Penn State Sports Magazine
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class according to FloWrestling. Cur- rently competing at 126 pounds, he projects to start his college career at either 133 or 141. Bravo-Young is also a decorated freestyle competitor, following a suc- cessful summer in which he won Cadet Freestyle gold in Fargo, N.D., at 54 kilograms. Joining Bravo-Young in his an- nouncement in October was Travis Wittlake of Mansfield High in Coos Bay, Ore. A two-time Oregon state champion, Wittlake is ranked one spot ahead of Bravo-Young in Flo's junior class, coming in at No. 4. He most recently competed at 170 in high school, and he projects anywhere from 174 to 197 pounds for his collegiate career. Wit- tlake, too, is an accomplished grappler in other disciplines besides folkstyle. This past summer, he won titles at Fargo in freestyle and Greco-Roman. In those two tournaments, he gave up a combined six points in 12 matches. In addition to PSU, Wittlake con- sidered Oklahoma State, North Car- olina State, Oregon State and Iowa State. With NCAA finalist Bo Nickal and incoming freshman Mark Hall, who was the No. 1 recruit in last year's class, at or around Wittlake's future weight class, the caliber of workout partners for Wittlake inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex was a de- termining factor in selecting the Nit- tany Lions. Also playing into the decision was Sanderson, whom Wittlake grew up emulating on the mat. "Cael was a big factor in it," he said. "I started [wrestling] when I was 4 years old, and growing up all through the years, Cael has been a guy that I've watched a lot of video on and kind of replicated my style after. I tried ankle picks and low singles and different high-pace [moves], trying to score points and not wait around and stuff. I like Cael Sanderson. He's been one of my idols. So when he called, it was a big honor for me and I was excited." ■ VARSITY VIEWS FOLLOW THE LEADER David Goodwin sets positive example for ice hockey team | J ust because he was named captain prior to the season doesn't mean David Goodwin felt compelled to change the way he dealt with his Penn State ice hockey teammates. In fact, change was something he sought to avoid. "I'm trying to be the same person, the same player I've been the past three years," Goodwin said. "That's why I was voted the captain by my peers and the coaches." Goodwin received plenty of good role- modeling during his first three seasons at Penn State. One of five seniors on this year's team, he watched others fill that role in previous years – Tommy Olczyk in 2013- 14, Patrick Koudys in 2014-15 and David Glen last season – and he knew what to take away from the example those prede- cessors set. "I learned a lot from each of them," said Goodwin, a 5-foot-10 forward from Des Peres, Mo. "They all carried themselves in such a professional way. They were al- ways the guys the team would look to, and they led by example. I'm going to take a mixture of the three of them and put my own twist on it, and hopefully the guys will follow." He's been giving his teammates plenty to emulate on the ice. In Penn State's 6-3 victory over visiting Alaska-Anchorage on Nov. 11, Goodwin became the first Nit- tany Lion player to reach 100 career points, finishing with assists on a pair of goals by Chase Berger. Heading into a two-game series with Arizona State Nov. 18-19, Goodwin had run his career total to 101 points. "He just puts points up no matter who he plays with," coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. "I think it's a huge testa- ment to his hockey mind and how hard he battles." In that respect, his teammates are fol- lowing him. Thanks in large part to the offensive prowess of players like Good- win and forwards Denis Smirnov and Nate Sucese, the Nittany Lions have got- ten off to a superb start. They completed a sweep of Alaska-Anchorage with a 3-1 victory on Nov. 12, getting two goals and an assist from Sucese to run their record to 9-1-1. It was their seventh consecutive victory, and it extended their unbeaten streak to nine games (8-0-1), equaling Boston College for the longest active streak in Division I. As of Nov. 13, Penn State was 12th in the USCHO.com poll, the highest ranking in the program's his- tory. Along the way, the Nittany Lions have gotten major contributions from their 10- member freshman class. Goalie Peyton Jones has been very effective between the pipes, starting 10 of the team's first 11 games and compiling a 1.96 goals-against average. On the other end of the ice, Smirnov has emerged as a big-time offensive threat, with five goals and 12 assists through 11 games. His 17 points were the most in the Big Ten as of mid-November. Meanwhile, Sucese was second on the team with six goals, trailing only sophomore Andrew Sturtz's eight. Those players are all taking their lead from Goodwin and alternate captains Ricky DeRosa and James Robinson. Gad- owsky said that Goodwin, who had 11 points through 11 games, has served as an example to his teammates by continuing GOODWIN