PENN STATE¡¯S ENTRANTS IN THE 2007 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
#11 Penn State Nittany Lions (14-5, 5-3 Big ten)

Wt. Rk./Name Yr. Hometown/High School Overall/at NCAAs 125 #18 Mark McKnight Jr. McDonald, Pa./South Fayette 23-11/2-2 133 #14 Jake Strayer So. South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills 27-8/4-2, 7th place 149 #12 Dan Vallimont Fr. Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Twp. 22-12/3-2 ¡®round of 12¡¯ 157 Bubba Jenkins Fr. Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial 23-12/1-2 174 #4 James Yonushonis Sr. Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola30-6/1-2 197 #3 Philip Davis Jr. Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg 28-5/4-2, 5th place HWT #3 Aaron Anspach Sr. Columbia, Pa./Columbia 22-4/4-1, 2nd place 

ANSPACH IS 2007 NATIONAL RUNNER-UP; FIRST TIME ALL-AMERICAN AT HWT
Senior HWT Aaron Anspach, who is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year, is the 2007 NCAA National Runner-Up after his 4-1 performance at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Anspach, now an All-American, ended his 2007 season with a 22-4 record with three of those losses coming to two-time national champion Cole Konrad of Minnesota (one in the regular season, one in the Big Ten title tilt and one in the national finals). Anspach was 7-0 in majors this year as well. Anspach joins four other Nittany Lions who have finished in second place at nationals in the HWT division, all in Penn State¡¯s 99 years of wrestling. Two Nittany Lions, Bill Oberly and Kerry McCoy (twice), have won the national title at HWT. Anspach, who has missed two full seasons with injuries, is 43-15 as a Nittany Lion.

DAVIS IS PENN STATE¡¯S 15TH THREE-TIME ALL-AMERICAN
Junior 197-pounder Phil Davis placed fifth at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships, earning All-America laurels for the third time in his three years in the line-up. Davis¡¯ 4-2 performance made him the 15th three-time All-American in Penn State history. The Harrisburg native went 28-5 this year and now has a 90-19 career record. He has the chance to become Penn State¡¯s fourth four-time All-American next season.

STRAYER AN ALL-AMERICAN AT 133
Sophomore Jake Strayer entered the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships unseeded but proved himself nonetheless by taking seventh place at 133 and earning his first All-American honor. Strayer went 4-2 at the tournament and ends the year with a 27-8 record. His seventh place performance is the second-highest in PSU history in the decade old weight class. Strayer is now 53-14 in two years as a starter for Penn State.

VALLIMONT JUST ONE WIN SHY....
Freshman Dan Vallimont, making his NCAA debut as a red-shirt rookie, entered the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships as the No. 12 seed. The Nittany Lion 149-pounder went 3-2 at the tournament, advanced to the ¡®round of 12¡¯ (thus wrestling to his seed), and finishing just one win shy of becoming an All-American.

YONUSHONIS ENDS CAREER WITH OVER 80 WINS
Senior All-American James Yonushonis closed out an outstanding Penn State career by leading the Nittany Lions with a 30-6 overall record. Yonushonis, a 2006 All-American at 174, went 83-50 as a Nittany Lions, including a 44-24 dual match record and 156 dual match points. He went 10-3 in falls during his four years with Penn State as well and participated in this year¡¯s NWCA All-Star Classic, downing Penn¡¯s Matt Herrington in the event.

JENKINS MAKES NCAA TOURNAMENT DEBUT
True freshman Bubba Jenkins made his NCAA Tournament debut, going 1-2 in his inaugural run at nationals. Jenkins¡¯ one win was a 15-3 major over Missouri¡¯s Michael Chandler. His two losses were to the tournament¡¯s No. 3 and No. 8 seeds. Jenkins went 23-12 this year, moving up to 157 in January.

