Penn State has 164 honorees through fall and spring campaigns
2012 NATIONAL CHAMPION
David Taylor heads into the 2012-13 season as defending national champion at 165, a two-time All-American and holder of nearly every major individual award given out last year, following his stellar 32-0 run through the nation en route to his first national title. Taylor, the Hodge Trophy winner as the top collegiate wrestler in the nation as well as the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrestler Award winner, will carry a 70-1 career record with 157 dual meet points into his junior campaign.
Lion Career 2011-12: 21-6 tech fall over Nick Fischer in Intrasquad on 11/3...pinned Bloomsburg's Kevin Hartnett in season opening dual on 11/13...sizzling 16-1 tech fall in just 4:29 over #8 Cody Yohn of Minnesota on 11/20, win put him over the 100 career dual meet point mark in just his 21st dual meet...went 4-0 with four pins to win the 2011 Nittany Lion Open on 12/4 plus downed former All-American Steve Fittery, a NC entry, 14-6 in the finals (which does not count on his record)...downed #9 Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh on 12/9 at LU...rolled to the 2012 Southern Scuffle title, earning OW honors as well, with three pins, a tech and a major...pinned #10 Cody Yohn of Minnesota at the 2:34 mark in the finals...20-5 TF over NU's Pierce Harger on 1/13 and a pin of UW's Alex Yde at 2:28 on 1/15...dominated #6 Mike Evans of Iowa 9-4 in dual on 1/22 with over 3:00 riding time...18-3 TF (6:20) over Ohio State's Derek Garcia on 1/29...closed out second straight unbeaten Big Ten dual season with 13-3 major over #6 Robert Kokesh on 2/3 and 15-0 TF of #14 Dan Yates of Michigan on 2/5...is 16-0 all-time in Big Ten duals through two years...has 159 career dual meet points...23 falls is top 20 all-time at PSU...first team Academic All-American (NWCA) and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Big Ten Championships (4-0, 1st, NCAA Qualifier): Won second straight Big Ten title (and first at 165) with sizzling 4-0 run through 2012 Big Ten Championship field...advanced to semis with a tech fall and a pin and then majored #12 Conrad Polz of Illinois in semis before majoring #6 Mike Evans of Iowa in finals...was named 2012 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year for second straight year...now 2x Big Ten champ...has never lost to a Big Ten foe in regular season or post-season.
NCAA Championships (5-0, NCAA Champion): Stormed his way to his first NCAA championship, pinning his way to the finals at 165 before scoring an all-time finals record 22 points in 22-7 tech fall win over Lehigh's Brandon Hatchett in the title bout...pinned Corey Lear of Bucknell (1:40)...Brandon Wright of Chattanooga (1:51)...#8 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska (0:29)...and Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Clarion (4:46)...won 2012 NCAA Championship Gorriaran Award and 2012 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award...capped year off with 2012 Hodge Trophy as top collegiate wrestler in the country.
2010-11: Tech falled Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg in dual debut on 11/12...then pinned Sean Bilodeau of Lehigh in Rec Hall dual debut on 11/14...continued perfect start to collegiate career with 3-0 showing at Sprawl and Brawl Duals, including a pin and two majors (the final major a 13-3 dismantling of #18 Daryl Cocozzo of Rutgers)...blazed through the Nittany Lion Open field on 12/5, going 6-0 with three majors, a pin and a tech fall; downed Virginia Tech's Jesse Dong 9-3 (w/ over 5:00 riding time)...19-4 tech fall over Lock Haven's Seth Creasy on 12/12...dominated #13 Colt Sponseller of Ohio State in Big Ten dual meet debut on 12/19, nearly picking up a tech fall with a 14-1 win including 5:56 in riding time...perfect 6-0 with four tech falls and two pins to blaze his way to 157-pound crown at Southern Scuffle on 12/29-30...dominated #9 Paul Young of Indiana for an 18-2 tech fall in only 4:06 in the title bout...named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2011 Virginia Duals after going 4-0 with a pin, two tech falls and a major...tech fall over Pitt's Donnie Tasser (26-11) on 1/21...dominating 14-3 major over #5 Paul Young of Indiana on 1/23...majored #14 Derek St. John of Iowa on 1/30...20-5 tech fall over MSU's Sean McMurray on 2/4...pinned #20 Brandon Zeerip of Michigan in just 1:01 on 2/6...26-10 tech fall over Illinois' Jackson Morse on 2/11...tech fall over Minnesota's Matt Mincey on 2/13 (16-1 in 6:15)...completed perfect regular season with eighth Big Ten dual meet win, getting a TF over Wisconsin's Kalvin York on 2/18 (18-2).
Big Ten Championships (3-0, 1st, NCAA Qualifier): Continued his undefeated run for the season with a perfect 3-0 showing at Big Tens to earn the 2011 Big Ten championship at 157. Taylor notched a pin and a major and then beat #7 Derek St. John soundly in the final, 8-3....named 2011 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year on 3/6 and 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year on 3/6 as well.
NCAA Championships (4-1, 2nd, All-American/National Runner-Up): Went 4-1 at first NCAA tournament, blazing to NCAA finals with four straight wins, including a major and a tech, downed #2 Steve Fittery 7-1 in national semifinals and ended record setting freshman year as 2011 NCAA Runner-Up at 157...named Intermat's National Freshman of the Year.
2009-10: Red-shirt season...posted 21-2 record as an unattached competitor...wrestled in five open tournaments, winning three and taking second in the other two...won W&J Open on 1/14...second at ESU Open on 11/22...won Mat-Town on 11/28...second at NLO on 12/6 (losing to Lion All-American Cyler Sanderson 9-7 in finals)...won National Collegiate Open on 2/20...competed all season at 157...7-0 in pins, 10-0 in technical falls and 2-0 in majors.
High School/Personal
Outstanding career at St. Paris Graham High School...Falcons reeled off a stunning nine consecutive Ohio State Division II state titles, including the 2008 DII National Championship...received the prestigious Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award for the nation...posted an amazing 180-2 overall record in four years and won four consecutive Ohio State Championships (won two titles at 103, one at 112 and last one at 135)...2009 Ohio State Wrestling Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler...Ohio Wrestler of the Year in each of the past two seasons...two-time Asics First Team All-American and has claimed the Beast of the East crown and won the Ironman title an unprecedented four times (he is the only wrestler in that tournament's long and storied history to win four titles)...won three Cadet and two Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition...member of 4-H Club...ranked in the top 10 of his class...4.0 GPA.
