With the 2012 Olympic Trials set for April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa, two Penn State wrestlers have earned freestyle wild-card berths to compete to represent the United States in the Olympic Games, slated for London this summer.
National champion David Taylor and national runner-up Quentin Wright received wild cards at 74 kg (163 pounds) and 84 kg (185 pounds) respectively, as announced by USA Wrestling on Monday.
Taylor finished his sophomore season a perfect 32-0 after beating Brandon Hatchett, 21-7 in the 165-pound NCAA finals, while Wright finished his junior year 30-4 with a finals loss at 184 pounds to State College native and Cornell wrestler Steve Bosak.
For Taylor, it could set up a long-awaited matchup between him and Cornell’s Kyle Dake, who also received a wild-card berth at 74 kg.
Current Penn State wrestling club members Mark McKnight, Shawn Contos, Teyon Ware, Jake Sigman and Les Sigman have qualified for the team trials. Coach Cael Sanderson also qualified, but according to Penn State radio play-by-play announcer Jeff Byers, Sanderson will not be competing so that he can focus on coaching.
Bosak still could earn a wild-card berth, as the USA Wrestling team has awarded just eight of the 10 freestyle wild cards that have been allotted.
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