McKNIGHT GOES 2-2 AT NATIONALS
Junior 125-pounder Mark McKnight went 2-2 at nationals in his third trip to the tournament (and his first as a Nittany Lion). McKnight grabbed a 12-4 major over Lehigh¡¯s Matt Fisk and a 6-3 decision over Oregon State¡¯s Eric Stevenson. His two losses were to the tournament¡¯s No. 1 and No. 10 seed. McKnight went 23-11 this year in his first season as a Nittany Lion starter.

PENN STATE CLAIMS THREE ALL-AMERICANS
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team nabbed three All-Americans at the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the second consecutive year. Senior HWT Aaron Anspach was national runner-up, Phil Davis finished fifth at 197 and became a three-time All-American and Jake Strayer finished seventh at 133 for his first All-America tag. The Nittany Lions have had three or more All-Americans in three of the past five years.

NITTANY LIONS POST 14TH HIGHEST POINT TOTAL AT NATIONALS
Penn State¡¯s 54.00 points at the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships is the 14th highest tournament point total in 99 years of Penn State wrestling. The total was good enough for 11th place at the event, just three points shy of eighth place.

COOL SUNDAY KEEPS LIONS FROM GRABBING BIG TEN RUNNER-UP SLOT
After a superb Saturday night session in the 2007 Big Ten Championships in East Lansing the weekend of March 3-4, Penn State was primed for a run at a second place finish. But a cool Sunday kept Penn State, which was locked in a heated three-team battle for second with Wisconsin and Iowa, out of the runner-up spot. Minnesota won the team title with 156 points. Wisconsin (100.5), Iowa (91.0) and Penn State (90.5) each followed, with the trio trading slots on the team ladder all day Sunday.

LIONS CLOSE OUT DUAL MATCH SEASON WITH WINS AT MICHIGAN AND MICHIGAN STATE
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team closed out its 2006-07 dual meet season with impressive wins at No. 23 Michigan and No. 23 Michigan State on Feb. 16 and 18. Penn State downed UM 21-16 and then beat MSU 27-12. In winning the two duals, Penn State won 13 of 20 bouts and got three wins from three freshmen in the MSU dual. The victories helped Penn State end the year 14-5 overall, 5-3 and in third place in Big Ten duals.

LIONS FINISH THIRD IN BIG TEN DUAL STANDINGS; BEST FINISH SINCE 1998
Penn State went 5-3 in Big Ten duals this season, marking the third time in four years that Penn State has won five conference contests. The record was good enough for a third place tie in the final Big Ten dual standings, giving Penn State its highest dual finish since going 6-0 and finishing in first during the 1997-98 campaign. The Nittany Lions ended the year tied with Iowa and Wisconsin.

ANSPACH NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Penn State Nittany Lion heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Feb. 4. Anspach shares the honor with Ohio State¡¯s T.J. Enright. Anspach entered the weekend's Big Ten duals with Northwestern and Iowa ranked No. 13 nationally, but has jumped to third after two impressive wins last week. The Nittany Lion heavyweight gave notice to his national prowess by beating the No. 4 and No. 6 ranked heavyweight wrestlers in less than 48 hours. Anspach downed No. 4 Dustin Fox, 5-2, on Friday night to help No. 13 Penn State beat No. 10 Northwestern, 25-8. The PSU senior recorded two takedowns in the first period and gave up only two escape points. Two days later, Anspach downed No. 6 Matt Fields of Iowa, 4-2, in the Lions¡¯ 24-13 win over the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes. Anspach did not give up a takedown in the match once again and posted his lone takedown in the first period and added an escape point and a riding time point in the process. The two wins improved Anspach to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten.

