Flash back to Dec. 11.

Penn State traveled to Clarion for a Friday evening wrestling match. The then-No. 4 Nittany Lions squared off against the unranked Golden Eagles, with an eye possibly glancing toward a dual meet the following day against No. 25 Edinboro.

New NCAA guidelines, stating the starting weight for a dual meet is now randomly drawn, called for the match to begin at 141 pounds.

The underdog Eagles sent out their only ranked wrestler at the time, No. 1 Mark Angle, to open the dual meet. Angle won by major decision, propeling Clarion to an early 4-0 lead. Another major decision and regular decision, sandwiched around a win at 157 pounds by Lion Clint Musser, allowed the Eagles to soar to a surprising 11-3 cushion.

Penn State swept four of the next six bouts to slip into the night with a narrow 22-17 win, but Lion coach Troy Sunderland said that match proved the starting weight for a dual can have a big effect on its outcome.

"It certainly can (affect the outcome of a match)," Sunderland said. "The other team can have some early wins, an upset and pretty soon their whole team thinks they have a chance."

While starting at 141 pounds against Clarion may have caused problems for Penn State, the Lions experienced the opposite last weekend when they went up against Lock Haven and No. 23 Indiana.

Penn State 165 pounder Alex Leykikh was selected as Sunderland's leadoff man, meaning No. 3 Musser would be the closer for the Lions.

Leykikh threw the Lions a 3-0 lead in both duals and Musser acted as Sunderland's reliever, registering two saves.

"Alex did a nice job starting us off," Sunderland said. "He didn't get the bonus point we were looking for, but he won."

In the last home dual meet of his career, Musser drilled Indiana's No. 13 Kevin Stanley 19-10 for a major decision in the final bout of the Hoosiers-Lions clash. Musser's victory gave Penn State a 20-19 win.

"I always wondered what it would be like to be a heavyweight," the Lion co-captain said of his meet-clinching victory. "It's kinda nice to be in a situation to win the match for the team. Now I know how (Lion heavyweight Mark) Janus feels."

If Musser was the closer, 174 pounder Glenn Pritzlaff and 125 pounder Jeremy Hunter were Sunderland's middle relief corps.

Pritzlaff, a senior, wrestled second in both duals and finished his final night at Rec Hall with two wins, racking up seven team points on the evening: Hunter, who in past years has wrestled first, pushed his record to 22-0 with two wins while grappling sixth against both teams.

Pritzlaff said he enjoys being able to wrestle then relax and watch his teammates perform.

"That's what I like about changing the lineup," Pritzlaff said. "This way, I can sit back and watch the matches and get involved if I wrestle earlier."

Penn State and Pritzlaff can't sit back and relax this weekend, traveling West for a clash tomorrow with No. 7 Illinois and a rematch with No. 19 Northwestern on Sunday.

The Fighting Illini feature eight ranked wrestlers, including No. 6 141 pounder Carl Perry and No. 5 heavyweight Karl Roesler. Penn State took care of Northwestern 20-13 at the National Team Duals in January.