Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
GROUP EFFORT A stellar Nittany Lion starting lineup braces for the postseason W hen it comes to his team and its wrestlers, Cael Sanderson avoids comparisons and rarely speaks in superlatives. But after Penn State defeated Maryland, 45-6, Feb. 12 at Rec Hall to clinch the out- right regular-season Big Ten champi- onship, Sanderson momentarily entertained an idea that many followers of his 2016-17 squad had long been recognizing: that, of the eight lineups Sanderson has put to- gether in his tenure at PSU, this one, from top to bottom, is his most complete. "Yeah, I think so," Sanderson said. "Very consistent. A lot of the individuals are consistent. In the past, we've had some guys who were very con- sistent and we had some guys who weren't but turned it on at nationals. [This is a] very consistent team, and that's what we want. Those are the type of kids we recruit." As Sanderson unwaveringly maintains every season, the ultimate test is just now beginning. The postseason is the bench- mark that Penn State uses to measure it- self. "All the important stuff is still ahead, so we'll find out how great of a team this is," Sanderson said. "We've got a chance to have a lot of success in the next three events." Having won all 13 regular-season duals, part of a 30-match win streak that dates back to February 2015, this squad appears to boast at least as much poten- tial as Penn State's recent championship teams. The Nittany Lions got started on their postseason pursuits with an appearance in the NWCA Dual Championship Series against host Oklahoma State Feb. 19. Next comes a trip to Bloomington, Ind., for the Big Ten tournament March 4-5. Penn State will have 10 entrants in As- sembly Hall, nine of whom have all but secured bids to the NCAA champi- onships already. In fact, the only weight class at which PSU will have to scratch and claw for a qualifying spot is 133 pounds, where Jered Cortez's shoulder injury has forced the Lions to scramble. Whether it's George Carpenter (1-11) or Triston Law (0-2) who goes at Big Tens, it's the only weight class at which Penn State is without a winning record. At the other nine spots, PSU has wrestlers who have at least twice as many wins as they do losses. All-America hon- ors are within reach for all nine, as is an- other team championship. The lineup is set at those spots, but it wasn't without some finagling during the season. Perhaps the most notable move – an unprecedented roster change under Sanderson – was the decision to pull Mark Hall's redshirt more than halfway through the year. The No. 1 recruit in the country in 2016, Hall started his freshman season on the open tournament circuit and won 18 of his first 19 matches. Mean- while, Geno Morelli (10-1) and Shakur Rasheed (5-1) shared the starter's role at 174. Although they won the majority of their bouts, only once during the dual- meet season were they able to deliver bonus points. That was a concern. The ability to generate bonus points via pins, techni- cal falls and major decisions was a hall- mark of Sanderson's previous championship teams. By inserting the freshman – a move that Hall himself initiated – the coaches signaled that they were willing to go all-in on another title run. Hall's promotion to the starting lineup didn't go off without a hitch, however. In his debut match at Iowa on Jan. 20, he fell to junior All-American Alex Meyer, 7-5. The result left some wondering if the move to pull Hall's redshirt – something Sanderson had not previously done so late into a season at PSU – was the right choice after all. Any questions would soon be an- swered. When the team returned to the practice room the following week, after beating the Hawkeyes, 26-11, Hall was the first starter in the room, arriving more than 45 | W R E S T L I N G BIG TEN TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE WHERE Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222 capacity) // Bloomington, Ind. WHEN March 4-5 TV BTN will air the final session live be- ginning at 3 p.m. ET March 5. The first three sessions will be streamed live on BTN Plus and BTN2Go. RADIO WRSC in State College (1390 AM) will provide tournament coverage, with Jeff Byers handling the play-by-play call. WEB BlueWhiteIllustrated.com will maintain a running thread on The Wrestling Room message board and will post a recap of the action both days. HALL