LIONS COMPLETE HOME SCHEDULE WITH ROUSING WEEKEND IN REC HALL
Buoyed by a senior class bent on leaving Rec Hall with a bang, the Nittany Lions, who entered their final two home duals ranked No. 12, beat the tenth- and sixth-ranked teams by a combined score of 49-21 on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4. First, Penn State won eight of ten bouts in knocking off No. 10 Northwestern 25-8 on Feb. 2. The dual was highlighted by Phil Davis¡¯ 8-2 win over No. 2 Mike Tamillow at 197. Seniors James Yonushonis and Aaron Anspach (who is petitioning for a sixth year) also gained impressive wins. Yonushonis beat No. 15 Nick Hayes 3-1 at 174 and Anspach, who was ranked No. 13 at the time, downed No. 4 Dustin Fox 5-2 at HWT. Two days later, 5,841 fans jammed Rec Hall to watch Penn State beat No. 6 Iowa 24-13. The Nittany Lions won six of ten duals and picked up pins from Davis (a quick fall at 197 that clinched the dual victory) and senior Bryan Heller at 141. Heller used a superb move with his back to No. 6 Alex Tsirtsis to pin the Hawkeye at the 3:31 mark. Yonushonis, who entered the bout ranked No. 7, beat No. 2 Eric Luedke 3-1 (SV) at 174 and Anspach collected his second win over a top six grappler with a 4-2 victory over No. 6 Matt Fields. In all, Penn State won 14 of 20 bouts over the course of the weekend.

DAVIS DOWNS TAMILLOW
Defending national runner-up Phil Davis entered his match-up with Mike Tamillow of Northwestern ranked No. 3 in the country. Tamillow entered ranked No. 2. The two-time Penn State All-American continued his torrid Big Ten season with an 8-2 win over the talented Wildcat grappler.

LIONS DOWN HAWKEYES FOR 2ND STRAIGHT TIME
Penn State¡¯s 24-13 win over visiting Iowa on Feb. 4 marked the second straight win for PSU over the talented Hawkeyes. Penn State won in Iowa City 21-12 last season. The mini-win streak is the longest for the Lions since Penn State won three straight from 1986-87 through 1998-99.

YONUSHONIS PERFECT IN BIG TEN DUALS
Senior James Yonushonis went a perfect 8-0 in Big Ten duals this year, He began his run with a major over Wisconsin¡¯s Mike Felling in January and concluded it with a 3-0 shutout of MSU¡¯s Greg Goidosik at the end of February. All told, he downed three ranked grapplers during the streak and complied three majors in eight Big Ten victories.

DAVIS PINS FIVE BIG TEN FOES IN EIGHT BIG TEN DUALS
Phil Davis completed a perfect Big Ten dual match season in fine fashion. He pinned five of his eight Big Ten opponents, including No. 7 J.D. Bergman of Ohio State. Davis had two majors to go along with the pins and six wins over ranked wrestlers (Bergman, No. 5 Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell, No. 15 T.J. Morrison of Rider, No. 11 Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin, an 8-2 win over No. 2 Mike Tamillow of Northwestern and a 5-1 win over No. 20 Nick Roy of Michigan).

HELLER & UNGER GRADUATING
Nittany Lion starting 141-pounder and key 197-pound reserve Chad Unger are set to graduate in May and will forego their final years of collegiate eligibility. Each wrestler is has junior eligibility but will get their respective diplomas in May. The have both decided that this is their final years with the Nittany Lion wrestlers. Heller closed out his home PSU career with a pin of No. 6 Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa on 2/4 and jumped into AWN¡¯s national rankings on 2/7. Unger went 10-5 this season and leaves Penn State with a 15-13 career record.

VALLIMONT NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK (1/31/07)
Freshman Dan Vallimont downed two ranked wrestlers the weekend of Jan. 26 and 28 to claim Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for the first time in his career. Vallimont, who beat No. 16 Lance Palmer of Ohio State and No. 10 Troy Tirapelle of Illinois, picked up his first two Big Ten dual meet wins in the decisions and jumped into the national rankings as well. Vallimont debuted at No. 15 in the NWCA poll and No. 10 in the AWN poll, both released on 1/31.

