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Penn State Wrestling: Top 10 Nittany Lions of All-Time

By Chris Snyder

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 23: Anthony Cassar of the Penn State Nittany Lions is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 23: Anthony Cassar of the Penn State Nittany Lions is introduced during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23, 2019 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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Penn State Wrestling
Gold medalist U.S. David Morris Taylor III (USA)  (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images) /

No. 1

David Taylor
Career Record: 134-3
B1G Titles: 4 (2011-2014)
NCAA Titles: 2 (2012 & 2014)
All-American: 4 (2011-2014)

Awards
-2012 Dan Hodge Trophy Winner
-2014 Dan Hodge Trophy Winner

And at No. 1 on this list of Penn State’s top 10 wrestlers, I have none other than David Taylor.

The only glaring issue people may have with this pick are the two NCAA Titles next to Taylor’s name. Because look, there are plenty of names on this list with 3 NCAA Titles.

But, in the case of David Taylor, numbers and records don’t tell the whole story.

Taylor took his perfect 38-0 record into the 2011 NCAA finals against former teammate Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State. And I doubt anyone was particularly surprised when the veteran Jenkins took Taylor to the mat and pinned him. Freshman make freshman mistakes regardless of how talented they are. Well, unless their name is Cael Sanderson.

So what does Taylor do next? He mows down the collegiate 165 wrestling field in 2012 en route to a 32-0 record with 15 falls, 9 technical falls, 6 major decisions, his 2nd B1G Title, and 1st NCAA Title.

Oh, and he also took home the 2012 Dan Hodge Trophy. No big deal.

There were definitely a couple of bumps in the road in Taylor’s 2013 junior season. But people have to remember what caused those bumps. It was the human wrecking ball known as Kyle Dake. And he was trying to win 4 straight NCAA Titles in 4 different weight classes for his career. Unfortunately for Taylor, Dake was in his class in 2013.

In both the regular season and in the finals of the 2013 NCAA Championships, Taylor lost a combined 6-8 to Dake, who just so happens to be one of the best wrestlers in the world at his weight class.

David then rebounded his senior season to go another perfect 34-0, with 16 falls, 8 technical falls, 8 major decisions, his 4th straight B1G Title, his 2nd NCAA Title, and his 2nd Dan Hodge Trophy.

To put Taylor’s career in perspective. The record of the wrestlers from his 3 combined losses totaled a record of 370-29. Not bad.

So there you have it. My Penn State Top 10 Wrestlers of the time period of my choosing. Did I get anything wrong? Did I get anything right?

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