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Penn State Wrestling: Ranking all 10 NCAA Championship Teams

By Chris Snyder

Mar 19, 2022; Detroit, MI, USA; Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks helps hold up the trophy after the team takes first place at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Cesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2022; Detroit, MI, USA; Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks helps hold up the trophy after the team takes first place at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Cesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State Wrestling
The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team poses with the championship trophy  (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

No. 5 – 2012

Dual Record: 13-1

Conference Champions: 3
149 Frank Molinaro
165 David Taylor
174 Ed Ruth

All-Americans: 6
125 Nico Megaludis
149 Frank Molinaro
157 Dylan Alton
165 David Taylor
174 Ed Ruth
184 Quentin Wright

NCAA Champions: 3
149 Frank Molinaro
165 David Taylor
174 Ed Ruth

NCAA Final Team Standings
1. Penn State 143.0
2. Minnesota 117.5
3. Iowa 107.5

Dan Hodge Trophy
David Taylor – winner
Ed Ruth – finalist
Frank Molinaro – finalist

As pointed out above, the difference for me between the 2013 and 2014 teams came down to Quentin Wright being a senior on the 2013 team.

So now what if we add Frank Molinaro to the majority of the wrestlers from the 2013 squad? Well, based on my strange way of getting there, you have the 2012 Penn State team.

And this team had all of the familiar faces I’ve already discussed from that first run of NCAA titles. Between David Taylor, Ed Ruth, Nico Megaludis, and Quentin Wright it was a really good team from top to bottom.

But there are two big difference makers for me on why I have this team at the five spot in the rankings.

The first being the amazing run Frank Molinaro had in his last year in Happy Valley. Molinaro had his first undefeated season in going 33-0, but more importantly, he started to crush the competition instead of just beating them.

Prior to his senior year, the most matches he won in a season with bonus points was 16. And for his career he had a total of two technical falls.

Well in the 2012 season Molinaro won via bonus points in 21 matches and he blasted his foes by winning seven technical falls. Winning his first NCAA title was a long time coming and being added as a Dan Hodge Trophy finalist in 2012 seemed only fitting.

The second biggest factor was the presence and competitiveness of freshman Dylan Alton at 157. The highly touted recruit was finally unleashed onto the mat in 2012 and he put together a 30-6 record and finished third in both the Big Tens and the NCAAs.

Man, what happened to Dylan? Injuries stink.

When trying to determine the difference between all-time great teams, these are big factors.

It also doesn’t hurt that the 2012 team put up, at the time, the most points in Penn State history in the NCAA Championships (143.0).

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