VALLIMONT BREAKS OUT VS. OHIO STATE AND ILLINOIS
Freshman Dan Vallimont entered Penn State¡¯s home dual weekend vs. Ohio State (1/26) and Illinois (1/28) with a solid 12-7 mark. The red-shirt freshman was 7-6 in duals and 0-2 in Big Ten action. Giving notice to the progress he¡¯s made throughout the season, Vallimont posted two straight Big Ten wins (the first of his career) against two ranked opponents to improve his record to 14-7, 9-6 in duals and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Vallimont beat No. 16 Lance Palmer of Ohio State 4-2 on 1/26 and then took out No. 10 Troy Tirapelle of Illinois 9-3 on 1/28. The New Jersey native has one other win over a ranked foe, a 3-1 win over then No. 8 Trevor Chinn of Lehigh on 12/8.

DAVIS PINS BERGMAN IN DUAL OPENER TO SPARK NITTANY LIONS TO 26-12 WIN OVER OHIO STATE
No. 3 Phil Davis pinned No. 7 J.D. Bergman of Ohio State in the first bout of Penn State¡¯s home dual vs. the Buckeyes on 1/26, sparking Penn State to a 26-12 win over the visiting Buckeyes. The win was Davis¡¯ first-ever over Bergman.

JENKINS GETS FIRST BIG TEN VICTORY
True freshman Bubba Jenkins, one of four freshmen in Penn State¡¯s starting line-up, downed Ohio State¡¯s Jason Johnstone 10-6 to get his first career Big Ten dual meet victory. Jenkins got the win on 1/26 in Rec Hall.

RELLA WINS IN BIG TEN DUAL DEBUT
True freshman Dave Rella grabbed a victory in his Big Ten debut on the road in Madison on 1/19. Rella won a hard-fought 6-4 decision over UW¡¯s Jake Donar.

LIONS GO 3-1 AT VIRGINIA DUALS, TAKE 2ND PLACE
Penn State beat North Dakota State (39-3), Bloomsburg (22-9) and Rider (41-0) before suffering an upset to No. 12 Edinboro in the finals (19-17) to take second place in the 2007 Virginia Duals. The Nittany Lions won 31 of the 40 bouts that they wrestled and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 121-29.

McKNIGHT, STRAYER, YONUSHONIS AND DAVIS GO UNDEFEATED AT VIRGINIA DUALS
Junior Mark McKnight, sophomore Jake Strayer, senior James Yonushonis and junior Phil Davis each went undefeated at the Virginia Duals to help the Nittany Lions to a second place finish. McKnight beat two ranked grapplers in the process of going 4-0 and improved his overall record to a team-best 15-1. Strayer went a perfect 4-0, including a major over No. 16 Ricky Deubel of Edinboro, to move to 15-2 on the year. Yonushonis was 4-0, including a win over No. 14 Doug Umbehauer of Rider, to improve his record to 20-3 (he leads Penn State in wins). Davis was 4-0 with a win over No. 15 T.J. Morrison of Rider, improving his record to 14-1.

LIONS BLANK RIDER 41-0 in 2nd SHUt-OUT OF YEAR
Penn State won all ten bouts in its 41-0 shut-out of Rider in the semifinals of the 2007 Virginia Duals on Jan. 13. The shut-out was Penn State¡¯s second of the year (the Nittany Lions also downed Clarion 47-0 in the Pennsylvania Duals on Nov. 19. This marks the first time since 1992-93 that the Nittany Lions have posted two shut-outs in one season. Penn State blanked both Lehigh and Bloomsburg 39-0 that season on its way to a 22-0-1 record. The last time Penn State had three shut-outs in a season was 1971-72.

MCKNIGHT DOWNS NICKERSON TO SPARK PENN STATE¡¯S WIN AT CORNELL
Junior Mark McKnight, ranked No. 3 nationally at 125, downed No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell 5-2 in the first bout of Penn State¡¯s 18-12 win at Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 7. McKnight recorded two takedowns without giving one up in the convincing victory. His win helped spark Penn State on to winning six of ten bouts against the Big Red.

