Pat Cummins is a beast.

He has broad shoulders that rival those of Paul Bunyan and thighs thick as redwoods. His neck and back are large enough to take up Atlas' burden.

It all comes to culmination in a strength few wrestlers can match.

On the wrestling mat, Cummins uses this brute force and his hard work to pummel his opponents.

Cummins, a junior from Lititz, is not only huge, he is intense and intimidating on the mat. Cummins may be a beast, but he is not, like some, a stereotypical athlete. Off the mat he enjoys pottery and describes himself as "sensitive."

This sensitive and hardworking wrestler is one of the most popular Nittany Lions in Happy Valley.

As he stands in a hallway in the sweat-stenched crypt of Rec Hall, his teammates walk by one-by-one and slap high fives with him. Cummins has his teammates' respect because they admire his work ethic.

His coach, Troy Sunderland, said he leads by example. Teammates described his work ethic as incredible.

"Pat is someone people can look up to because of how hard he works on the mat," says teammate James Woodall.

Cummins' hard work has been paying off recently. His 22-3 overall record and 8-1 mark in dual-meet competition would attest to that.

It is not just Cummins' fierce desire to wrestle that has brought him success, said Sunderland, it was his commitment to get bigger and stronger.

Cummins has gained more than 30
pounds since coming to Penn State in 1999. That season he went 7-8 in tournament competition.

The extra weight has helped Cummins become one of the top heavyweights in the nation.

Penn State will enter Big Ten competition this weekend when it faces Indiana tomorrow and Purdue Sunday. Cummins will have
to face some of the top wrestlers in the nation.

Cummins will have to take on Ohio State's No. 2 ranked Tommy Rowlands on Friday Feb. 6.

He will then face Iowa's Steve Mocco, the No. 1 heavyweight in the country, on Feb. 9. Both matches will be at Rec Hall.

Cummins said he is looking forward to that weekend. He said he would enjoy having the home crowd behind him.

He will also have to face Michigan's Greg Wagner and Minnesota's Garrett Lowney who are currently ranked No. 5 and No. 12 respectively.

Cummins said his work ethic comes from his older brother Ryan, a senior on the team who wrestles in the 197-pound class.

"When Ryan came here he was always working hard," Cummins said. "I always thought he was a great wrestler. When I got here I found out I wasn't the most talented wrestler so I knew I had to somehow overcome that."

There are currently three Cummins brothers on the team. Pat and Ryan were recently joined by A.J., a freshman, who transferred from West Chester.

The three live together.

A.J. said he enjoys living with his big brothers.

"It's great," he said. "It's a lot of fun to live with them."

The brothers also share their apartment with a snake named "Puppy."

Cummins said he went to reptile shows when he was little and likes snakes because of how they have to struggle through life.

"They can't use their arms or legs," Cummins said. "It's a rough life but they work through it."

A.J. said his brother is laid-back when he is not on the mat.

When he's not wrestling, Pat Cummins is working towards a degree in arts.

"It's a contrast with wrestling," Cummins said. "There's a sensitive side. I've always been involved with ceramics."

Cummins initially got into art when he was in high school, where his teachers told him to pursue the subject.

"At first, I wanted to be a teacher like them," Cummins said. After keeping up with ceramics at Penn State, he realized he still loved them.

Cummins said some of his teammates harass him about being an arts major. Because of his work ethic he is still admired by many of the younger wrestlers.

Cummins said his work ethic comes from knowing he has a pretty easy life, and that he is inspired by disabled citizens because of how hard they work to get through life.

"I look at someone that's handicapped," Cummins said, "and it kills me to see how I have what they want. It's a sad thing but it pushes me."

Maybe Pat Cummins is not such a beast after all.