All-Time Penn State Wrestling NCAA Champions Lineup: The 10 Greatest Nittany Lions Ever Assembled
As you can see, the title says it all here as we’re putting together the ultimate Penn State Wrestling NCAA Champions lineup.
And for most collegiate wrestling programs, it might be hard to even field a full 10-man squad. But that’s not the case for the Nittany Lions. Because from top to bottom, they are chock full of champions.
As a result, how do I pick one guy over another when they wrestled 20, 30, or even 40 years apart? Well, that’s the hard part.
Especially when you consider how much college wrestling has changed since Howard Johnston won the first NCAA individual title for Penn State Wrestling back on 1935. And it’s changed substantially since Joe and Dick Lemyre and Hud Samson prowled the mat in Rec Hall back in the early 1950’s. Furthermore, it continued to change when Andy Matter dominated his opponents in the early 1970’s.
Heck, it’s changed even since Penn State Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson cemented himself as one of the best coaches in collegiate wrestling history after taking the job with the Nittany Lions.
Another big change college wrestling has seen over the many years are the weight classes.
But, to keep things simple, I’m going to create this team based on the 10 current weight classes. So I may have to squeeze some guys into slightly different weights than their normal slot.
All-Time Penn State Wrestling NCAA Champions Lineup
125: Jim Martin
Years: 1986-1989
Record: 155-9-4
Conference titles: 2 (1988 & 1989)
NCAA finish: 4th (1986), 2nd (1987), 1st (1988), 3rd (1989)
Penn State Accolades
No. 1 in all-time wins (155)
No. 15 in all-time win percentage (92.3%)
No. 6 in all-time bonus point wins (92)
No. 22 in all-time bonus point win percentage (56.1%)
T-No. 3 in all-time technical fall wins (27)
No. 4 in all-time major decision wins (37)
2nd Nittany Lion to become a four-time All-American
Jim Martin wasn’t just great, he’s an all-time Nittany Lion legend. And he’s one of the most dominant lightweights Penn State and the nation have ever seen.
During his time in Happy Valley, Martin took part in a total of 168 matches. And he only lost nine of them.
Consequently, had Bloomsburg’s three-time NCAA champion and all-time great Ricky Bonomo not been in Martin’s way, then it’s very likely Jim would have more than one NCAA title.
Does Jeff Prescott have more two NCAA titles? Yes. But if there was one wrestling match for your life, I’m sending Jim Martin to the mat without any hesitation.
Jim Martin isn’t just the best Nittany Lion wrestler of the 1980’s, he’s an all-time great and he gets my nod at the 125 spot.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Jeff Prescott
Years: 1989-1992
Record: 88-15-2
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 2
Sanshiro Abe
Years: 1993-1996
Record: 125-15
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 1
Carl DeStefanis
Years: 1981-1984
Record: 114-16-1
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 1
Jeremy Hunter
Years: 1997-2000
Record: 123-17
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
John Fritz
Years: 1972-1975
Record: 71-10-4
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
Nico Megaludis
Years: 2012-2016
Record: 119-19
Conf. Titles: 0
NCAA Titles: 1
133: Roman Bravo-Young
Years: 2019-2023
Record: 101-10
Conference titles: 2 (2021 & 2022)
NCAA finish: 8th (2019), 1st (2021), 1st (2022), 2nd (2023)
Penn State Accolades
T-No. 34 in all-time wins (101)
No. 18 in all-time win percentage (91.0%)
T-No. 25 in all-time bonus point wins (52)
T-No. 17 in all-time technical fall wins (13)
T-No. 12 in all-time major decision wins (27)
I know Roman Bravo-Young’s final season didn’t end the way he wanted it to.
But look, Vito Arujau did something that very few wrestlers have ever done. Especially when you consider he bumped up a weight class.
Arujau didn’t just win the 2023 title at 133, he decimated his way there. His 11-3 win over Daton Fix in the semi finals represented Fix’s worst loss of his career. Furthermore, Arujua’s 10-4 win over Bravo-Young in the finals also represented RBY’s worst loss of his career.
More accurately, it was his worst regulation time loss. In just his 12th match for Penn State, RBY was pinned.
But, here’s exactly why I’m bringing this up. Roman was a special wrestler and his time in Happy Valley was always entertaining to watch. Some of his lightning-quick moves seemed superhuman.
As a result, Bravo-Young’s undefeated runs in 2021 and 2022 were simply incredible.
And while RBY’s quest for the three-peat didn’t pan out, it doesn’t matter. He’s the absolute best Nittany Lion grappler to don the blue and white singlet at 133 pounds.
That is, “for now”.
Honorable Mention (in order)
John Johnston
Years: 1956-1958
Record: 43-4
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 1
Scott Lynch
Years: 1982-1984
Record: 73-13-1
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1
141: Nick Lee
Years: 2018-2022
Record: 119-13
Conference titles: 2 (2021 & 2022)
NCAA finish: 5th (2018), 5th (2019), At-large (2020), 1st (2021), 1st (2022)
Penn State Accolades
T-No. 14 in all-time wins (119)
No. 23 in all-time win percentage (90.2%)
No. 7 in all-time bonus point wins (86)
No. 10 in all-time bonus point win percentage (65.2%)
No. 2 in all-time technical fall wins (28)
No. 2 in all-time major decision wins (40)
1st Nittany Lion to become a five-time All-American
What more can be said about Nick Lee?
He finished up his Nittany Lion career by riding off into the sunset with his second straight NCAA title. And he currently sits at T-No. 14 on the Penn State all-time wins list.
I would take Lee first for a “Flag Football Team” and I would even take him first for whatever the hell “Finger Soccer” is. The dude is just a winner.
