UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State wrestling team, winner of six of the last seven NCAA titles, will enter the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in InterMat’s preseason Tournament Power Index (TPI). Eight Nittany Lions are listed in InterMat’s pre-season weight-by-weight rankings as well.
Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad is ranked No. 1 with 147.5 points while Ohio State is second at 136.0, Michigan third at 100.5, Oklahoma State fourth with 85.5 and Missouri fifth with 68.0. The Nittany Lions are also No. 1 on InterMat’s preseason dual meet rankings list.
Penn State’s five returning national champions are all ranked No. 1 at their respective weights to begin the season. Senior Zain Retherford, two-time champion and a three-time All-American, is No. 1 at 149; junior Jason Nolf, national champion and two-time finalist, is No. 1 at 157; sophomore Vincenzo Joseph, returning NCAA champ, is No. 1 at 165; sophomore Mark Hall, returning NCAA champ, is No. 1 at 174; and junior Bo Nickal, national champion and two-time finalist, is No. 1 at 184.
Returning All-American Nick Nevills, a junior, is ranked No. 4 at 285 and senior Matt McCutcheon, a three-time NCAA qualifier, is ranked No. 4 at 197, giving Penn State seven individuals ranked in the top four. Senior transfer Corey Keener, a three-time qualifier at Central Michigan, is ranked No. 15 at 133.