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Penn State Wrestling: Best Nittany Lions to never win an NCAA title

By Chris Snyder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd cheering during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd cheering during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – FEBRUARY 8: The Penn State Nittany Lion rallies the crowd during a wrestling match against the Iowa Hawkeyes on February 8, 2015 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. The Hawkeyes won 18-12. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – FEBRUARY 8: The Penn State Nittany Lion rallies the crowd during a wrestling match against the Iowa Hawkeyes on February 8, 2015 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. The Hawkeyes won 18-12. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

No. 2

Troy Sunderland

Years: 1989-1993
Record: 100-13-3
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Finishes:
4th (1991)
2nd (1992)
2nd (1993)

During his freshman season (1988-1989), Sunderland mainly wrestled in invitationals and tournaments on his way to a solid 12-3 record. He then took a redshirt season in 1989-1990 and was looking to come out strong for his sophomore campaign.

And come out strong he did. Sunderland had a 28-3-1 record heading into the 1991 NCAA Championships and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities he could either have a high finish or win the whole thing.

Troy appeared headed towards the finals at 142, however Iowa’s Troy Steiner pulled out a thrilling 4-3 win in their semi-final matchup. Sunderland then won his next match in the wrestle backs and lost the third place match to finish fourth.

Sunderland’s junior season saw him win his first conference title at 150 and this time he took an even better record of 20-2-2 into the 1992 NCAA Championships. Again, title aspirations were in the air and it looked like Troy might finally break through.

Sunderland won his first three matches and then had a semi-finals match up against Ohio State’s Ken Ramsey. Earlier in the regular season Ramsey defeated Sunderland by a major decision 10-2, so thoughts of avenging that loss were certainly on Troy’s mind.

Sunderland was ultimately able to get that sweet revenge by winning an incredibly close 2-1 decision to punch his ticket into the finals against Wisconsin’s Matt Demaray.

However Troy didn’t have enough left in the tank to take down Demaray and he ended up falling 5-2 to finish in second.

Now it was onto Sunderland’s final season at Penn State. It was make or break time.

Troy plowed his way through the regular season in winning his second consecutive conference title and he carried a record of 30-1 into the 1993 NCAA Championships. His lone loss came once again at the hands of Iowa’s Troy Steiner. However there was some good news going into the NCAA’s as Troy Steiner was going down a weight class meaning he wouldn’t be in Sunderland’s way.

And Sunderland virtually bonus-pointed his way through the first four rounds of the 1993 NCAA’s to again punch his ticket to the finals. But as I just stated, Troy Steiner couldn’t be the guy to face him in the finals. Instead it was Troy’s twin brother Terry who was waiting for Troy.

The finals match was a thrilling back and forth match with Steiner being the lone man standing in the middle with his hand raised after the dust settled. It was yet another second place finish for Sunderland. All of the countless hours in the gym, the running, the training, the lifting, and the goals. All of the culminated in back-to-back runner up finishes for Troy Sunderland.

But Troy got another chance to lead Penn State to the promise land as he was named the 11th Penn State Wrestling coach in 1999. Sunderland guided the Nittany Lions to a top three finish and four top 10 finishes in the NCAA’s during his tenure and was named the 2003 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

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