DAVIS BEATS NO. 2 RINALDI OF CORNELL AS LIONS WIN FINAL FOUR BOUTS IN DUAL VICTORY
Junior Phil Davis, ranked No. 5 nationally at 197, continued to hold the edge over Cornell¡¯s Jerry Rinaldi by dominating the Big Red wrestler 5-0 in Penn State¡¯s dual win at CU on Jan. 7. Davis, now 5-0 lifetime vs. Rinaldi, helped spark the Lions to an 18-12 win over Cornell as Penn State won the dual¡¯s final four bouts to secure the win.

WARD HAS SUCCESSFUL COLLEGIATE DUAL DEBUT
Redshirt freshman Mike Ward made a successful collegiate dual match debut in Penn State¡¯s 18-12 win at Cornell on Jan. 7. Ward stepped into the starting line-up at 184 and faced Cornell¡¯s Joey Hooker, who was ranked No. 19 nationally at 174. Ward notched the bout¡¯s only takedown on his way to an important 3-2 win over Hooker, part of a four bout win streak to close out the dual match.

RELLA MAKES COLLEGIATE DEBUT
True freshman Dave Rella made his collegiate debut in Penn State¡¯s 18-12 dual match victory at Cornell on Jan. 7. Rella started at 165 against CU¡¯s Steve Anceravage, who was ranked No. 11 in the nation. Neither wrestler managed a takedown in the hard-fought bout, with Anceravage getting a 2-1 win thanks to a 1:09 riding time edge.

JENKiNS CLAIMS WILKES TITLE; BOMBERGER AND DECKER PLACE THIRD
Nittany Lion freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), one of fifteen unattached Penn State wrestlers at the 2006 Wilkes Open, claimed the 149-pound title at the event. Teammate Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) won the Most Falls Award and finished third at 174 as well. Jenkins went 5-0 in the event. He notched a two majors and a pin on his way to the semifinals where he added a 6-3 decision over Wilkes¡¯ Tim Bohlman. In the finals, Jenkins posted a 3-1 sudden victory decision over Tim McGoldrick, unattached from Rider. Decker went 4-1, advancing to the semifinals before losing and earning third place with a 15-0 technical fall of Mike Ferrara, unattached from Rutgers. Decker collected three pins in the tournament to claim the Most Falls Award as well. Three other Nittany Lions were place winners as well. Freshman Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio.) went 4-2 and placed fourth at 157. Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) was 4-1 and finished third at 184. His win in the third place bout was a 5-3 decision over teammate Mike Ward (Mayfield, Ohio), who went 4-2 to finish fourth.

NITTANY LIONS TOP CORNELL FOR THIRD STRAIGHT TIME TO INCREASE SERIES LEAD
Penn State¡¯s 18-12 win at Cornell on 1/7 was its third straight over the Big Red and improved its series lead to 53-11-3. The Nittany Lions and Big Red have met 67 times since 1909. The Lions won 27-9 last year and 21-15 in ¡®05.

FARINA STEPS IN AT HWT TO SECURE WIN OVER LOCK HAVEN
Sophomore heavyweight Joe Farina got the call at HWT for Penn State in its 20-15 win over visiting Lock Haven on 12/15. No. 11 Aaron Anspach was held out of the dual with a skin infection and Farina stepped in and came up big. The sophomore¡¯s 9-3 win over LHU¡¯s Mike Cook helped secure the team win in a dual where PSU was without two starters (Phil Davis had the flu and missed the match, too).

VALLIMONT DOWNS NO. 8 CHINN TO SPARK PENN STATE TO 23-12 WIN OVER LEHIGH
In front of over 3,000 fans on a night when Penn State dedicated the new Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont posted a 3-1 win over No. 8 Trevor Chinn of Lehigh to help spark the Nittany Lions to a 23-12 win over the visiting Mountain Hawks. The win was Vallimont¡¯s first over a ranked wrestler this season.

