PITTSBURGH -- Until mid-January of this year, twin brothers John and Russ Hughes were leading a quiet life. Since neither wanted to leave the other behind both of them decided to redshirt.

That plan went out the window when Coach Rich Lorenzo saw what everyone else was finding out: that Penn State was painfully weak at 142 pounds, always a critical weight in dual meets. In addition, his "best" wrestler at that weight, Tony Bobulinski, was 4-8 and simply too heavy to drop down.

So after John Hughes recovered from an ankle injury and skin infection, he was immediately inserted into the lineup. Cries of "Who's Hughes?" were rampant but once he beat then-No. 5 Tom Miller of Maryland on a takedown with 5 seconds left, the doubters settled down.

They're gone completely now. Hughes (19-7-2) capped an outstanding freshman season by placing third at EWLs earlier this month, thereby earning his first trip to nationals.

"I was hoping to win it," he said. "There's some tough kids in there but I'm happy. Him (Tom Shifflet) and I are like even. He's a big kid."

Winning, although requiring hard work, has come easy for Hughes. One of only seven wrestlers to win four PIAA championships, his career record at Benton High School was 146-2-1. Hughes never lost after his freshman year (District 3 finals), winning 120 straight matches. He also won four freestyle and Greco-Roman state championships.

As a true freshman, Hughes discovered what it was like to lose. Despite seven losses, he was only whipped once -- a 17-2 technical fall loss to top-ranked Troy Steiner of Iowa.

One of Penn State's concerns coming into its final EWL tournament was the 142-pound spot. Hughes, the sixth seed, quickly showed that the coaches' worries were unfounded. After upsetting third-seed Shifflet, 3-2, a semifinal match with No. 5 and second-seeded John Dasta of Clarion was right around the corner. The junior, however, was simply too strong for Hughes as he dropped a 5-4 decision.

"Number one, he's a freshman," Lion Assistant Coach John Fritz said. "Sometimes they have to learn the hard way. He stood around a little more than he's use to. He has to believe in himself."

Considering his performance, Hughes wasn't complaining about his coach's assessment of it.

"I got a slow start," he said. "If I could change it around I would start faster. I gave him too much respect. I hope we meet again."

The next afternoon Hughes scored a major decision over a well-rested Chris Bright of Cleveland State. It was no contest as Hughes scored a 10-2 major decision victory, setting up a rematch with Shifflet for third place. The freshman went into the match knowing that if he didn't beat the Edinboro star, a challenge match with fourth-seeded Tom Onorato of West Virginia for the final NCAA qualifier spot awaited him.

Hughes, wrestling more aggressively, scored the initial takedown at the 1:27 mark. Two escapes by Shifflet and one by Hughes made it 3-2 going into the final period. An even match turned lopsided when Shifflet got caught off-balance while trying a double-leg takedown. It happened so fast that it almost looked like a fluke. Hughes simply rolled on top of him, tied him up and scored the fall with seven seconds left.

"It wasn't a lot of pressure but the thought was there," he said. "I tried not to dwell on it because it's hard to beat the same guy in the tournament twice. I was more open, took a lot more shots. I wore him down but I think he was beat up from the early rounds."

Lorenzo said that Hughes has all the tools to be a great collegiate wrestler except one.

"He's wrestled a good tournament," he said. "Needs to be aggressive and dominate a little more. He'll get that with experience. I'm impressed by his poise, focus and intensity. He's been real tough in this tournament. He showed that spark you like to see. John's really helped the team by solidifying us at 142."

Hughes said that he learned two valuable lessons in his first and only EWL tournament appearance.

"To never to give up and to be confident in yourself," he said. "The second is to listen to your coaches and teammates because they know what's going on. I'm young and I don't know shit about this sport."

While Lorenzo expects nationals to be another learning experience for his young student, Hughes isn't just going to Oklahoma City for window dressing.

"I expect more," he said. "Coaches tell me not to because I'm a freshman. I don't believe that. I've talked to Jeff (Prescott) and Shawn (Nelson) and they told me not to expect anything less. I feel I have a lot to offer."