College wrestling at Penn State began in 1902, and was initially limited to intra-class dual matches.[2]
Two years later, following the formation of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association in 1904, a wrestling club was founded at Penn State in 1908, which aimed to represent the college in formal competition.[3][4]
The Penn State Wrestling Club arranged two intercollegiate dual meets in the Fall of 1908 with Lehigh and Cornell.[5] The club had to do so independently of the College Athletic Association as wrestling was not yet a recognized sport in the organization.[6] The first dual was cancelled, but the second held on March 27, 1909, at Cornell went forward seeing Penn State fall 6–1 in their first ever, with each team receiving one point for each bout winner.[2][7] The program grew and thrived over the next few decades, producing numerous talented wrestlers and successful teams.
One of the program's early stars was William Neidig, who wrestled on Penn State's first undefeated team in 1911 when the team went 4–0 against Lehigh, Yale, Columbia and Cornell.[8] Levi Lamb, another notable Penn State wrestler of this era, was a three-sport athlete at Penn State who excelled in wrestling, football, and track, Lamb only lost two bouts in his four-year Penn State career with 70% of his victories coming from pins. Lamb went on to coach wrestling at Boston Tech before enlisting in the U.S. Army to serve in World War I.[9][10]
Penn State's 1921 national intercollegiate wrestling championship teamPenn State's Bill Santel wrestles Navy's Bart Downes in February 1949 in Annapolis, Maryland
After eight years of applying for membership, Penn State was granted entrance into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) in 1918. This made the team eligible to compete for intercollegiate championships.[11] Penn State claimed its first EIWA title that same year, beginning a streak of six title wins in eight seasons.[12]
In 1921, Penn State embarked on a difficult eight-event schedule that included dual meets with four EIWA programs and trips to face two top teams in the Midwest in Indiana and Iowa State. The Nittany Lions claimed their fourth straight EIWA title at the league tournament hosted at Princeton.[2] That win, coupled with the later inter-conference dual wins against Indiana and Iowa, resulted in Penn State's first national championship title.[13]
Penn State wrestling broke onto the world stage in 1924 when Katsutoshi Naito competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Naito, a Japanese born immigrant, was team captain his senior season and claimed an EIWA championship at 135 pounds. While Naito was one of the best wrestlers in his weight class and expressed his interest in representing the United States in the competition due to the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 he was banned from representing the country in international competitions This lead the Japanese Olympic Committee to extend an invitation to Naito to compete in Freestyle wrestling in the featherweight class.[14][15] Naito won his first match against Belgium's Albert Foubert before facing and losing by decision to eventual gold medalist Robin Reed of the United States. Naito recovered and went on to win the bronze medal by defeating Sweden's Hans Hansson. Naito's win marked Japan's first ever Olympic medal in wrestling and 3rd overall.[2][16]
After undergoing five coaching changes, the Nittany Lions found their long-term coach in Charlie "Doc" Speidel. The Panzer College graduate and skilled boxer in the Golden Gloves, was hired by the Nittany Lions in 1927 as the university's boxing and wrestling coach.[17] Although he never engaged in competitive wrestling himself, he took on the role with enthusiasm and dedication.[18][19][20] Under Speidel's leadership, the team quickly gained recognition, with Howard Johnston earning Penn State's first All-American title in 1935 at 165 pounds. Speidel also played a key role in establishing the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1930 and organizing the first PIAA State Championships in 1938.[21][22]
Penn State's history with the NCAA Wrestling Championships began when Ted Wilson was crowned EIWA champion at 125 pounds in 1929 making him the first Nittany Lion to be invited to the post season tournament.[23] Wilson would fall in the first round to Iowa State's Richard Cole.[24] The following year, Penn State was selected to host the 1930 NCAA Wrestling Championships which took place at Rec Hall.[25][26] Four Nittany Lion wrestlers were entered to the tournament in Roy Maize at 115 pounds, Grant Stein at 135 pounds, Karl Kaiser at 145 pounds and Paul Long at 175 pounds.[27]