LIONS DOWN LEHIGH FOR THIRD STRAIGHT TIME
Penn State¡¯s 23-12 win over Lehigh on 12/8 was its third straight over the Mountain Hawks and its fourth win in five outings vs. the intra-state rival. Penn State won twice against Lehigh last year, lost to the Hawks in 2005-06 and won in 2004-05. Overall, Penn State holds a 60-32-3 edge against LU.

McKNIGHT claims nlo title at 125; NAMED MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER
Junior Mark McKnight, ranked No. 7 at the time, went 5-0 at the 2006 Nittany Lion Open, downing No. 5 Franklin Gomez of Michigan State 5-3 (sv) in the finals to claim the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award as well.

DAVIS, HELLER AND YONUSHONIS JOIN MCKNIGHT AS NITTANY LION OPEN CHAMPIONS
Junior Phil Davis went 6-0 at 197 and cruised to the 2006 Nittany Lion Open crown. Davis had three majors and a pin in his run. Senior Bryan Heller went 6-0 at 141 and won his first Nittany Lion Open title. Heller also had a pin. Senior James Yonushonis was 6-0 as well, winning the crown at 174. Yonushonis had two pins in the tournament.

ERWIN AND RELLA WIN MAT-TOWN U.S.A. TITLES AS FIVE LIONS EARN SPOTS IN THE FINALS
David Erwin and true freshman Dave Rella won individual titles as Penn State had five finalists and eight place winners at the 2006 Mat-Town U.S.A. Tournament. Erwin, red-shirting this year after starting as a true freshman last season, went 4-0 with a tech fall to sweep to the crown at 184 pounds. Erwin downed host Lock Haven¡¯s Tom Kocher 12-6 in the finals to claim the title. Rella, fresh off a third place finish at the ESU Open last week, went 4-0 with a tech fall at 165 to win his first tournament at the collegiate level. He beat Buffalo¡¯s Mike Ragussa 8-4 in the finals. Three other Nittany Lions had outstanding tournaments, advancing to the finals before falling and placing second. Senior Nathan Galloway (157), junior Chad Unger (197) and Stefan Tighe (HWT), a transfer from Nebraska, all advanced to the finals. Brad Pataky finished third at 125, Jon Clemens placed fourth at 157 and sophomore Jack Decker finished fifth at 174 pounds.

LIONS DOMINATE THE PENNSYLVANIA DUALS WITH WINS OVER CLARION, UPJ AND NO. 13 EDINBORO
Penn State wasted no time in announcing itself upon the 2006-07 season with three decisive wins at the Pennsylvania Duals, hosted by Lock Haven University on Nov. 19. The Nittany Lions shut-out Clarion 47-0, beat Pitt-Johnstown 29-6 and dominated No. 13 Edinboro 27-9 to become the only team to win three in the event. In all, Penn State went 25-5 overall, was 6-0 in pins, 3-0 in technical falls and 4-0 in majors. Penn State outscored its three opponents 103-15.

YONUSHONIS DOWNS HERRINGTON IN NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Senior All-American James Yonushonis came back from a 3-0 second period deficit to down rival Matt Herrington of Penn 5-4 in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Yonushonis was ranked No. 3 entering the bout while Herrington was No. 2. The event took place in Dallas on Nov. 20. Yonushonis scored the only takedown of the second period to cut Herrington¡¯s lead to 3-2 heading into the third. Yonushonis tied the match with an escape but was facing a big riding time deficit that would have given Herrington a 4-3 win. With :34 seconds remaining, Yonushonis countered a Herrington shot with a double-leg takedown of his own to score the bout¡¯s decisive two points. Strong on top, Yonushonis rode Herrington out for the 5-4 win. Junior Phil Davis was also set to wrestle in the event at 197 but could not make weight and did not compete.

