Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
SECOND SIGHT Tough and determined, Penn State 149-pound standout Zain Retherford eyes another national crown A fter winning the first one, the next only becomes more difficult. Re- cent history at Penn State sug- gests as much. Zain Retherford heads to St. Louis this month as the defending 149-pound na- tional champion after winning his first title in New York a year ago. When action begins on the morning of March 16, he'll be one of the best wrestlers at any weight class in the Scottrade Center, and there won't be many, if any, picking against him. They probably won't next year, ei- ther. With two seasons of eligibility left, the goal of becoming only the second three-time champ in Penn State history remains well within reach. But you won't find Retherford looking ahead to the third. He's fixated on this one, this year – and with good reason. Previous Nittany Lion wrestlers who were in position to accomplish such a feat found that the second one was elusive. Of the past four Nittany Lion greats who won multiple national titles, only one – Ed Ruth – stood atop the podium three times. The three others – Kerry McCoy, Quentin Wright and David Taylor – all stumbled the year after winning their first before rallying to claim their second as seniors. Retherford is naturally aiming to keep his hopes alive, but he's discovering this season that the target on his back has grown. Opponents are pulling out all the punches, and that's not just a cliche. In Retherford's case it's been all too literal as he attempts to keep his 58-match win- ning streak going. Along the way, he's had to absorb palms to the forehead, heavy chops to the back of his neck, even fingers to the eye, as opponents do their best to not only give the Penn State junior a taste of his own medicine but also neutralize his relentless forward attack. "They back up and hit in the face, they club the face, strike to the face," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "It's kind of a stalling tactic, and that's something we have to get through." It comes with the terri- tory, and Retherford is well aware of that. His response has been simply to pin | HEAR A PIN DROP Although he's been challenged at times this season, Rether- ford has pinned more than half of the opponents he has faced as a jun- ior. Photo by Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics W R E S T L I N G • N C A A T O U R N A M E N T