Penn State wrestlers short on experience, long on talent

UNIVERSITY PARK — The No. 2 Penn State wrestling team starts its quest for a second consecutive NCAA championship, and sixth in seven years, when it opens its dual meet schedule this weekend.

When the Nittany Lions take the mat in Christl Arena against Army West Point at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in West Point, N.Y., it will send out a lineup short on experience but long on talent.

Until the initial USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll was released installing Penn State at No. 2, the Nittany Lions weren’t ranked any higher than No. 4 in any other poll.

Individually, Penn State’s lineup could feature as many as nine ranked wrestlers. None of those rankings, especially the number next to PSU in the team rankings, matters to head coach Cael Sanderson.

As usual, Sanderson said he is more interested in improving his team’s on-mat skills than its on-paper rankings.

“I really don’t care, honestly, what we’re ranked. The goal for us is the same; it’s to be the best we can be throughout the year,” Sanderson said.

“Every team has its own challenges. Last year we were, I believe, ranked first going in. That’s a different set of challenges than if you’re 4, 5, 6 or 7 team. It’s exciting either way. It keeps you on your toes. We believe if we continue to improve we’ll have a great chance to win at the end.”

At Penn State’s media day, Sanderson detailed a potential lineup that could feature three freshmen, five sophomores and just one junior and one senior.

Here’s a look at the potential lineup with InterMat individual rankings in parentheses.

■ 125: With four-time All-American and 2016 NCAA champion Nico Megaludis lost to graduation, true freshman Nick Suriano (No. 10) is penciled in as the starter. Suriano compiled a 159-0 record on his way to four New Jersey state championships.

■ 133: Sophomore Jered Cortez (No. 10), who sat out last season after transferring from Illinois, will take over for two-time All-American Jordan Conaway, who graduated.

■ 141: Senior 2015 All-American Jimmy Gulibon (No. 12) returns for his final season.

■ 149: Two-time All-American and 2016 champion Zain Retherford (No. 1) returns for his junior season.

■ 157: Sophomore All-American Jason Nolf (No. 1), an NCAA runner-up last season, is back.

■165: Redshirt freshman Vincenzo Joseph (No. 10) is expected to start.

■ 174: Both senior Geno Morelli, who started at 165 in the latter half of last season, and sophomore Shakur Rasheed (No. 18), who started at 165 in the early part of last season until he outgrew the weight, are expected to compete for this weight class. The plan is to redshirt blue chip freshman Mark Hall.

■ 184: Sophomore All-American Bo Nickal (No. 3), an NCAA runner-up at 174 last season, is expected to supplant last year’s starter, Matt McCutcheon.

■ 197: With the graduation of three-time All-American Morgan McIntosh, redshirt freshman Kellen Stout (unranked) is the expected starter. Redshirt freshman Anthony Cassar, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, might push for the starting job when he’s healthy.

■ 285: Sophomore Nick Nevills (No. 14) will be the starter.

No matter how young Penn State’s lineup could be, Sanderson’s expectations remain the same. The Nittany Lions coach could borrow the motto the late Al Davis established for his Oakland Raiders — “Just win, baby.”

“Obviously we want to win. We always want to win. That’s our goal and that’s our plan,” Sanderson said. “We believe if we continue to improve, we’ll have a great chance at winning at the end. The journey between now and then is exciting.”

Winning shouldn’t be a problem in the season opener. Army features just two ranked wrestlers: No. 15 157-pounder Russell Parsons and No. 15 197-pounder Rocco Caywood.

Parsons has the misfortune of being paired with Nolf. Caywood should give Stout a good barometer of where he stands as the Nittany Lions freshman makes his varsity debut.

However, when Stanford visits Rec Hall at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, for Penn State’s home opener, the Cardinal will present a handful of tests.

Stanford features four ranked wrestlers, all of whom are ranked higher than their Penn State counterparts.

■ At 125, Suriano wlll see a severe test in fourth-ranked junior Connor Schram, a two-time NCAA qualifier.

■ At 141, Gulibon will look to avenge last year’s 7-3 loss to No. 3 sophomore Joey McKenna, an NCAA qualifier as a freshman.

■ At 174, Rasheed will also be looking for some payback. Senior All-American Jim Wilson, who is ranked No. 12, won 6-3 at 165 in last year’s dual meet at Stanford.

■ At 285, Nevills should receive a good early season test from No. 11 junior Nathan Butler.