Two Big Ten wrestling champions could be leaving the conference early next year. Penn State is hoping that at least one of those wrestlers makes his way back to Happy Valley.

Nittany Lion redshirt junior Scott Moore had thought about leaving the team, and Penn State, this summer. Moore has enough credits to graduate and, like many Penn Staters, is pursuing his profession. Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said he met with Moore on April 1 and he got the impression that Moore was returning to the squad. Moore confirmed that impression -- at least for now.

"Right now I have a few interviews lined up," Moore said. "So if I get a good job I could go that route. But for now I'm coming back."

Moore, who wrestles at 141 pounds, is coming off of one of the best seasons in Penn State history. He set the NCAA record for matches wrestled in a season (63). He also set the school record for falls in a season (21), tied the school record for career falls (34), set the school record for wins in a season (54), and was just one win shy of tying the NCAA single-season record.

Moore was also the Big Ten champion at 141 pounds and an All-American after finishing fourth at the NCAA tournament. That finish was a key factor in Moore's decision to come back.

"After placing, it gave me hope for next year," Moore said. "Now I have something to strive for. Now I know I can [win a national title]."

A national title was something Iowa's Steve Mocco was able to accomplish this season. After running the table for a perfect season, though, the heavyweight may look for bigger goals.

It was reported in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated that Mocco was not completely satisfied with winning the national title and could take a redshirt year to train for the Olympics. Mocco, who could not be reached for comment, had expressed when he first went to Iowa that he had a goal of winning Olympic gold.

While Sunderland said that it is not common for wrestlers to take a year off, he could see the reasons for it.

"That's something that, if you're at that level and it's something you want to do, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sunderland said.

The departure of Mocco would certainly move everyone up a notch on the heavyweight ladder in the Big Ten. Penn State's Pat Cummins, a returning All-American who will be a senior next season, could be in a position to reap the benefits if Mocco leaves, though he would rather not have it that way.

"I would be disappointed if he [leaves]," Cummins said. "I feel like I deserve another shot at him. I have had a couple close ones with him. I have been working all season on my strategy against him. I thought if I got him in nationals that that would be my chance but I didn't get to face him."