In order for the Penn State wrestling team to return to form as a perennial powerhouse as in the early 90's, the entire team will have to step up, especially the middleweights.

The middleweights have struggled severely over the past two years. Those who return to the Nittany Lions' lineup have posted a 20-57 record in dual meets. The middleweights will also have plenty of youth this year, as five of the top eight wrestlers are freshman.

"It's critical for our middleweights to score points," Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said. "(Nate) Wachter and (Doc) Vecchio have to be the ones come through and score points. They also need to be leaders."

At 149, Wachter is vital to the success of the team. He was 3-14 as true freshman in dual meets, but last year he improved to 7-5. Wachter was also a national qualifier last year, after a seventh place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He will not settle this year, and expects a lot more from himself.

"I got to be on the podium this year," Wachter said. "If not as a National Champion, as an All-American. I have to finish top three in the Big Ten as well. I wrestle the best in practice, which prepares to beat the best."

Wachter enters the season ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll. He realizes how important his performance is to the team and has worked very hard in the off season to get ready.

"Conditioning, I have worked all summer conditioning," he said. "In the past all I did in the off season was lifting. Then I would come into the season not in good shape, so I did a lot more running and live wrestling, this year."

As the season begins, Dan Waters will be the starter at 157, due to the injury of James Woodall. Woodall will miss at least the entire first half of the season with a second-degree tear of his medial collateral ligament. The coaching staff is eager to see how Waters performs, after being apart of the program for a year now and after a long summer of hard work and training.

Both Waters and Woodall are redshirt freshmen, so the Lions will be very young in this weight class no matter who wrestles.

At 165, the Lions have returning starters Doc Vecchio and Aaron Wright. Wright, who started last year at 149, is still rehabbing a shoulder injury. Vecchio the two-year starter needs to improve on his previous season's performance. In his first two years at Penn State, he has compiled a disappointing 6-22 record in dual meets.

"I have to go out and try do my best," he said. "This year I need to qualify for national championships. In the past here I just haven't performed to well on the big stage."

Vecchio is one of the hardest workers on the team. His lack of success is not because he has not put in maximum effort.

"Doc's in his third year here, and he's a solid competitor," Sunderland said. "He's one of the hardest workers, and he has to wrestle his style — where the best conditioned one should win."

Youth fills the 175-pound weight class. Todd Brennan, who put together a strong performance at wrestle-offs, will be the starter as the season opens. The true freshman will start while fellow redshirt freshman Eric Bradley continues to nurse his back injury. Brennan will get his first opportunity to prove himself this weekend at the East Stroudsburg Open.

The middleweights will be put to the test all year long, and will need to carry over the momentum generated by lightweights.

"The Lightweights are real strong and will keep us in it," Vecchio said. "We got to keep it rolling, and we can ill afford to give up matches and points. Then in the close ones, we need to come out strong, and we got to just win."