A while back, ESPN ran a series of spots with the motto, "Without sports, there is no next year."

After finishing 24th at the NCAA Championships, and ninth out of schools from the Big Ten, that's exactly what Penn State wrestling is doing.

"It's always exciting to think ahead to next year," 157-pound sophomore Nate Galloway said. "We're going to have a good lineup, and hopefully we'll get the respect we deserve, and we'll be a top five, top 10 team contending for a national title."

The Nittany Lions fell short of expectations as injuries hampered the team. Before the flip of the calendar to 2005, Jeremy Hart at 165 pounds and senior Jason Woodall at 149 pounds were done for the year.

But now it's time to look ahead to next year. With two All-Americans returning and only one start lost to graduation, Penn State is looking to make a run at a national championship, which the Lions haven't had since 1953.

Senior Adam Smith will be the NCAA qualifier not returning. Both junior Eric Bradley at 184 pounds and Woodall have applied, and expect to receive, a sixth year medical redshirt.

Redshirt freshman Bryan Heller at 133 pounds had a tough time in St. Louis, as the top-20 wrestler bowed out early. Losing his first two matches, he quickly found himself in the stands for the remaining two days of competition.

But the experience he gained was invaluable.

"I'm glad I got here," Heller said. "I didn't know what to expect, but I've got next year."

Heller, who trained with Smith, will miss the senior co-captain.

"He's my workout partner, he's my roommate," Heller said. "On these trips, we'd do anything for each other. When he got knocked out a day early, he got up early to train with me and get me ready."

DeWitt Driscoll had his season ended prematurely. He reaggrevated a right knee injury at the Big Ten Championships. The tear he sustained to his ACL, along with the partial tear in his MCL, will sideline him until November. The junior, who ranked as high as No. 12, can anchor the lower weights if he returns to form.

Woodall, who was ranked No. 12 when he went down in late December will anchor the middle weights with Galloway, a top-20 staple who was one match away from becoming an All-American last weekend.

"I came in unseeded and a lot of people were doubting me," Galloway said. "I'd been hearing some pretty negative stuff about me. I've just been out here having a good time and proving people wrong."

He took out two of the top eight seeds before he was bounced from the tourney.

"A lot of the problem over the last couple of years has been confidence, and I think I proved to myself and a lot of people that I'm as good as anyone out there," he said.

Sophomore James Yonushonis, who appeared to get on track only to finish eighth at the Big Ten Championships will need to step it up as well as they get into the heavier weights at 174 pounds. At 165-pounds an uncertainty with either a true freshman or redshirted freshman taking over.

Then there's the strength of the lineup: 184 and 197 pounds. Bradley and redshirt freshman Phil Davis are coming off their first All-America honors.

At heavyweight, Edwards will have an entire offseason to adjust to the jump he made from 197 pounds this offseason. He went 2-2 at Nationals and with months to get acclimated to his new gig, should cap the strong lineup.

"He will be an All-American next year," Davis said.

"It's tough when some of these guys are 40 pounds bigger than I am," Edwards said, who plans on gaining 25 pounds in the offseason. "I'm right there with these guys. I can be out there on that podium."

From top to bottom there shouldn't be the holes of this year's team, which was still ranked throughout the season in this, an off year.

"We have to get a lot of the guys a lot better," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "We have to have some guys change their attitude a little bit. We have some guys who need to make weight and we have some redshirts who have done real well. Our guys need to see that."