Pritzlaffs give tournament family flavor

By RYAN HOCKENSMITH
Collegian Staff Writer

Years ago, when Glenn Pritzlaff and his sister would be allowed to run around the block, cousin and neighbor Don Pritzlaff, several years younger than his cousins, wouldn't be permitted to accompany them.

"I was always too young to go with them," Don Pritzlaff said of those early days. "So when they'd leave, I'd always be kicking and crying -- I wanted to go, too."

Since then, the younger family member has grown up. Now the Wisconsin wrestler can go just about anywhere he wants -- including a trip to State College this week for NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Wrestling commences at 11 a.m. tomorrow in The Bryce Jordan Center and both New Jersey natives will be participating.

Glenn, Penn State's entry at 174 pounds, will wrestle the last matches of his collegiate career this week. The senior Nittany Lions co-captain, currently ranked No. 2 in the country, is looking to improve upon last season's seventh-place finish and is after All-American honors for the second time in his career.

His cousin, a Badgers sophomore, weighs in at 165 pounds and will also be challenging for second-time All-American status. Don currently resides at No. 3 among the nation's elite 165 pounders.

The two All-Americans, whose fathers are siblings, are excited about the reunion.

"We're pretty close," Don said. "So it'll be good to see him again this weekend."

Tomorrow won't be the duo's first gathering this season, or even this month.

At Big Ten Championships last week in Michigan's Crisler Arena, the two grapplers paraded through their respective weight classes unscathed, eventually each grabbing gold with consecutive victories in championship bouts.

Before their Big Ten first-place matches, the two met up in one of Crisler Arena's locker rooms.

"We were just in there talking, hanging out," Glenn said. "We talked a little game plans and just hung out."

When Don's turn to capture the 165-pound title arrived, Glenn, who was to wrestle for the 174-pound Big Ten championship immediately after that bout, faced a difficult dilemma -- watch his younger cousin battle Minnesota's No. 5 Josh Holiday, or continue preparations for his upcoming title shot.

He chose both.

"I couldn't pay attention too much," Glenn said of Don's 5-1 overtime win. "I watched a little bit, as much as I could.

"When he won . . . it was pretty awesome."

Glenn promptly followed up his younger cousin's overtime victory with one of his own, defeating Northwestern's Mark Bybee 6-4 in the extra period.

Aside from a distinct Pritzlaff flavor on the mats this week, the two wrestlers said The Jordan Center stands will likely contain more of the family tree.

Glenn said as many as 10 relatives, including both grapplers' parents as well as numerous other Garden Staters, will flock together this week and form a mini Pritzlaff family reunion.

To win back-to-back NCAA titles Saturday night would be a dream come true for both the wrestlers and the Pritzlaff family, Don said.

"They've supported us all this time, through elementary, high school and now," the younger Pritzlaff said. "To win two titles in a row . . . it'd be great for us, great for our families.

"That would be a picture-perfect thing for our family."