Blue White Illustrated

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Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S game the way Saquon Barkley does," said James Franklin. Carr might not be Penn State's best basketball player of all time, but simply by virtue of his decision to commit to head coach Patrick Chambers in 2015 as a top-50 recruit, he helped revitalize the brand. And he then helped sustain that momentum by spearheading the Nittany Lions' run to an NIT championship be- fore departing. "Tony Carr set the stan- dard for sure, for the current team and for future Penn Staters, future Nittany Lions," Chambers said. "We're going to miss him." The Philadelphia native reached the 1,000-point mark quicker than anyone who came before him and now is in po- sition to hear his name called in the NBA Draft earlier than anyone else, too. Retherford might not be Penn State's best wrestler of all time, but through his quiet determination and grit, he became his sport's most unquestionably domi- nant competitor for three years and 94 matches in a row. The Benton, Pa., na- tive capped his career with the longest win streak in program history, and that wasn't his only unprecedented accom- plishment. He's also the only Penn Stater to win the prestigious Hodge Tro- phy in back-to-back seasons. Only two others have ever won them consecu- tively, and his head coach, Cael Sander- son, is one of them. As Retherford departed, Sanderson said he would go down "as one of the great college wrestlers certainly [and] one of the best Penn State wrestlers for sure." Sturtz might not be Penn State's best hockey player of all time, but he's set a high bar for those who follow. The Nit- tany Lions just finished only their sixth season, so the program is still in its rela- tive infancy. Selecting their greatest right now is like picking the valedicto- rian after the first week of school, but in only two seasons in University Park, Sturtz set a pace. The Buffalo, N.Y., resi- dent leaves with a school-record 54 ca- reer goals. "He made this program a heck of a lot better," said head coach Guy Gadowsky, "and he will always be an in- tegral part of Hockey Valley." But this isn't a debate about whether they're the best, or whether they're not. Rather, it's about the spectacle. Penn State's athletic program has en- joyed more successful years than the one that will end in early June when the out- door track season concludes. It has won more championships in one season, amassed more collective wins. But it's rare, if not unprecedented, for a group of individuals to finish their remarkable college careers nearly in unison. And to think, there could have been more. All but Retherford still had at least one more season of eligibility, but their earning potential was growing harder to ignore. Barkley left with one year to go, and it's been predicted that his will be one of the first names called later this month in the NFL Draft. Carr left with two years remaining, and Sturtz, who signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators in March, is forgoing his senior season. Retherford was a four-time All- American, and even though wrestling doesn't have a high-profile professional league or a draft, there are a few ways to monetize one's collegiate success. After his final collegiate season was done, Retherford inked a deal of his own. He's now the public face for Under Armour's new line of wrestling apparel, ScrapLife. Maybe not the best ever, but they didn't make out too bad, either. And who knows what comes next? Someone is going to come along and score more touchdowns than Barkley did. Cham- bers now has a lot more to sell as he goes out in search of the next Carr. Rether- ford has teammates who are already challenging his legacy, and guys like Sturtz are just the beginning over at Pegula. But players with Barkley's athletic ability, Carr's notoriety, Retherford's dominance and Sturtz's scoring ability only come around every once in a while. At Penn State recently, it all aligned, in- tersecting in a 2017-18 athletics season that will be remembered as one for the ages. ■

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