Blue White Illustrated

"It's really cool to stand out in front of 100,000 people and they're all looking at you," senior Quentin Wright said. "It's always cool when you have the at- tention of that many people." Being the center of attention is something Penn State wrestlers should be used to by now. Not only have they won two consecutive national and conference titles, but they have won in dominating fashion. Last sea- son they crowned three individual national champions, two runners-up and six All-Americans. This season, they're expecting to have even more success. "Every year you have another year under your belt," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Just technically speaking, these guys are improving, and it's a very competitive [practice] room. I think our room is getting more competitive every year, and if [a wrestler] is finding success in a competitive room, that means you're improving. "So I think we're seeing that we have a lot of great wrestlers running around, and the whole product is kind of im- proving as we move along." Sanderson lost two starters from last season's title run – Molinaro at 149 pounds and Cameron Wade at heavyweight – but because there are a lot of great wrestlers running around the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, as Sanderson put it, the team has been able to find replacements for the grad- uates. Andrew Alton, who was a na- tional qualifier as a true freshman at 141 before taking a redshirt last sea- son, is set to fill in for Molinaro at 149. And a sophomore – either Jon Gingrich or recent transfer Jimmy Lawson – will occupy the 285-pound weight class. The consensus inside the Lorenzo Complex is that the Nittany Lions are on track for a third consecutive NCAA title, but the national preseason rank- ings don't necessarily reflect that belief. Some national analysts suspect that recent changes in Penn State's starting lineup may hinder the Lions' champi- onship hopes. Not only is Penn State losing Molinaro and Wade, who com- bined to qualify for seven NCAA tour- naments, but national champions Ed CAEL SANDERSON "We have a lot of great wrestlers running around our practice room, and the whole product is improv- ing as we move along." BWI file photo Ruth and Wright are moving up to heavier weight classes – 184 and 197, respectively. While Ruth is ranked atop his new weight class, Wright is ranked No. 3 by IntermatWrestle.com. The weight changes have created room for Matt Brown to step in at 174, and he's ranked seventh after posting a 27-2 record as a redshirt freshman a year ago. Even David Taylor, the most recent winner of the Hodge Trophy, wrestling's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, was ranked No. 2 heading into the season. He's behind Cornell's Kyle Dake, who edged him, 2-1, in a recent exhibition match at 165. Partly due to the fluctuation in the starting lineup and the uncertainty that comes with it, the team enters the season ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches As- sociation poll, behind 2012 NCAA run- ner-up Minnesota. Sanderson, who is entering his fourth season at Penn State, acknowledged that the team's path to the national title could be more daunting than it was the previous two seasons. "There's a lot of competition," he said. "I think it is probably more competitive this year than it was last year. "We have a strong team, obviously, but there [are] a lot of programs that have strong teams. And a lot of things happen in the off-season and every team is a little bit different. I really want to get this season started to see where we're at." Sanderson isn't the only one who's eager to get under way. Whether they're training for the Olympic Trials – Taylor, Brown, Ruth and Wright all competed in Iowa City, Iowa, this past summer – or preparing for the Nittany Lions' upcoming schedule, his wrestlers are also looking forward to the season's start and the opportunity to compete against someone other than their own teammates. "There are times [when] you wrestle guys in the room so many times that you just want to punch them in the face," Taylor said. "So it's really nice to get out there and compete, but what we're looking forward to the most is wrestling out in front of Rec Hall." They first rolled out the mat at Rec Hall in early November for their in- trasquad scrimmage, a match in which redshirt freshman Jordan Conaway all but secured the starting spot at 133 and senior Bryan Pearsall sealed up his starting spot at 141. Sophomore Nico Megaludis, a national runner- up last season, is a lock for the start- ing spot at 125. They started the regular season at

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