Josh Moore has had one heck of a year.

Going back to the beginning of the 2002 calendar year, everything seemed to be going according to plan for the Penn State wrestler. Moore was having one of the best seasons in Penn State history, solidifying his spot as one of the top wrestlers in the Big Ten. Then Feb. 8 came and Moore would face one of his biggest challenges ever.

It wasn't Foley Dowd, though Moore was facing the University of Michigan wrestler that night. Dowd, ranked No. 7 nationally, and Moore, No. 9, were set for a stellar showdown in the 133-pound bout.

The match was close up until the end. The turning point in this match, and in Moore's season, came just short of that end though.

"A one or two-point match and I took a shot in," Moore said. "He was holding onto my leg and I tried to kick my leg and get behind him and I heard something pop."

Moore somehow finished the match, only to find out afterward that the pop he heard would keep him off the mat for quite a while.

The anterior cruciate ligament. When it likes you, it's like the friend who never stops by without dropping off a case of your favorite beer -- an invaluable asset to an athlete. When it doesn't like you, it's more like the landlord who caught you partying one too many times and restricted your visitors strictly to family members.

Last February, Josh Moore got on the wrong side of one of these bad boys -- the one in his right knee. At first, it wasn't going to stop Moore.

"For a while I thought about wrestling with the torn ACL," Moore said. "I tried running one day but the knee popped again. That's when I decided to have the surgery."

The surgery on his right knee would put an end to Moore's stunningly successful season. At the time of the injury, Moore was second on the team in wins after posting a 32-4 record. He also paced the team in falls with seven.

None of that mattered now. His West Virginia Open title meant nothing. His Mat-Town USA title meant nothing. The Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, where he had good chances at becoming an All-American? He wouldn't even get a shot at those.

What did matter was the rehab.

"We did a lot of lifting," Penn State assistant coach Sammie Henson said. "When he became more confident we began to live wrestling. Kept a workout [schedule] everyday."

That workout schedule lasted four to five months. Every day, twice a day, Moore would work out with Henson -- sacrificing sleep to awaken and go restrengthen his knee. It was tough, Moore said, to get up every day to work out knowing he would not be back to wrestling action for five months.

Moore said he got support from his teammates, especially Dan Waters. Waters suffered the same injury to his left knee last season and has come back to challenge for the starting spot at 174 pounds.

Henson said Moore was progressing at "beyond normal pace." Everything was going right on course ... until wrestling drills in August.

"Basically, I was drilling with some guys on the team," Moore said. "I was on the mat and had my arms extended, out to the side, and [the opposing wrestler] power-chopped my arm and dislocated my elbow."

Another injury. Just six months after the knee injury. This time it was going to be a test of charcter as well as strength.

"He has always been a competitor," Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said. "After two pretty significant injuries, it takes a special person to come back."

In the end Moore would go through three and a half months of rehab for his elbow. He once again began working out with Henson, trying to get ready to return to wrestling as quickly as possible. Moore said he did not get into heavy practicing until about two weeks prior to the beginning of this season. He was ready, but how ready?

"I was ready to go but I knew I wasn't in top shape," Moore said. "I guess I surprised myself."

Moore surprised a lot of other people, too.

Just under a year since he tore his ACL, Moore -- in his third season at Penn State, where he transferred to following a redshirt year at Edinboro University -- is once again near the top of the team in many categories. His 26 wins, to just three losses, rank third on the team and his 11 falls are second only to his brother, Scott.

Moore captured titles at the East Stroudsburg Open, the Nittany Lion Open and defended his title at Mat-Town USA. He remained undefeated until the Midlands tournament late last month. In his first loss of his junior season, Moore faced a familiar foe from his past -- Dowd.

"I wanted to beat him bad," Moore said. "It was a close match. No one scored in the first overtime. In double overtime he picked top and basically hung onto my ankle and rode it out for 30 seconds. I wouldn't say he beat me [badly], he got to choose and it could have gone either way."

With the first loss, and all the pressure that comes with being undefeated, out of the way, Moore can now focus on some things that were taken away from him last year. After coming within one match of being an All-American in his first year at Penn State, and losing the opportunity to capture that All-American title last season, Moore is ready to go to that next level this year.

"That was the worst thing [missing the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments]," Moore said. "When I got hurt this year I told myself, 'It's better to get hurt at the beginning of the season than at the end.' These tournaments are what wrestling is all about."

On Feb. 8 the Lions will be out of action, preparing for a key matchup with Iowa the next day. That day off will mark the one-year anniversary of Josh Moore's biggest challenge -- the challenge with himself to get back to the top of the Big Ten wrestling world.

What a year it has been.