In sports, it is extremely unusual that a style of play is described by mentioning the athlete's last name. In basketball, something is Jordan-esque, and it's Gretzky-like in hockey. And on the No. 10 Penn State wrestling team, there is the "Strayer match."

According to Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland, a "Strayer match" is a match where a wrestler gets out and gets on offense. Then, he hustles back to center when he gets out of bounds. He's also working hard on the bottom and on top, he's trying to cut his opponent for a take down, and he's trying to keep the intensity up as the match goes along. This fast paced style is named for redshirt freshman Jake Strayer, ranked No. 9 at 133.

Strayer has used his up-tempo attack to come out of the gates flying with a 14-1 overall record. His tremendous start has built a confidence in his coach that is usually seen in a senior wrestler.

"He's disciplined, conscientious and you know if you ask him to do something he's going to get on it and watch film; he's going to do the extra work," Sunderland said.

"He's prepared to win. I've been kinda spoiled because even though he's a freshman, you count on him for a win."

Winning hasn't been a problem for Strayer this year. Besides his 14 overall victories, he's also 9-0 in dual matches with two pins. He's tied for the lead in dual match points with senior DeWitt Driscoll at 31 points, which is a remarkable feat since Strayer has to slim down to his wrestling weight of 133.

His success stems out of the year of training he had last season while redshirting. His hard work has paid off with a current top-10 ranking.

"Last year was a pretty hard transition from high school to college," Strayer said. "So it just gave me more time on the mat against college kids and got me prepared better for this year."

That preparation has shown up in his most grueling matches, including a grind-it-out 6-1 victory against Mike Mormile of Cornell, who was ranked higher than Strayer at the time. Strayer and Mormile have basically the same stamina level, so Strayer's typical wear 'em down strategy wasn't going to work, but it was Strayer's adjustment to this that allowed for the easy victory.

His most remarkable win was in his second road match of the season at the Palestra against the University of Pennsylvania. Strayer ran into his first real test of the dual season when he faced then-No. 6 Matt Valenti.

Strayer started the match in typical "Strayer match" fashion, with an early takedown of the junior Valenti. Then after two escapes by Valenti tied the score, Strayer chose the down-position for the final period and was almost pinned. He eventually avoided giving up any near-fall points and escaped with 50 seconds left to secure his biggest victory of the season.

"He can handle a variety of different styles," Sunderland said. "Once he gets into a rhythm and get his motion going, he's definitely tough to beat. And with his conditioning and a tank that never runs empty, it a great combination."

The team and Sunderland hope that Strayer brings the quiet confidence he is known for this weekend against No. 18 Michigan State and No. 1 Minnesota. Sunday's match with Minnesota will give Strayer his toughest match of the season, as he squares off against No. 3 Mack Reiter and his 21-2 record.