Story by Tony Mancuso and Kelsey Detweiler

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The defending national champion Nittany Lion wrestling team officially opened the 2011-'12 campaign with media day at Rec Hall on Monday afternoon.

More than 30 members of the local media gathered for head coach Cael Sanderson's first press conference of the season and media availability for the wrestlers on the squad.  Take a look through some of the noteworthy items from media day for the defending national champs.

The Leader of the Pack
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson said that his team's Big Ten Championship and NCAA title last year is still something to be honored, but he is looking forward to the entertainment that his squad will be providing this season. Sanderson has been doing a bit of wrestling of his own in the offseason, but he assured that his focus from this point is on his student-athletes and his top-ranked program.

"We're excited about what these guys were able to do last year and last year's in the books as something we can always be proud of," said Sanderson. "I'm just really focused here on getting our team ready to go and you know at the same time I'm preparing to compete just kind of like I always do."

Veterans Expected to Take the Lead
With a roster featuring 10 fresh faces, Sanderson reiterated the importance of developing leadership and keeping the intensity high throughout the first weeks of the season. The head coach noted that while his highly ranked recruits seem confident and ready to learn, he is counting on All-Americans David Taylor, Ed Ruth, Frank Molinaro and Quentin Wright and returning NCAA qualifier Cameron Wade to lead the team this year.

Getting to Know the New Guys
Among the handful of new athletes added to the Penn State roster are freshmen Nico Megaludis and Morgan McIntosh. Both of these wrestlers were among the country's top five recruits heading into the 2011-'12 season, and Sanderson said that the duo is adjusting very well to the collegiate wrestling stage.

"They're both looking really great actually," said Sanderson. "They're very talented kids with a tough mentality and believe in themselves, which is rare this early in their career, but I have a lot of confidence in both of those guys."

All-Americans Working Even Harder
After providing what was truly a team effort to take home last year's national title, Sanderson said that his wrestlers who made the biggest impact last season are at it again. After an almost perfect season at 38-1, sophomore David Taylor has been moved up to the 165 spot in the Nittany Lion roster and Sanderson said that Taylor has made the adjustment smoothly. Sanderson also spoke highly of three-time All American and national runner-up Frank Molinaro, who is one of just two seniors on the squad this year.

"Both guys are wrestling exceptionally well right now," said Sanderson. "And, if you can imagine, they have actually improved since last year and that kind of forces everybody else into whatever weight classes are left there."

The Alton Brothers
After an impressive debut season at 141, Sanderson announced that Andrew Alton will be a red-shirt wrestler for the 2011-'12 schedule. Sanderson said that it would be more of a hassle for Andrew to cut a significant amount of weight to get back down to 141 than it would be for him to wait it out and compete as the tough wrestler that he is at 149 when Molinaro has graduated. Sanderson also said that Andrew's brother, Dylan Alton, will fill the spot at 157 this year as he has been looking sharp and has been very competitive against the competition he has faced in practice so far.


Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony