On the bright side
Sunderland rolling with tide as coach

By CHRIS ANTONACCI
Collegian Staff Writer

At July's teleconference announcing the hiring of Troy Sunderland as coach of the Nittany Lion wrestling squad, Sunderland said if he could have written a script of his life, he would want part of that script to include a coaching stint in Happy Valley.

But Sunderland does not have a magic typewriter similar to John Candy's in Delirious. He earned the job on his merits.

Perhaps now, if his life was a movie, he would write things a bit differently. At this juncture, his first year as head coach has been a rocky road.

First, like any coach, he has lost some key talent with the passing of another season. Rob Neidlinger and John Lange left the team, leaving a void at their respective weight classes.

But Sunderland also has had to come to terms with the unexpected.

There was Eddie Jayne, who was likely to garner the starting slot at 133 pounds. Jayne, however, was student-teaching and would arrive for practice about an hour late.

Sunderland opted to remove Jayne from the team.

Next, redshirt freshman Kevin Shippos was suspended from the team by the Office of Judicial Affairs because of his participation in the July 12 riot on East Beaver Avenue.

Furthermore, injuries have plagued the Lion squad. Heavyweight Mark Janus, 174 pounder Glenn Pritzlaff, 165 pounder Alex Leykikh and 141 pounder Jason Betz have all been sidelined with their respective injuries.

Finally, Jamarr Billman, Penn State's 149-pound All-American, currently is ineligible due to an academic inquiry of his transcript.

Still, Sunderland is happy with the script fate has written for him.

"In spite of the difficulties, it has been a great experience to work with the type of kids that we have," he said. "There's always peaks and valleys, but I am enjoying myself.

"I am saying that with a grain of salt, of course, after this weekend."

This weekend refers to the Lions' 1-2 mark at the 1999 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Team Duals in Iowa City, Iowa. During the tournament, Penn State, without three of its starters, suffered defeats at the hands of No. 12 Arizona State and No. 6 Oklahoma, leaving the Lions with a 6-2 dual-meet record.

His predecessor and former coach, John Fritz, sympathized with the adversity Sunderland has faced.

"Those kind of things happen," said Fritz, who resigned as coach to take an administrative position in June because of personal, physical and professional reasons. "Troy has done a great job. I feel the attitude on the team is real good.

"The craziest things, it goes on in sports," Fritz added with a chuckle. "They'll bounce back and learn from those things."

Sunderland replaced Fritz after serving as an assistant coach at Navy for the previous two seasons. Prior to that, he was an assistant under Fritz and a Lion wrestler.

As a wrestler, he earned All-American accolades thrice and garnered leadership as a captain for two seasons.

Still, this season, leadership has a whole new meaning. He is the head coach. He has the final say. It is Troy's horse now.

Sunderland was a logical choice to take the reins from Fritz because of his familiarity with the program and Penn State in general, said Assistant Athletic Director Bob Krimmel, who headed the search committee to find someone to fill Fritz's immense shoes.

"He has not disappointed me so far," Krimmel said. "He's very straightforward, he's very honest. I like someone who is honest. He also pays great attention to detail.

"I felt like, after 15 minutes talking with him, I had known Troy."

That detail gets done with great care. Early in the morning, Sunderland drives to The Bryce Jordan Center, where his office his located. There, clad in semiformal attire, he takes care of the day-to-day operations of the team, the administrative duties.

Later, it is on to Rec Hall for practice. The clothes he had worn earlier have been tucked away, and now he dons a gray T-shirt and sweatpants. He is also armed with a whistle, pacing the mat, staring intently at his wrestlers.

And then he returns to his office once again.

Apparently, his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

"I think Sunderland is intense," Pritzlaff said. "He brings a lot of intensity to the program. He's really dedicated."

That dedication has been observed in the short time span that he has been the commander in chief of the team.

"It's always difficult for a new coach to step in, especially right before the season like Troy did," Penn State coaching assistant Dave Hart said. "He's doing the best job possible. You know, it's his car at midnight in the parking lot of The Bryce Jordan Center.

"He wants to win so badly. Every setback really hurts. He puts in so much time, it really hurts."

In addition to all the obstacles, he must also balance his role as coach, administrator and friend to his wrestlers, which can be difficult for many first-year coaches.

"He's seeing some of the tributes and trials of being a head coach," said Reg Wicks, who Sunderland served under at Navy.

Still, in spite of the snafus Sunderland has faced, he has enjoyed the return to his alma mater, especially because he is working with some of the older members on the squad again.

But while he is reunited with some of the members on the Penn State team, there is still a part of him that misses Annapolis.

"There's aspects that I do miss at Navy," the 28-year-old coach said. "As a coach, you miss the kids the most. It was definitely a good experience for me to coach there."

However, the wrestlers at Penn State are glad to have him back in the fold.

"I really like the way he has been going about his first year," Lion heavyweight Matt Calabretta said. "He's been working very hard and he is not letting us slack off. I was really happy to see him come back."

Alas, this season has not been a total letdown. In addition to finishing seventh at the 1998 U.S. Open Freestyle Championship, Sunderland has made other achievements off the wrestling mat.

Last Wednesday, his wife JoAnn gave birth to their first son, Colton Lee. Now, along with being a head coach for the first time, he is also a father.

"It's just an amazing experience," Sunderland said. "It's a nice addition. I am so proud of (Colton) and my wife."