Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/904141
A small-town kid from northeastern Pennsylvania, Zain Retherford is now transforming into a well-trav- eled connoisseur. After winning his second NCAA crown for Penn State in March and claiming the Hodge Trophy as the nation's best colle- giate wrestler, Retherford went on to win the U.S. World Team Trials a few months later by beating former coach and mentor Frank Molinaro in the championship round. His victory earned him a spot on the U.S. freestyle team at 65 kilograms (143 pounds), and he competed in places such as France and Spain this past summer. World travel is nothing new for the 22- year-old, as he had won a Cadet world title in Azerbaijan before he had even enrolled at PSU, back when he was still residing on the family farm in Benton. What he found during his most recent excursions, though, was that Paris might be one of his more memorable stops yet. "The croissants were really good," he said, smiling. "And the baguettes." Of course, the cuisine wasn't his prior- ity. He was there to win the World Cup, and although he came up short of a medal, he helped Team USA to a world title for the first time since 1995. He also learned a wide array of tactics and strategies used by wrestlers from other countries that he will either incorporate into his own reper- toire for his senior season, or will simply understand better. Because as he's come to realize after exploring different parts of the world, the food tastes different and the people he encounters aren't quite like they are back home, but there's always some- thing new to learn. But no matter the destination, when he's on the wrestling mat, the language is the same. "I'm really glad I got the ex- perience," he said. "I think it's really important. Wrestling is wrestling, so by wrestling all summer, even though it's freestyle, I got better in positions, espe- cially on my feet. It's all pretty much the same. I think the biggest thing I can take W R E S T L I N G BY TIM OWEN owen.tim.bwi@gmail.com SENIOR MOMENT A two- time national champion, Retherford is in his final season at Penn State. Photo by Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics MAN OF THE WORLD Zain Retherford has a future in international wrestling, but for now, his focus is on winning one last NCAA crown