The inclusion of Chuck Hall on the Nittany Lion's 1940s wrestling teams broke barriers across college athletics. Hall was the first blind Division 1 collegiate wrestler to record a fall when he took down his opponent in a bout against Temple.[28] Hall wrestled in high school and was the team captain at Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind.[29] Teammate and fraternity brother Charlie Ridenour was instrumental in developing Hall's wrestling ability while at Penn State.[30] Hall's father was a member of the 1909 wrestling club team that debuted the sport at the university.[31]
First National Championship and Eastern Wrestling League
The Penn State wrestling team poses with the 1953 NCAA National Championship trophy
In 1953, Penn State's wrestling team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons to date, winning matches against Virginia, Lehigh, Navy, Penn, Syracuse, Cornell, Maryland, and Pitt, with the latter breaking Pitt's 16-match win streak.[32][33] The team went on to win the EIWA Tournament before clinching their first NCAA wrestling championship becoming the first team from the Eastern United States to do so.[34] The team boasted nine wrestlers, five of whom became All-Americans, with Hud Samson achieving an individual national championship. This win was particularly significant as it ended the 19-year dominance of Oklahoma and Oklahoma A&M in the sport.[2][21][35]
Penn State wrestling underwent a significant transition with the retirement of longtime coach Charlie Speidel in 1964. Under Speidel's 34 year leadership Penn State recorded a record of 191-56-13, winning the university's first team national championship in 1953, achieving eight EIWA team titles, producing six individual NCAA champs, 15 national finalists, and 41 All-Americans. Speidel was replaced by Bill Koll who was one of the country's most successful collegiate wrestlers and a notable coach.[2]
After competing in the EIWA for 58 years, Penn State left the conference in 1975 and competed independently for one season. During that year, the team earned a spot in the NCAAs through the Eastern Regional Independent tournament. In 1976, the team became a charter member of the newly formed Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), which was the brainchild of several individuals, including Ed Czekai, Penn State's Athletic Director, Frank Lignelli, Clarion's Athletic Director, and Walt Cummins, Pitt's Athletic Director. The EWL had six original members: Penn State, Pitt, Clarion, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, and Buffalo. Additional members, West Virginia, Cleveland State, Millersville, and Edinboro, were added later.[2]
Penn State wrestling had its worst performance in program history during the 1978–1979 season. Despite having achieved an average of ten wins per year and three top-10 finishes in the NCAA tournament over the preceding five years, the team experienced a rapid decline in performance due to academic ineligibility and injuries. Despite first-year coach Rich Lorenzo's optimism, the team failed to reverse their fate, ultimately suffering 11 consecutive losses and finishing the season with a 2–11 record. Despite the disastrous start, Lorenzo's leadership and personality proved to be essential to Penn State's eventual resurgence during the 1980–81 season, leading them to a sixth-place finish in the NCAA tournament.[36]
Considered one of Penn State wrestling's most notable seasons during its first century, the 1986-87 campaign was highlighted by several key achievements. The team secured the program's first victory over Iowa with a 27–15 final score, and also recorded a convincing regular season triumph over Oklahoma by 30–8. The Nittany Lions ended the season with a dual record of 18-1-1, clinching the EWL title and finishing in third place at the NCAA championships. Despite falling short of individual NCAA titles, the team earned a notable eight All-American honors, the most in its history up to that point. Additionally, the squad broke Penn State's record for most dual victories in a season, and shared the National Duals championship with Oklahoma State.[2] During the 1988 season Penn State would defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes 19-18 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on December 6. This would be the first and only time Iowa would lose a home dual under legendary coach Dan Gable.
