Penn State will send eight wrestlers to the NCAA tournament, which is held today through Saturday at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City. The Nittany Lions trail only four teams in representation.
"Realistically, I think all of our guys are capable of rising to the level of All-American," Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said.
Originally slated to wrestle, 149-pounder Nate Galloway was forced to drop out of the tournament Monday with a neck injury. Penn State 125-pounder Adam Smith, who was voted as the NCAA alternate at the Big Ten tournament, replace Galloway, and face sixth-seeded Bo Maynes from Oklahoma State in the first round.
A rematch with Big Ten foes Luke Eustice (Iowa) and Chris Fleeger (Purdue) could happen, though Smith would need to reach the semi-finals and finals to meet up with the No. 7 and No. 1 seeds, respectively.
Josh Moore drew the seventh seed at 133 pounds for the tournament and will wrestle Boise State's Jesse Brock in the opener. Moore missed a chance at the tournament last year with a knee injury.
"Ever since my freshman year, when I was one match away from placing, I have wanted to be an All-American," Moore said. "I have been waiting two years. I'm glad to have the opportunity this year and to be healthy and ready to go again."
With a fairly straight shot through the first two rounds, Moore could face Iowa's No. 2 Cliff Moore in the quarterfinals and Minnesota's No. 3 Ryan Lewis in the semifinals. Lewis was the only wrestler to defeat Moore at the Big Ten tournament.
The Big Ten champion, Scott Moore, was still only able to get to ninth in the seeding.
"Being underestimated can be an advantage," Moore said. "Nobody's really expecting anything."
His first opponent at 141 pounds will be Brown's Clint Frease. Moore could get a chance to upset No. 1 Teyon Ware in the quarterfinals, if Moore and the Oklahoma wrestle make it that far.
Nate Wachter is making his fourth consecutive trip to the national tournament. Wachter impressed enough people to get the 11th seed at 157 pounds and a matchup with the Virginia Military Institute's Adam Britt.
A win for Wachter could set him up for a second-round match with Michigan's Ryan Bertin. Bertin beat Wachter, 6-2, at the Big Ten tournament.
Doc Vecchio will be gunning for his second straight All-America honor at 165 pounds. Vecchio, who finished eighth last season, is unranked heading into the tournament. Scott Roth of Cornell will be his first-round opponent. Minnesota's No. 4 Jacob Volkmann could be waiting for Vecchio in the second round.
Mark Becks garnered the Lions' highest seed with a No. 5 ranking at 184 pounds. He will prepare for a first-round match with Central Michigan's Russ Vanderheyden, though he would like another shot at No. 1 Jessman Smith.
The Iowa wrestler has accounted for three of Becks' four losses this season, including the championship match at the Big Ten tournament. If Becks meets Smith, it will be in the semifinals.
The surprise of the Penn State squad is 197-pounder Ryan Cummins. He shocked many of his critics by qualifying for the NCAA tournament. It is no surprise, though, that Cummins is unranked. He will face No. 4 Chris Skratkowicz from Hofstra in his opener. Sunderland said that as long as Cummins focuses on the match at hand he could do well.
Pat Cummins, who Sunderland said has surpassed all expectations from when he first came to Penn State, goes into the tournament as the seventh seed at heavyweight and wrestles Cleveland State's Russ Davie in the first round. A win for Cummins will put him against No. 10 Paul Hynek of Northern Iowa in the second round.