PENN STATE POSTS FIRST SHUT-OUT SINCE 2002 IN 47-0 WIN OVER CLARION
Penn State¡¯s 47-0 win over Clarion in the Pa. Duals on Nov. 19 was the school¡¯s first shut-out since downing Appalachian State 38-0 on Jan. 11, 2002. The 47 point margin of victory was also Penn State¡¯s largest since beating Millersville 54-0 on Jan. 25, 1983. Penn State not only won all ten bouts vs. Clarion, but the Nittany Lions notched five pins and a technical fall.

FRIEND RECORDS STUNNING DEFENSIVE PIN OF NO. 4 DEONTE PENN OF EDINBORO; GOES 3-0 AT PA. DUALS
Nittany Lion sophomore Mark Friend went 3-0 at the Pa. Duals on Nov. 19, getting three big wins for Penn State at 165. His first win was a pin over Clarion¡¯s Brian Thomason, his second was a 4-3 win over UPJ All-American Albert Miles, his third nearly brought the Thomas Field House roof down. Facing the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation and a returning All-American in Deonte Penn of Edinboro, Friend found himself down 4-0 and fighting off back points from the talented Scot. As Penn worked from the bottom to secure back points off Friend, the Nittany Lion sophomore shifted his weight just enough, reached back slightly and recorded a stunning defensive pin of Penn at the 6:00 mark. The win upped a four-point Penn State lead to ten and all but cemented the decisive victory.

McKNIGHT MAKES SUPERB PENN STATE DEBUT
Junior Mark McKnight¡¯s long wait to perform in the blue and white ended on Nov. 19 when the two-time national qualifier went 3-0 at the Pennsylvania Duals. The talented 125-pounder got each Penn State win off to a fast start with a pin and two majors.

OVER 2,000 FANS WITNESS EXCITING WRESTLE-OFFS
Thirty-four members of Penn State¡¯s No. 8 wrestling team took to the mats for the 2006 version of Nittany Lion Wrestle-Offs on Nov. 12 in Rec Hall. Head coach Troy Sunderland and 2,000 fans watched as one of the nation¡¯s top was showcased in the annual intra-squad tournament. Mark McKnight (125), Jake Strayer (133), Bryan Heller (141), Dan Vallimont (149), Jason Lapham (157), Mark Friend (165), James Yonushonis (174), Phil Bomberger (184), Chad Unger (197) and Aaron Anspach (HWT) claimed individual titles. Phil Davis did not wrestle at 197.

FOUR OF NATION'S TOP WRESTLERS SIGN NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT WITH PENN STATE
Four of the nation¡¯s top high school wrestlers have signed national letters of intent to attend Penn State and continue their collegiate wrestling careers with the Nittany Lion wrestlers. Fresh off two straight years of highly-ranked recruiting classes, head coach Troy Sunderland is once again putting together a talented class. Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News at 152 pounds, is a two-time Pennsylvania state champion from Nazareth High School. A four-year starter for head coach Dave Crowell, Darling also placed third at states as a freshman. He is the son of Bob and Kathi Darling and will be making a run at his third state title this season. He enters his senior year with a 123-10 career record. Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), ranked No. 2 nationally by AWN at 140 pounds, is a two-time New Jersey state champion. A superb wrestler for Souther Regional High School and head coach John Stout, Molinaro is working towards a third state title this year. He is the son of Frank and Michele Molinaro and sports a 109-4 career record at SRHS.

Jared Platt (Randolph, N.J.), ranked No. 2 nationally by AWN at 215 pounds, is the defending national prep champion. Wrestling at the Blair Academy for head coach Jeff Buxton, Platt was also the runner-up at Junior Nationals. He is the son of John and Tracey Platt and sports a 93-10 career record. Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked NO. 2 nationally by AWN at 275 pounds, is a two time Ohio state champion from St. Peter Chanel High School. Wade was runner up at Junior Nationals and Cadet Nationals as well. Wade will be going for a third state title for head coach Graham Goghill. He is the son of Kevin and Trish Wade and sports a 104-25 career record.

