Past national champions, Olympians, hundreds of former wrestlers, program boosters and fans gathered Friday night in a dressed-up version of the South Gym in Rec Hall to dedicate the new Lorenzo Wrestling Complex.
The complex, named for former Penn State wrestler and coach Rich Lorenzo, includes renovations to the wrestling room, locker room, training room, weight room and lounge.
Each room, named for influential coaches throughout the program's history, was remodeled and built for space and maximum utility.
The night gave guests the chance to tour the remodeled rooms and to see the new graphics adorning the complex.
As the generations of wrestlers past and present gathered for the ceremony before the No. 8 Lions took on state rival Lehigh, all shared the same opinion of the new wrestling complex -- it was the best they had ever seen.
"Without question, like a bunch of people said, 'It's the best room in the nation, bar none,' " former Penn State wrestler and Olympian Kerry McCoy said. "You know, college, university, international. I mean, the technology that's in there, you know, the facility having the four mats, having the big screen TVs, having the weight room right next to it, you can't ask for anything more."
The event gave old friends and teammates a chance to reconnect.
But more importantly, the night was about the Penn State wrestling family, past and present.
"It's an awesome thing to just see all the alumni and boosters, having all of our benefactors back to the event and to be able to watch them dedicate the new wrestling room," senior captain James Yonushonis said.
"[The Lorenzo Wrestling Complex is] probably now the best facility in the country, and besides the wrestling room, we have the weight room, the locker room and the tours. The whole thing really helps bring together the Penn State family and I thought it was really awesome."
Members of that family are predicting the state-of-the-art complex will help put the Nittany Lions in a position to make a national championship run in the near future.
"We got a great stadium, the Bryce Jordan Center is great and the renovation at the HUB and, you know, so many areas on campus were brought to the new century and then wrestling was kind of keeping their mouths quiet and just doing what they did. So now, they're catching up with the rest of the facilities, and it's great cause it shows not only that we are capable of doing great things on our own, but the university is behind us," McCoy said.
"I really think that's a big asset -- to have the commitment from the university and the administration -- to show that yeah, Penn State can be a national champ. We also believe it and so we're going to give you the tools to do that."
While the bright lights and glitz of the new complex may be a step into the future for the Lions, the team and program is by no means forgetting its past. Next year, the Penn State wrestling organization will enter its 100th season.
A fact that is not lost on current head coach Troy Sunderland.
" Talking to some of the former wrestlers from the 50s, 60s and 70s, you really kind of reflect," Sunderland said. "I don't get a chance to do that a whole lot. You don't get the chance to take it for granted, of what you are a part of on a daily basis. We're a year away from 100 years of Penn State wrestling, and the celebration tonight for the Lorenzo Complex Dedication, just to be part of that and this rivalry [against Lehigh] of 95 years. That's just an amazing tradition to be part of."
With a new den to call its own and a family standing firmly behind it, the Penn State wrestling team is primed for the future.
