After three straight losses a week ago, Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland decided to take a closer look at his lineup.

The Penn State wrestling team jumbled its lineup at the Virginia Duals this past weekend. The Nittany Lions had to do so because two starters were out of the lineup due to suspension. Penn State decided to give other wrestlers the chance to show what they can do.

"We've been trying to figure out our best possible lineup," Sunderland said. "We're looking to see who's performing the best and continue to try and make our most effective lineup."

With Scott Moore kept out of the lineup after missing practice, someone was going to have to step in and fill his spot. This weekend the spot was filled by both Marat Tomaev and Jarrad Turner. Tomaev has been splitting time most of the year at 133 pounds with Scott Moore's twin brother Josh. Tomaev made a pretty good transition this weekend up a weight class as he split his two dual-meet matches, with one of his wins coming against No. 13 J.P. Reese of Missouri.

"Marat wrestled real well, and he did a good job on his feet," Sunderland said. "He was able to get his underhook and defeated a tough kid. He did well at 141."

The 125-pound weight class, which had mainly been dominated early in the year by junior Justin Kast, saw true freshman Adam Smith wrestle in three of the four bouts over the weekend.

"It's been a tough decision for us, especially being that Justin beat Adam in the wrestle-offs," Sunderland said. "But Adam has really closed the gap between the two. It's just a matter of styles of wrestling. At this point we are going to let those guys compete and will have to gauge their performances."

Smith earned a victory in every match he wrestled this weekend, including a pair of major decisions and a four-point decision. Smith has continued to work hard and stayed focused all season, despite losing the wrestle-off.

"I lost to Justin, but I still practice hard every day," Smith said. "It has given me even more motivation to do better. I have worked to improve on my technique. Also, unlike high school, there's a lot of guys and coaches here, so it's inevitable that I'd get better."

Even with Smith's outstanding performance this weekend, he has still not secured the starting spot at 125 pounds. Still two weeks away from the Big Ten opener, the coaches will continue to look at and evaluate both wrestlers, and then make a final decision.

The 275-pound weight class is in a similar position as 125 pounds. The starting spot is still up in the air between three wrestlers: Josh Walker, Kevin Shippos and Pat Cummins. Shippos won the wrestle-off, but Walker has been the most consistent wrestler as he won the Wilkes Open and finished second at both Mat-Town USA and the West Virginia Open. Walker was the only heavyweight to wrestle this weekend, and earned a split in four bouts.

The next two weeks will be crucial for the Lions as they attempt to find a set lineup for the opening rigors of the Big Ten season.

"We hope to have a lineup that we will be able to use for the majority of the time going in the Big Ten part of our schedule," Sunderland said.