¡°We¡¯re pleased and excited to welcome four of the top wrestlers in the country and their families to the Penn State wrestling family,¡± Sunderland said. ¡°It¡¯s a tribute to the hard work of the assistant coaches and our support staff that we have once again attracted such outstanding young men to our program. These young men and their families felt a strong connection to our team and saw the commitment that Penn State has to wrestling in our new facilities. These four wrestlers want to win multiple team and individual titles here at Penn State and those goals mesh perfectly with the goals of their future teammates.¡±

NITTANY LIONS POST HIGHEST ATTENDANCE AVERAGE IN A DECADE
Capped off by the largest Rec Hall home crowd in years, the Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling program showcased amazing growth in its average attendance for the 2006-07 season. Head coach Troy Sunderland¡¯s squad averaged 3,475 fans for every Rec Hall dual meet, an increase of 26 percent over last year¡¯s total. The figure ended up being fourth-highest in the nation, less than 300 per event shy of second place.

¡°The support of our fans has always been a vital part in our success and this year they¡¯ve come out and proven that again,¡± Sunderland said. ¡°I¡¯d like to congratulate every person who came to a match this year for making Rec Hall such a special place to wrestle. The fan interest, combined with the great efforts of our administration and marketing and promotions staff, have allowed us to experience this kind of growth. I know I speak for everyone within the Penn State wrestling family when I say ¡®thank you¡¯.¡±

Penn State hosted six dual matches this year. Three saw attendance top 3,000 and two had attendance over 2,900. Sunday¡¯s home finale against Iowa saw 5,841 fans pack Rec Hall for the highest single-season attendance figure since over 6,400 witnessed Penn State and Iowa battle during the 1998-99 season.

The growth in attendance over the last two years, a stunning increase of 57 percent from the 2004-05 figure, mirrors the growth and excitement within the program itself. Penn State averaged 2,757 fans last season which was, at the time, an eight year high. The Nittany Lions unveiled the new multi-million dollar Lorenzo Wrestling Complex this fall, a project made possible by donations from friends, family and former wrestlers given solely for the project. Sunderland has put together consecutive recruiting classes that have been ranked among the nation¡¯s elite. Penn State has defeated rival Iowa two years in a row and the Lions are coming off a top ten finish at last year¡¯s NCAA Championships.

¡°We are fortunate to have what I believe is the nation¡¯s best coaching staff and we are proud of the progress that has been made at Penn State in every area of our wrestling program,¡± Sunderland said. ¡°We have outstanding support from the administration, the faculty, the Penn State Wrestling Booster Club, the students and the local community. This support is helping us to work towards our goals on the mat. We are continuing to attract the best the sport has to offer and the entire wrestling experience at Penn State is enhanced by everyone that supports us. From donations to the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex to jamming Rec Hall on match night, every person plays a part in what we are doing here.¡± The following lists attendance figures since 1998-99 -- 2006-07: 3,475; 2005-06: 2,757; 2004-05: 2,209; 2003-04: 2,552; 2002-03: 2,464; 2001-02: 1,610; 2000-01: 2,166; 1999-00: 2,093; 1998-99: 2,699.

The top ten average wrestling attendance figures for the 2006-07 dual match season:

Rk Host school (dates) Avg 1. Iowa (7) 6,740 2. Okla. St (6) 3,749 3. Minnesota (6) 3,509 4. PENN STATE (6) 3,475 5. Missouri (6) 2,961 6. Iowa St (6) 2,453 7. Lehigh (7) 2,046 8. Cornell (5) 1,906 9. UNI (5) 1,602 10.Wisconsin (5) 1,333