Wrestlers filled the mini-bleachers at Lorenzo Wrestling Complex Feb. 17 and listened to Penn State coach Cael Sanderson speak before practice began.
Sanderson asked how many people had signed up for the upcoming National Collegiate Open, and only one raised his hand -- Ed Ruth. The Nittany Lions let out a round of applause for Ruth, who had signed up early, before the true freshman spoke up.
"It wasn't me," Ruth said. "It was my mom."
As if on cue, everyone in the wrestling room cracked smiles and laughed. This joking behavior, teammate Quentin Wright said, is common off the mat for Ruth.
Wright said Ruth is a laid-back guy, translating into nervous-free bouts on the mat.
"He doesn't get too involved in the match," Wright said. "The quality of wrestler he's wrestling doesn't affect him."
Wright and Ruth squared off in the finals of the National Collegiate Open Saturday with Wright winning 6-4. The two wrestlers also faced off twice before: at the Edinboro Open in a Wright overtime win and at the East Stroudsburg Open in a 5-2 Wright win.
Overall, Ruth's nervous-free wrestling has given the true freshman a 15-3 record and the 184-pound title at the 2010 Floyd 'Shorty' Hitchcock Memorial Open at Millersville.
"He can score some points in a hurry," Sanderson said. "He's as talented a wrestler as I've ever seen."
So talented that Ruth has garnered comparisons to Phil Davis, a former NCAA Champion. Jesse Rawls coached Davis at Harrisburg High School and also coached Ruth, though he is a Susquehanna Township High School graduate.
Sanderson said both are cradle wrestlers and the true freshman thought they both had good balance, but it's also Ruth's poised demeanor that sets him apart.
"He doesn't get nervous," Wright said. "You can expect the same performance out of him every time."
A win over Wright still avoids Ruth. His only other loss this season was to Edinboro's Chris Honeycutt at the Nittany Lion Open, but Ruth returned the favor with a win at the Edinboro Open over Honeycutt. Ruth, losing to Wright in the finals, went 3-1 at Edinboro, but because there were three two-minute periods, the results weren't official.
Wright said he sees improvement in Ruth. The true freshman said he's been performing after-practice sit-ups and chin-ups in order to improve. His improvements may one day make him an NCAA Champion, a distinction Davis holds.
Though the poised Ruth doesn't agree he wrestles the same style as Davis, he doesn't mind being compared to an NCAA Champion. Sanderson also sees the positive comparison.
"Anytime you get compared to a national champion," Sanderson said, "that's a good thing."
