Grapplers honor alumni

By DAVID COMER
Collegian Sports Writer

They walked around the perimeter of the Rec Hall wrestling mat, each receiving a warm welcome from the crowd.

They were not dressed in wrestling tights --instead, they were wearing jackets and ties.

The 38 Penn State All-Americans honored before the match Saturday with Lehigh were named as far back as 1940 and as recently as last season. But they all had something in common -- they left their mark and contributed to building the storied tradition of Nittany Lion wrestling. The senior member of those honored on Saturday was Frank Gleason, who finished third at 136 pounds during the 1940-41 season.

Three of those former All-Americans -- John Fritz, Troy Sunderland and Dave Hart -- are still with the Penn State wrestling program as coaches. They won 260 combined matches and were named All-Americans a total of eight times during their Penn State wrestling careers.

"It was neat to see all of these guys come back," said Fritz, head Lion coach. "We have a great tradition here at Penn State."

Fritz is a big part of that tradition. During his wrestling days, he posted a 71-10-4 record and was a three-time All-American. He captured the 1975 NCAA title at 126 pounds.

As a coach, Fritz guided Penn State to a third-place finish last season. He led the Lions to an undefeated season and a second-place NCAA finish during the 1992-93 campaign, his first season at the helm.

Also a part of that team's success was Sunderland, who was the NCAA runner-up at 150 pounds.

"It makes you see the history and the tradition that we have here, with the guys dating back to 1940," he said of the ceremony.

Sunderland ended with 100 career wins and three All-America honors. He is now a coaching assistant alongside Hart, a former teammate and current volunteer coach.

Hart also has impressive wrestling statistics. He compiled 89 wins and was twice recognized as an All-American at 167 pounds. He said he enjoyed seeing his former teammates.

"I haven't seen some of these guys for a long time," Hart said. "It's nice."

And with Fritz, Sunderland and Hart leading the Lions, the current wrestlers have a wealth of experience and success to pull from each day in practice.

"They realize what we've done," Sunderland said. "Hopefully, they're trying to emulate that."

Lion Kerry McCoy is doing just that. An All-American, McCoy won last year's NCAA heavyweight title and has won 79 consecutive matches.

The junior has heard the coaches talk about what it takes to be an All-American. And he has listened to their advice.

"It's a lot easier to listen to someone who has done it already than to listen to someone who just talks about it," McCoy said. "That makes a difference."