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that confused emcee might have been foreshadowing Taylor's future. Winner of the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award, the Gor- riaran Award for the most falls in the least amount of time (four in 8 min- utes, 46 seconds), and the NCAA's first-ever Most Dominant Wrestler award, Taylor pieced together one of the best performances by a wrestler in the tournament's 84-year history. "I'm not a history buff in any way," Cael Sanderson said during his post- tournament news conference, "but I don't know if there's ever been a more dominant performance at the NCAA tournament than what we just saw right there. Four pins and a tech fall in the finals. I was just sitting back like everybody else and just saying, 'Wow.' " The 22-7 technical fall in the final round, which came over Lehigh's 11th-seeded Brandon Hatchett, was what Taylor had been aiming to do since the 2011 final in Philadelphia. After being pinned by Arizona State's Bubba Jenkins, a former Nittany Lion wrestler whose victory spoiled what Taylor had hoped would be an undefeated career, the graduate of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High School was on a mission this season. "I had a vision in my head that [this final] was going to go the same way [as] last year," Taylor said after the final match, which gave him a 32-0 record for the season and a 70-1 record for his career. Then he added, "I got caught last year, but it made me bet- ter. This year, I went out there and scored 22 points." So now with one national title to add to his crowded trophy case – which features two All-America honors, two Big Ten titles, four consecutive Ohio state titles, and the Dave Schultz High School Excellence award – Taylor said he's already switching gears and focusing on another title, or two, with dreams of doing what no Nittany Lion wrestler has ever done: win three NCAA titles. But first, he has another objective in mind, one that would place him in London this August. "My goal is to make the Olympic team," he said, explaining that he's looking to qualify in the 163-pound (74 kg) weight class. "My goal is not to go to lose. My goal is to win, and we'll see what happens." W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Frank Molinaro overcomes a worrisome injury to capture a long-awaited championship HURTS SO GOOD BY TIM OWEN Blue White Contributor Frank Molinaro was nearly upset by Oregon State's Scott Sakaguchi. Seeded first, Molinaro later admit- S ted he was shaken by the narrow 6- 5 victory over Sakaguchi, whom he called a "buzz saw." Making matters worse, with 10 seconds left in the bout, he felt a nightmarish "pop" in his right knee and feared the tourna- ment might be over for him. "I almost broke down and started crying," he said. So coach Cael Sanderson sat him down inside the locker room and said, "Get your headgear, put your sneak- ers on. We're gonna exit you out of this tournament right now." Molinaro wasn't sure what to think. That's when Sanderson added, "Frank, they don't make movies about guys who have perfect seasons, win nationals and everything is hap- py-go-lucky. Really, it's [about] the ad- versity and the test." "For some reason when he said that, I started thinking I would be on the 'Jersey Shore' cast or something – I don't know why," the Barnegat, N.J., native said with a laugh. "So I just started laughing to myself and said, 'All right. Let's get this.' " Sporting a mummy-wrap on his right knee and a lighthearted outlook concerning the rest of the tourna- ment, Molinaro went back to work. He outscored his next three opponents by a combined score of 19-3, includ- ing a 4-1 decision over Minnesota's Dylan Ness in the championship match. He might not have had the same ex- plosiveness that carried him through an undefeated regular season, and the pain in his leg might not have sub- sided, but Molinaro had finally reached the pinnacle of his career. After finishing one match shy of a national championship as a junior – he remembers getting "killed" in the Steve Manuel final bout, an 8-1 loss to Cornell's Kyle Dake – Molinaro was haunted by the thought of falling short again as a senior. He had become a four-time All- American even before facing Ness, earning that distinction with a 10-2 major decision over Michigan's Eric Grajales. But becoming Penn State's fifth four-timer wasn't his ultimate goal. Since his freshman year, he had been studying and had memorized the names and faces on the wall outside the Rec Hall locker room: Phil Davis, Sanshiro Abe, Jim Martin, Greg Elin- sky – all four-timers. But after his loss last year, he be- gan to wonder whether he would fin- ish like Elinsky, with two second- place finishes and no championships. But with his performance this year, A P R I L 1 1 , 2 0 1 2 23 Molinaro accomplished what he set out to do at Penn State. "I've put my heart and soul into this for five years," he said, still trembling from his championship adrenaline rush. Then he added, "I'm just excit- ed to be part of such elite company." T. LOUIS, Mo. – In only the sec- ond bout of his final NCAA tour- nament, Penn State 149-pounder PERFECTLY FRANK Molinaro gets a hug from Sanderson after defeating Ness to claim the nation- al championship. The senior went 33-0 in his final season at Penn State.

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