Nittany Lions Still Atop InterMat Rankings
UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (13-0, 8-0 B1G) remains the top-ranked team in the country in the Feb. 9 release of InterMat Wrestling’s Tournament Power Index (TPI). Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad also tops InterMat’s Dual Meet Rankings. This marks the 16th straight week that Penn State, with nine ranked individuals, holds the No. 1 spot in the TPI.
Four of Penn State’s nine ranked wrestlers continue to be ranked No. 1 at their respective weights. As a team, Penn State holds the top spot on InterMat’s TPI with 128.5 points while Oklahoma State is second with 95.5. Ohio State is third at 87.0, Virginia Tech fourth at 84.5 and Iowa fifth at 82.5.
The four Nittany Lions who hold top spots at their weight classes are senior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), 21-0 at 197; sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), 22-0 at 149; red-shirt freshman Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), 23-1 at 174; and red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), 23-0 at 157.
Senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked No. 4 at 125 with a 21-2 record. Senior All-American Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.) is ranked No. 5 at 133 with a 19-3 record and sophomore Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.) is No. 6 at 184 with a 13-2 mark, giving Penn State seven individuals ranked in the top five at their respective weights. Junior Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.) is No. 14 at 141 with a 10-5 mark. Red-shirt freshman Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.) is No. 17 at 165 with a 14-6 record. Penn State is now 13-0 on the year, 8-0 in Big Ten action. The Nittany Lions are coming off a convincing 24-14 win over Ohio State last Friday night in a sold out Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State returns to action this Friday night when the team visits No. 14 Lehigh. The Lions and Mountain Hawks will compete at 7 p.m. in a sold out Stabler Arena. Penn State then returns home for a Saturday dual with Michigan State. The 7 p.m. contest takes place in sold out Rec Hall and will serve as Senior Night for the Nittany Lions. There will be an autograph session after the match with the Nittany Lion squad as well.
