last two matches. Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson had qualified for the tri- als by winning the World Team Tri- als last June but chose not to com- pete in Iowa City. While no current Nittany Lions will represent the United States at the Summer Games, three resident wrestlers who train full-time with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club nabbed spots. Jake Varner, an Iowa State alumnus, won the title at 211.5 (96 kg) and will be on the U.S. squad. He joins fellow club members Jaime Espinal (185/84 kg) and Franklin Gomez (132 /62 kg), who will represent Puerto Rico in London. N O T E B O O K Sanderson, staff set to receive extensions Cael Sanderson and his coach- ing staff are on the verge of re- ceiving contract extensions, mul- tiple sources close to the program have told Blue White Illustrated. Details of the extensions were still being worked out as of last week, but donors and Penn State athletic officials reportedly want to "reward" the staff for the team's performance, notably its back-to-back NCAA titles. With ticket sales at an all-time high, sources said donations to the Penn State Wrestling Club have significantly increased since Sanderson's hiring. In April, the program was expected to receive a $125,000 gift from the club. "Winning two NCAA titles has made [donors] open up their wal- lets," said a source. Montoursville star chooses Penn State David Batkowski of Mon- toursville, Pa., has verbally pledged to join Penn State's 2012 recruiting class. Batkowski, who could compete anywhere from 141 to 157 pounds in college, fin- ished his high school career with a 106-20 overall record. He lost only one bout his senior season before claiming third place at the PIAA Class AA champi- onships in March at 138 pounds. "I've grown up going to [Penn State] matches," said Batkowski, who was also considering Mary- land. "It's just a school I've always wanted to wrestle for." Molinaro joins Rutgers staff Frank Molinaro, Penn State's 149-pound national champ in 2012, is joining Rutgers as an as- sistant coach. "I'm really excited for the oppor- tunity to help build Rutgers wrestling," Molinaro said. -T.O. J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 33

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