Big Ten and Cael Sanderson era
Penn State's Nick Lee wrestling Ohio State in February 2020
The 1990s marked a period of change and close calls for Penn State wrestling. Over the course of the decade, the team achieved a record of 149 wins, 56 losses, and 4 ties. The Lions performed well in the NCAA Division I tournament, finishing in the top five a total of eight times, including one 2nd-place finish and three 3rd places. In addition, the team boasted five national champions, who won a total of seven titles, as well as 13 individual EWL championships and 14 individual Big 10 championships. Despite consistently being a top contender, the team fell just short of winning the national or Big Ten Conference championship.[2]
The wrestling program saw several changes during the 1990s. Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference on June 4, 1990, becoming the conference's 11th member. Long term head coach Rich Lorenzo retired in 1992 compiling a 188-64-9 record and coached 53 All-Americans.[36] Lorenzo was succeeded by John Fritz, who was later replaced by former wrestler Troy Sunderland. The team also had several standout wrestlers, including Kerry McCoy, Cary Kolat, and Troy Sunderland.[2]
Penn State hit a slump under head coach Troy Sunderland, through the 2000s the team had only achieved two top-five finish in his 11-year tenure, and had even placed as low as 35th. After recording a lackluster record of 8-12-2 in the dual season and placed 17th at the 2009 NCAA Championships the university decided to part ways with Sunderland.[37]
In April 2009, Cael Sanderson, one of the most distinguished American wrestlers, accepted the head coaching position with Penn State wrestling. As a college wrestler, Sanderson had a perfect 159–0 record and won four NCAA titles. He then won an Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004, before becoming a coach at his alma mater Iowa State. Sanderson's Iowa State team finished second, fifth, and third at NCAAs during his time as head coach, qualifying a wrestler in every weight class for the championships during each of his three years — 30 in total.[38]
With Sanderson, the team has returned to its status as one of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the country, with a four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2011 to 2014, an additional four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2016 to 2019, and a three-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2022 to 2024. From February 22, 2015, to November 22, 2019, the team achieved a 60 dual meet win streak.
Rec Hall is the home of Penn State wrestling. Built in 1929, Rec Hall has been the home of Penn State wrestling since the team's inception. The facility has a seating capacity of around 6,500 spectators.
In recent years, Penn State has also started hosting some wrestling events at the Bryce Jordan Center, which is a larger and more modern arena that opened in 1996. The facility has a seating capacity of over 15,000 spectators.
The training facility for the team is the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, located at Penn State, provides training amenities spanning over 24,000 square feet, including a practice room, weight room, locker room, and academic support area for Penn State wrestlers. Additionally, the complex is also utilized as the training hub for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, which is a designated U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center.[citation needed]
Howard Johnston (1935), Joe Lemyre (1952), Hud Samson (1953), Larry Fornicola (1955), Bill Oberly (1955), Jon Johnston (1957), Andy Matter (1971, 1972), John Fritz (1975), Carl Destefanis (1984), Scott Lynch (1984), Jim Martin (1988), Jeff Prescott (1991, 1992), Kerry McCoy (1994, 1997), John Hughes (1995), Sanshiro Abe (1996), Glen Pritzlaff (1999), Jeremy Hunter (2000), Phil Davis (2008), Frank Molinaro (2012), David Taylor (2012, 2014), Ed Ruth (2012, 2013, 2014), Quentin Wright (2011, 2013), Matt Brown (2015), Nico Megaludis (2016), Zain Retherford (2016, 2017, 2018), Jason Nolf (2017, 2018, 2019), Vincenzo Joseph (2017, 2018), Mark Hall (2017), Bo Nickal (2017, 2018, 2019), Anthony Cassar (2019), Roman Bravo-Young (2021, 2022), Max Dean (2022), Nick Lee (2021, 2022), Carter Starocci (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), Aaron Brooks (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), Greg Kerkvliet (2024), Levi Haines (2024)
Mark Hall – 2021 US Open National Champion, one-time Cadet and two-time Junior World Champion in freestyle wrestling, NCAA National Champion and three-time finalist
Bubba Jenkins – NCAA All-American and finalist at Penn State, Junior World Champion in freestyle wrestling
Cary Kolat – Olympian and two-time World medalist in freestyle wrestling, two-time NCAA All-American at Penn State
Kerry McCoy – two-time NCAA National Champion, three-time All-American, and two-time Olympian in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics; World silver medalist in 2003
Frank Molinaro – Olympian at the 2016 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, NCAA National Champion, two-time finalist, and four-time All-American
Rohan Murphy – Paralympian weightlifter and motivational speaker
Jeff Prescott – two-time NCAA Champion and three-time All-American
Zain Retherford – two-time US World Team member in freestyle wrestling, Cadet World Champion, three-time NCAA National Champion, and four-time All-American
Ed Ruth – MMA fighter, three-time NCAA National Champion and four-time All-American
David Taylor – Olympic gold medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, two-time World Champion, two-time NCAA National Champion and four-time finalist
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.
