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GO WITH THE FLO FloWrestling has Retherford, Nolf ranked atop their weight classes G lance through the latest preseason rankings, and it might seem as though Penn State is set to take a step back after reclaiming its place atop the NCAA last season, winning the na- tional title for the fifth time in six years. Upon closer examination, however, head coach Cael Sanderson and his team appear poised for another title run in 2016-17. When FloWrestling.com released its first rankings earlier this fall, only two Penn State wrestlers were atop their respective weight classes: Zain Retherford at 149 pounds and Jason Nolf at 157. Only one other wrestler – Bo Nickal (184) – was ranked in the top five. The catch is that the Lions have an abundance of youth that is set to make its debut, as more than half of the expected starters have wrestled 10 or fewer intercollegiate matches at their re- spective weight classes. The Nittany Lions lost three All-Amer- ica starters from last year's championship squad, but at two or more of those weight classes there are blue-chip prospects waiting in the wings. With so few proven wins on the college level, however, many of the newcomers either haven't earned a ranking yet or are ranked modestly until results start to pour in. Here's how FloWrestling ranks (and doesn't rank) Penn State's wrestlers in an expected starting lineup: It is FloWrestling's policy not to in- clude true freshmen in preseason rank- ings, but Suriano likely won't be held out for long. The top 125-pounder in the country in the Class of 2016, he joins the Nittany Lions after a decorated prep ca- reer at Bergen (N.J.) Catholic in which he never lost a match and won four state championships. It's asking a lot to follow the career of Nico Megaludis, an NCAA champ who appeared in three national finals, but if there's anyone out there who could do it, it appears Suriano is the guy. RANKED (BIG TEN ONLY) No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa, Sr.); No. 10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska, Sr.); No. 17 Elijah Oliver (Indiana, So.) Cortez joined the Nittany Lions last summer following a redshirt season at Illinois. He sat out the 2015-16 season in accordance with Big Ten transfer rules, but wrestling unattached at open tour- naments he won all 12 of his matches, in- cluding a pin in 51 seconds. He replaces All-American Jordan Conaway in PSU's starting lineup at one of the deepest weight classes in the conference. ALSO RANKED No. 1 Cory Clark (Iowa, Sr.); No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State, Jr.); No. 3 Zane Richards (Illinois, Sr.); No. 4 Eric Montoya (Nebraska, Sr.); No. 8 Ste- van Micic (Michigan, R-Fr.); No. 11 Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers, Jr.); No. 17 Austin Eicher (Michigan State, So.) A four-time Pennsylvania state cham- pion, Gulibon returns for his final year of eligibility with the Nittany Lions. He, along with almost every PSU supporter, is hoping that now is the time that Guli- bon puts together a complete season. After claiming All-America honors as a sophomore at 133 pounds, Gulibon made the jump to 141 as a junior but took a step back in results and did not place at the national tournament. Has he made the adjustments necessary to close his career on a high note? The ranking doesn't show a lot of confi- dence. ALSO RANKED No. 5 Anthony Ash- nault (Rutgers, Jr.); No. 9 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota, So.); No. 14 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State, R-Fr.); No. 16 Javier Gasca (Michigan State, Jr.); No. 20 Vince Turk (Iowa, R-Fr.) Not only is Retherford ranked as the best 149-pounder, but he's also consid- ered one of country's most dominating competitors at any weight class, as he's fresh off his first NCAA crown with two seasons of eligibility to go. He'll have a difficult Big Ten schedule ahead of him, but there's no one listed below whom Retherford isn't able to beat. ALSO RANKED No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa, Jr.); No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan, Jr.); No. 6 Micah Jordan (Ohio State, So.); No. 13 Ken Theobold (Rutgers, Sr.); No. 19 Shyheim Brown (Maryland, So.) The only two losses of Nolf's outstand- ing redshirt freshman campaign came against Illinois' Isaiah Martinez in the championship round of both postseason tournaments. Martinez jumped to 165 for W R E S T L I N G | 125 Nick Suriano | Fr. | NR 133 Jered Cortez | So. | No. 9 141 Jimmy Gulibon | Sr. | No. 12 157 Jason Nolf | So. | No. 1 149 Zain Retherford | Jr. | No. 1 NOLF

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