Blue White Illustrated

T. LOUIS, Mo. – This one was unlike the others, and not only because it rewrote history. It was not only because Penn State tied the NCAA tournament record with five individual ti- tles, not only because no team had ever crowned five champs in consecutive weight classes and not only because 146.5 points were the most the Nittany Lions had ever scored, a massive total that ensured them their sixth team championship in seven years. No, this one had a largely different feel, one of elation for the coaching staff, because by the time the final round concluded March 18, all six of their All-Americans were victorious in their last match. Recency bias being the powerful force that it is, Penn State's string of victories in the season's final hours made this title that much sweeter. "It was an incredible experience," associate head coach Cody Sanderson said in the tunnels of an empty Scottrade Center, after the 19,600-plus fans had left the building for the last time. "Usually you leave this tournament with kind of a heartbreaking feeling because somebody got beat. There still is a little bit of that, but this is the best one so far." Penn State entered with eight qualifiers after a ninth – 125-pound freshman Nick Suriano – was ruled out of competition due to a lower leg injury he suffered one month earlier. By the time the tournament was finished, five wrestlers stood atop the All-America podium. Zain Retherford (149 pounds), Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (184) each won their bracket, and Nick Nevills (285) earned a fifth-place spot at his weight class. Jimmy Gulibon (141) and Matt McCutcheon (197) fell one victory shy of claiming All-America honors, but the col- lective effort of the eight-man contingent was enough for Penn State to clinch the team race during the Saturday morning medal rounds, some seven hours before the final session even started. By the time it ended, the Nittany Lions had out- paced second-place Ohio State by 36.5 points, earning a moment of sweet redemption just two weeks after the Big Ten tournament, in which the Buckeyes had managed to hold off PSU for the title. Third-place Oklahoma State finished with 103.0 points, while Iowa followed with 97.0 and Missouri with 86.5. "It's awesome," said Nevills, shortly after claiming the first All-America citation of his career. "I'm so happy for my teammates, Vincenzo and Mark Hall as freshmen, espe- cially, doing what they do. It's really unfathomable to think about just because I was | W R E S T L I N G • N C A A T O U R N A M E N T S COMMAND PERFORMANCE Penn State seizes control of the national tournament and doesn't let up, crowning five individual champs en route to its sixth title in the past seven years

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