Kerry R. McCoy is an American wrestler and executive director and head coach of the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club regional training center. He competed at the Olympic Games twice and four times at the World Cup Championships. In college he was a three-time NCAA All-American and a two-time NCAA National Champion. He was the head coach of the University of Maryland's wrestling program for eleven years, stepping down in 2019. In 2014, McCoy was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Hawkeyes are 37 time Big Ten Conference champions and second in NCAA history with 24 National Championships.
Matt Valenti is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler from the University of Pennsylvania. He won the 133 pound weight class at the NCAA tournament in both 2006 and 2007 and finished in 5th place in 2004 at 125 pounds. He is currently the Associate Athletic Director for Student Development at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Cornell Big Red wrestling team represents Cornell University of Ithaca, New York in collegiate wrestling. It is one of the most successful and storied collegiate wrestling programs in the nation with over 20 individual NCAA champions, 43 Ivy League championships, and 28 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships since the program's 1907 founding.
The Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
David Morris Taylor III is an American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 86 kilograms. In 2021, Taylor became the 2020 Olympic gold medalist after defeating reigning Olympic and World Champion Hassan Yazdani, a feat he repeated from the 2018 World Championship where he stormed his way to the title. He later became the 2021 World Championship runner-up, after being defeated by Yazdani. Then, at the 2022 World Championships, he avenged that loss by defeating Yazdani once again to reclaim his world title.
The Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team at Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions play at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pennsylvania on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.
Thomas Patrick Gilman is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, Gilman is a 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist and the 2021 World Champion and Pan American Continental champion. In folkstyle, Gilman was a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, the 2016 NCAA national runner-up, and a Big Ten Conference champion out of the University of Iowa.
Bo Dean Nickal is an American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the UFC middleweight division. In freestyle wrestling, he claimed the 2019 U23 World Championship and the US Open national championship, and was a finalist at the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials and a Final X contestant in 2019. As a collegiate wrestler, Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University.
Zain Allen Retherford is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a gold and silver medalist at the World Championships, as well as a Pan-American champion.
Jason Michael Nolf is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 74 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a three-time US National champion and a multiple-time medalist in international tournaments.
Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young is a Mexican-American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, he is qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and has won multiple international tournaments while representing Mexico, where he is a two-time National champion.
Anthony Cassar is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He was a NCAA Division I champion and a Big Ten Conference champion at Penn State University, and a NJSIAA title holder as a high schooler.
Vitali Orujov is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 61 kilograms. In freestyle, he was the 2023 World Champion, Pan American champion and US National champion.
Aaron Marquel Brooks is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 86 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a U23 World champion and US National champion, as well as a U20 World silver medalist and U17 World champion.
Gabriel Curtis Dean is an American retired freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who formerly competed at 86 kilograms. In freestyle, he was the 2020 US National Champion, a '17 Pan American Championship medalist, and a '14 Junior World Championship medalist. He was also the '15 Pan American Championship runner–up in Greco-Roman. As a collegiate wrestler, Dean was a two–time NCAA Division I champion, a four–time EIWA Conference champion, and a four–time NCAA Division I All-American for the Cornell Big Red.
Robert Howard is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes collegiately at 125 pounds. In freestyle, he claimed the 2018 Youth Summer Olympic gold medal and is a three–time US Cadet World Team Member. In college, Howard is a sophomore at 125 pounds for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Nicholas Boone Lee is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a Pan American champion and a US National champion.
Carter Alphonse Starocci is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 174 pounds. In freestyle, he was a U23 World bronze medalist in 2022.
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