Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
LAST WORD T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M e lost four of six matches earlier in the season. Then he won six in a row. There was once an All-America finish. There were also a couple of early exits at the national tournament. He's beaten opponents when many picked against him. (His own favorite dual meet memory was when he beat Iowa's Cory Clark, 8-5, at the Bryce Jor- dan Center. "That was a good one," he said.) But he's been defeated in a number of matches that he was picked to win. Then after ending his senior dual-meet season with momentum in his favor, he went out and got pinned three times at the Big Ten tournament and barely earned an automatic qualifying spot for NCAAs with an eighth-place finish. It's been a paradoxical career for Penn State's Jimmy Gulibon, and that career is now down to its final few days. With one more postseason tournament to go, any attempt to prognosticate the final outcome in St. Louis would be futile. Gulibon could earn his second All- America citation. He could also go two- and-out. At this point, those two possibilities seem equally likely. More than one month passed between losses this season, a six-match win streak that saw Gulibon defeat three ranked wrestlers. Had the referee slapped the mat against Oklahoma State's Dean Heil like he should have (twice or even three times), Gulibon would have entered his final postseason riding seven in a row, including one over the defending 141-pound national champ. But the ref didn't, and now Guli- bon goes into NCAAs having lost four of his last five with his two most recent losses coming by fall in the first period. Even for Gulibon, that is a surprise. His on-mat results have been as un- predictable as those of any four-year starter under Cael Sanderson at PSU. There has been one constant, though, and that is his everyday approach in practice, in which he displays an en- dearing workmanlike attitude toward a sport that he loves but that doesn't al- ways love him back. Inside the room, coaches and team- mates know exactly what they're get- ting from Gulibon. It's a side that fans get to see as well, even if the outcomes of his matches are varied. Minus the wins and losses, you get a student-ath- lete who doesn't get too low in defeat and is nearly silent in celebration after victory. Not even in his Rec Hall finale was there any roof raising, fist pumping or bicep flexing after he beat Maryland's Ryan Diehl Feb. 12. Just a raise of the arm. Just Jimmy. What's also Jimmy is when he faces Diehl in a rematch a few weeks later and gets pinned in 45 seconds, and the enigma keeps on. But that's the key and one attribute of Gulibon that shouldn't be overlooked: No matter what, he keeps on. Wrestling alongside his fellow starters, many of whom were once blue- chip recruits themselves but have been more consistent at the college level, Gulibon has continued to press forward. He's a testament to the power of per- sistence. If his career ended today, he would have 72 victories and 45 losses. But it's not over. "There's a lot of wrestling left," Gulibon said. "It's been a great five years. I've had a lot of fun." If he can draw on the qualities that his coaches and teammates have seen in him during that span, he may yet pull off an improbable finish. "Commitment and work ethic, they prepare you to be successful," Sander- son said, "but you still have to go out there on game day and make it happen. Just because he's as disciplined and dedicated as he is, he still has to go out there and fight for his points and make it happen. That's what we've seen in the last [part of the regular season]. Hope- fully he'll continue on, because he has an incredible ability: speed. He's as fast as anyone I've ever coached." When he's at his best, there are few who can match his feverish pace. Team- mate Zain Retherford said Gulibon's high-crotch takedown attempt is as fast as he's seen from anyone. "It's really quick," he said. "You barely see it some- times." When he's not on the mat, Gulibon presents an entirely different disposi- tion. His aggressive wrestling style con- trasts starkly with his calm and reserved public demeanor. "There's something new for you," Sanderson quipped. "He's shy." Soft-spoken is another way Sander- son describes the only senior in his 2016-17 starting lineup. He also calls him "one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet." In various interviews and interactions, dating back to his days as a four-time state champion from Derry (Pa.) Area, Gulibon has done nothing to contradict his coach's claim. And that's why, as he prepares for the final matches of his ca- reer, he has a supporter here as well. No one, though, will be pulling harder for Gulibon to conclude on the winning side of the score sheet than those in his corner, especially since his outcomes will have a significant impact on the race for the team trophy. "It would be great to see Jimmy finish the season on a strong note and be happy and get up on the podium and get up there real high," Sanderson said. "Makes me smile just kind of thinking about it." ■ Mystery man H