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But in this case he had another chance. So after a heart-to-heart with Sander- son and Burnett, he picked himself up and, drawing inspiration from his family and his religion, wrestled his final two matches, winning third place. And as he discovered a few days later, that was good enough to earn him an opportunity to fulfill his dream. It's been a surreal experience for Moli- naro, particularly in the past few months, beginning with his victory at the Pan-American Championships in February. "I committed to it 100 percent the second I knew it was going to be something that I was going to pursue," he said. "It was hard, especially at the beginning of this year. It was a very dark time because I wasn't really winning anything. I was having some injuries that were kind of lingering, so I just kept working and believing that something good was going to happen. Then the Pan-American Championships hap- pened, and that was kind of the turning point for me." After learning that he would be com- peting in the Games, Molinaro spent the next three weeks in State College before heading out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for a weeklong camp. He will be at the World Cup in Los Angeles June 11-12, with a competition date in Germany to follow. The wrestling competition is sched- uled for Aug. 14-21 in Rio, and Molinaro is expected to arrive in Brazil about one month ahead of time to begin training. Around that same time, his wife, Kera, is expecting their second child. Molinaro smiled as he talked about what lies ahead for him and his family in the com- ing months. "It's all kind of waiting it out," he said, "and seeing what hap- pens." ■ For a gold medalist such as Cael Sanderson, there's nothing quite like an Olympic summer. "That's what all these guys dream about," said the 2004 Olympic champi- on, standing on the mats of the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. "It only comes around every four years." Shortly after Frank Molinaro, a former pupil who is now an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions, earned a bid to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro as part of the U.S. Olympic Team, Sanderson met with beat writers to discuss the importance of the accom- plishment. Underclassmen Shakur Rasheed and Kellan Stout practiced takedowns in the background as Sanderson spoke about what Molinaro's presence in Rio could mean for both PSU's program and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, which is adding yet an- other Olympian to an already long list. Here, edited for length, is what he said: How does it feel to see Molinaro's hard work pay off? It's great to see his hard work, his dis- cipline pay off. It doesn't always pay off. A lot of guys work hard and it doesn't. It's an ultra-competitive world and when it does, you've got to be really hap- py and celebrate. I think with him, he's always worked hard. He's always been committed. He's just dedicated himself a little bit more to making the team this year. Cody Sanderson has been a good in- fluence on him, a calming influence. He played a similar role with you. What is it about Cody that allows him to get to know a person and do that? I think that's one of Cody's strengths, for sure. He's just a guy who you trust, I think, and you're confident in because he understands the game. He under- stands the mental side of it. He's very loyal. When I was competing he was a guy who was right by my side, and he was right by Frank's side. They were traveling the world together, multiple times. I'm sorry. I couldn't put my finger on [what it is]. I'm not really sure, but I think he brings calmness and confi- dence. It's just who he is. It's a great as- set for us as a program. How did you find out about Moli- naro's qualification? He was at a golf course. Where were you? I was at a breakfast. I got a text from a couple different people. I was excited about it. I was sitting there with [former NLWC president] Galen Dreibelbis. He was the one who I rode over to the breakfast with. He was obviously excit- ed. They announced it [in front of] a lot of former wrestlers, coaches from the area, referees, who meet twice a year for breakfast. What does it mean for the program to be adding another Olympian into the practice room? It's just a great example. It's huge for our kids to be around all these [wrestlers]. We have three Olympic champions in here every day, a world medalist and NCAA champions. Just to be around those guys and to see [how] they're just ordinary people, they just have extraordinary work ethics. Just reg- ular people who win gold medals. It's just through hard work and discipline in the end. For these guys to be able to see that, it's just a great blessing to have. Frank is just another great example. His intensity every single day is the same in here. I've talked about that throughout the season. Who is the same every single day? Frank is one of those rare guys who is the same every day. When we wrestle [practice] matches he's incredibly in- tense. I'm kind of on edge [because] he's so intense sometimes. But that's his pas- sion and that's who Frank is and that has brought him a lot of success. – T.O. Sanderson on Molinaro: 'It's great to see his hard work pay off'

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