Blue White Illustrated

I t's unprecedented for a college wrestling program to return five national champi- ons, but for the 2017-18 season that's just what Penn State is doing. Add in a return- ing All-American, and the Nittany Lion lineup is shored up at six of the 10 spots. The other four had question marks hov- ering above them at the start of the sea- son. After jumping out to a pair of wins in the year's first dual meets – 45-3 over Army on Nov. 9 and 36-6 over Bucknell three days later – the starting 10 is begin- ning to round into form. "We're happy with the team we have," coach Cael Sanderson said. "We'll see how things develop, if there are any changes. There are still opportunities for guys to earn spots or take spots, however you want to look at it. We have some open tourna- ments coming up, but we feel good with the team we have out there right now." Here's a look at how the new lineup stacked up after the opening homestand: 125 A redshirt freshman from Litiz, Pa., Devin Schnupp earned the first two starts of the season following the transfer of blue-chip recruit Nick Suriano during the off-season. Schnupp claimed the starting spot over a freshman and a junior. He dropped his first two matches of the sea- son by decision, but the combined margin of defeat was only four points, and Sanderson said he's confident Schnupp can build off the tight losses. "Conditioning can be a factor for him when he learns how to use it," Sanderson said. "He just needs some experience, and that's what we're getting right now." 133 A graduate transfer from Central Michigan and a native of Schuykill Haven, Pa., Corey Keener debuted in Rec Hall with a pair of bonus-point victories – a first-period pin by headlock against Army's Lane Peters and then a 12-4 major over Bucknell's David Campbell. It ap- pears that Keener will be the full-time starter here. "He's been a great addition," Sanderson said. "It's been a real smooth transition, him jumping on the team." 141 Up a weight class after a shoulder in- jury cut his sophomore season short, Jered Cortez got the first two starts of the year and won both by decision. His first, 12-6, came against Army's Austin Harry, and then the Carol Stream, Ill., resident won again, 10-4, against Bucknell's Matthew Kolonia. True freshman Nick Lee could also factor into this class down the road, but it's Cortez who got the first crack at it. 149 Zain Retherford is back to defend his back-to-back NCAA crowns and continue his dominance as one of the best in the country. The Benton, Pa., native's first two matches failed to go past the second pe- riod. His first, against Army's Knox Fuller, ended in 4 minutes, 13 seconds by techni- cal fall, 17-1. In the meet against Bucknell, Retherford pinned Seth Hogue in 4:24. The early surge has done nothing to limit outside expectations on the returning Hodge Trophy winner, but outside expec- tations are largely ignored by Retherford. "Anything else is just a distraction," he said. "I focus on what I want to get out of a match, what I want to get out of this year and wrestle the way I want to wrestle." 157 The second national champion in a series of five consecutive, Jason Nolf, who is from Yatesboro, Pa., quickly returned to form as well, notching back-to-back pins in fewer than six minutes combined. "You can see he's constantly working and play- ing with the sport, and that's why he's bet- ter now than he was a year ago," Sanderson said. "Then next year he'll be better than he is this year, because of his attitude." 165 After becoming the first freshman to win an NCAA title for Penn State, Vin- cenzo Joseph returns to what many con- sider to be the deepest and most talented weight class in the country. A Pittsburgh native, Joseph opened his dual season with a 17-7 major over Army's Andre Mendel before topping D.J. Hollingstead of Bucknell by a 23-8 technical fall in 6:30. 174 Defending national champ Mark Hall came up short in his first match, los- ing to Arizona's Zahid Valencia, whom he had defeated in the NCAA semifinals last March, at a preseason exhibition all-star event. The Apple Valley, Minn., resident rebounded with dual-meet wins against Army (pin over Ben Harvey in 4:09) and Bucknell (21-6, technical fall in 6:50 over Nick Stephani) when it mattered. 184 A two-time finalist, Bo Nickal re- turns to the spot where he won his crown last season, and he opened up the season in a style that PSU fans have come to ex- pect. In his two matches, Nickal, who hails from Allen, Texas, won by fall in 26 seconds over Noah Stewart of Army and then beat Bucknell's Drew Phipps with seven takedowns en route to a 16-6 major. 197 After battling shoulder injuries in his first two seasons, Anthony Cassar opened the year as the starter in place of senior and returning three-time national qualifier Matt McCutcheon. Cassar, who is from Rocky Hill, N.J., earned a 10-3 de- cision over Army's Rocco Caywood in his Rec Hall debut. In Sunday's bout against Bucknell's Garrett Hoffman, however, Cassar dropped an 11-8 decision. Sander- son said that as Cassar returns to compe- tition, he is learning that a full-time role encompasses more than just the seven- minute bout. "There are a lot of [other factors, like] having your weight where you want it... so he just has a lot of little things that he has to figure out," Sander- son said. "But we're very optimistic about Cassar and his potential." 285 Nick Nevills started his season with an exhibition win over Arizona State's Tan- ner Hall in an all-star dual and followed that up with back-to-back victories in Rec Hall. After claiming All-America accolades for the first time last season, Nevills re- turns to his post 5-10 pounds larger, com- pletely healed from any lingering injuries, and seemingly more aggressive. "I'm just really excited for this coming season and the opportunities and chal- lenges it brings," he said. ■ Penn State's lineup takes shape in opening duals |

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