Blue White Illustrated

›› W R E S T L I N G tightly to the fire truck, the pride of Derry rode through town toward the high school greeting, waving and smil- ing to the many fans who lined the streets. Then he had to address the crowd. As he admits, he's not one for public speaking. "It was nerve-racking," he said. "They made me talk to like everyone. I'd feel better talking to people one-on- one." Still, he managed. After all the suc- cess he's experienced on the wrestling mat – he has a 136-4 career record and is the recipient of a full-ride scholarship to Penn State – Gulibon has learned to adjust on the fly. Nico Megaludis, a future Nittany Lion teammate and former western Penn- sylvania rival, describes him as a "shy, quiet kid," but he's also one of the most highly regarded young com- petitors in the sport and has had to accept all the attention that has fol- lowed. That dichotomy is likely to become more pronounced as he gets set to join the Nittany Lions. Gulibon is the headliner in a freshman class made up of Pennsylvanians, a class that was im- pacted by a scarcity of scholarship dol- lars and a lack of starting opportuni- ties. Ranked 16th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten by InterMat, Penn State's class also includes Zack Beitz of Juniata, Wes Phipps of Grove City – both of whom won state titles in March – and Montoursville's David Batkowski. Those wrestlers are expect- ed to add necessary depth to an al- ready loaded roster. But with eight na- tional qualifiers returning, starting spots are far from plentiful these days. Gulibon, however, could start his first season on campus. He said he hasn't yet talked specifics with the coaching staff, but his career could begin in a variety of ways. The least likely: Megaludis, a nation- al finalist as a true freshman, takes his redshirt, and Gulibon, who competed most recently at 126 pounds, imme- diately steps in as the 125-pound starter. Megaludis, however, has no plans to take a year off, sources have said, and dethroning the All-American is unlike- W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ly. (Gulibon tried once before. As a jun- ior, he moved up a weight class to face Megaludis, then a Franklin Regional senior, at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships. In what is still considered one of the best regular-season bouts in western Pennsylvania history, Megaludis es- caped with a 4-3 victory.) Another option would be for Gulibon to earn the starting spot at 133. In that scenario, Megaludis would stay put, and the buddies would become a one-two combo. But that would require Heavyweight transfer Jimmy Lawson gets set to restart his wrestling career HEAVY METTLE BY TIM OWEN BLUE WHITE CONTRIBUTOR H e's still considered one of the most dominant heavyweights to ever grace the New Jersey high school wrestling mats. During his senior year at Man- chester Township in 2010, Jimmy Lawson pinned 37 of his 39 oppo- nents, ending his season with a 43-second fall in the state final. It was his third consecutive state title, and the 141st victory of his high school career. In college, he LAWSON could have wres- tled wherever he wanted, Penn State included. He once told the Ashbury Park (N.J) Press that if he were to wrestle in college, "I'd definitely go to no other place than Rutgers." When it came time to choose a college, though, he opted to at- tend nearby Monmouth Universi- ty – and not for wrestling. Lawson had also been a physi- cal force in high school as a de- fensive lineman, and he decided that football was his passion. He spent his first two years as a 295- pound defensive tackle for the Hawks, totaling 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks over a 20-game span. But after his sophomore sea- son, he figured he "was just [ready] for something new" – even if wrestling isn't necessarily new for the two-sport standout. Lawson said he reached out to Rutgers again, but at the same time, his father was put in con- tact with Penn State's head coach Cael Sanderson. Since Lawson had last gone through the re- cruiting process, the Nittany Li- ons' program had made obvious improvements, and its success on the mat was hard to overlook. So he decided to take a visit to the campus for the sold-out match against Pittsburgh Feb. 19. When he left that day, he knew wrestling for the Nittany Lions would be a special opportunity. The Rec Hall crowd was at least as big as the crowds that came to watch him play football at Mon- mouth, he said. "Everyone was into it and every- one was cheering your name," he added. "It was a lot of people, a sold-out crowd. Obviously, I could tell that [wrestling] was a big thing up at Penn State." A few weeks later, he gave Sanderson a verbal commitment. Though the atmosphere at Penn State was appealing, it wasn't the deal-closer. If he were going to make a return to wrestling, he vowed that it wouldn't be for frills. "My ultimate goal," he said, "is to win the starting spot and then win the national title next year." He added, "I always thought if I were going to go back to wrestling, I'd want to be with top- flight competition, and that's what I'm getting with Penn State. That was a big part of the reason, a big part of the decision." There certainly is no dearth of competition in the Nittany Lions' practice room. Just earning a starting spot will be tough enough. Though Cameron Wade has graduated, sophomore Jon Gingrich and junior Nick Ruggear have both proven themselves to be worthy competitors for the starting spot in the upcoming season. Lawson said he's begun to put in the work. Standing 5-foot-11, he said he's down to 265 pounds, and though he's not quite in com- petitive shape, he plans to be there by the end of summer. Since he signed his letter of in- tent, he has been rededicating himself to the sport. His empha- sis has been on "being fluid, be- ing comfortable and doing all the things that help me be a good wrestler. "But I feel like I still have to get back into shape. I have to get back into practicing every day, get back into the routine." That routine begins this sum- mer. He said he will take a semes- ter of classes at a local communi- ty college and then with three years of remaining eligibility, he'll begin round two of his ca- reer at Penn State in June. J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 2 17 the newcomer to take the 133-pound starting spot from Frank Martellotti, a national qualifier himself. Gulibon could also redshirt, giving himself a year to grow, improve and ad- just to the collegiate level before get- ting his career rolling in 2013-14.

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