Additionally, Lee’s performances on the mat are the literal definition of grit, hard work, toughness, strength, and athleticism. All of which culminates in his being the best ever to wear the blue and white at the 141 weight class.
And same as with RBY, if the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships did happen, it’s very possible Nick would have a giant “3” next to the “NCAA Titles:” at the top.
But it doesn’t matter to me. Nick Lee gets the nod here and I don’t think it’s particularly close.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Larry Fornicola
Years: 1952-1955
Record: 20-2-1
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
John Hughes
Years: 1992-1996
Record: 121-26-2
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
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149: Zain Retherford
Years: 2014-2018
Record: 126-3
Conference titles: 3 (2016-2018)
NCAA finish: 5th (2014), 1st (2016), 1st (2017), 1st (2018)
Penn State Accolades
No. 7 in all-time wins (126)
No. 4 in all-time win percentage (97.7%)
No. 4 in all-time bonus point wins (95)
No. 5 in all-time bonus point win percentage (75.4%)
No. 8 in all-time technical fall wins (22)
Zain Retherford has everything.
You want a strong freshman season? Well, you got it. Retherford went 33-3, which included a 2nd place finish in the B1G’s and a 5th place finish in the 2014 NCAA’s.
And how about some undefeated seasons? Zain has that as well. How about three straight undefeated seasons from 2016-2018 in which he compiled a record of 93-0. Moreover, this includes a stretch of 1,456 days between his last loss his freshman year and the final match he won at Penn State. That’s almost four full years.
How about some hardware? Like almost everyone on this list, Retherford has a full trophy case at home, which includes three B1G Titles and three NCAA Titles.
But what separates Zain from the rest of them? He’s only one of five people to ever win the prestigious Hodge Trophy more than once. Retherford was a finalist for the award in 2016, and he took home the award in both 2017 and 2018.
Zain Retherford isn’t just a Penn State wrestling legend, he’s a collegiate wrestling legend. And he’s an easy pick at 149 for this team.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Frank Molinaro
Years: 2009-2012
Record: 121-29
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1
157: Jason Nolf
Years: 2016-2019
Record: 117-3
Conference titles: 3 (2017-2019)
NCAA finish: 2nd (2016), 1st (2017), 1st (2018), 1st (2019)
Penn State Accolades
No. 17 in all-time wins (117)
No. 6 in all-time win percentage (97.5%)
No. 3 in all-time bonus point wins (103)
No. 2 in all-time bonus point win percentage (86.6%)
T-No. 3 in all-time technical fall wins (27)
Most falls in Nittany Lion history (60)
Nolf’s Penn State career began with a strong freshman year in which he compiled a record of 33-2. As a result, this led to a runner-up finish in the 2016 B1G’s and a runner-up finish in the 2016 NCAA Championships.
If Nolf’s freshman year wasn’t impressive enough, his sophomore season was one of the most dominating seasons in Penn State Wrestling history. Jason put together a perfect 27-0 record with 14 falls, eight technical falls, and three major decisions. This adds up to bonus points in a ridiculous 93% of his matches.
Furthermore, Nolf put on a bonus points bonanza in the 2017 NCAA Championships. Ultimately, he went on to claim his first-ever NCAA title by way of two technical falls, two major decisions, and one fall.
Nolf’s amazing season landed him as a finalist for the 2017 Hodge Trophy.
Because of his hard work in the Penn State Wrestling room, Jason’s 2018 season was followed in the same footprints as the 2017 season. But, in a late-season dual meet against Rutgers, Nolf sustained a severe knee injury, which put his entire 2018 season in jeopardy.
As a result, Jason did just enough to ensure he qualified for the NCAA’s by winning several matches in the B1G’s. Nolf then gutted his way through the knee injury and a difficult field at 157 to claim his 2nd straight NCAA Title.
Nolf capped off his Penn State Wrestling career by going a perfect 31-0 his senior season. This included his 2nd B1G Title, 3rd straight NCAA Title, and 4th straight All-American selection.
Outside of the injury loss against Rutgers in 2018, Nolf compiled a record of 84-0 in his final three seasons in Happy Valley. And I’ll take him every day of the week and twice on Sundays to anchor this team at 157.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Levi Haines
Years: 2023-present
Record: 75-4
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 1
165: David Taylor
Years: 2011-2014
Record: 134-3
Conference titles: 4 (2011-2014)
NCAA finish: 2nd (2011), 1st (2012), 2nd (2013), 1st (2014)
Penn State Accolades
No. 6 in all-time wins (134)
No. 3 in all-time win percentage (97.8%)
No. 1 in all-time bonus point wins (125)
No. 1 in all-time bonus point win percentage (91.2%)
No. 1 in all-time technical fall wins (42)
No. 7 in all-time major decision wins (30)
For any other powerhouse wrestling program in the country, what Andy Matter did in his brief three-year career would easily place him on their respective “NCAA Champion Team”. But unfortunately for him, David Taylor also wrested at 165.
And David Taylor wasn’t just great, he’s perhaps the best wrestler in Penn State history.
The only glaring issue people may have with this pick are the two NCAA Titles next to Taylor’s name, because Andy Matter also won two 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.
Moreover, freshmen 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, nine technical falls, six major decisions, his second B1G Title, and first 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 four straight NCAA Titles in four 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, eight technical falls, eight major decisions, his fourth straight B1G Title, and his second NCAA Title. As a result of this, he earned his second Dan Hodge Trophy.
To put Taylor’s career in perspective. The record of the wrestlers from his three combined losses totaled a record of 370-29.
Wow.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Andy Matter
Years: 1970-1972
Record: 58-2
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 2
Mitchell Mesenbrink
Years: 2023-present
Record: 53-1
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1
Vincenzo Joseph
Years: 2017-2020
Record: 89-9
Conf. Titles: 0 (finished runner-up three times)
NCAA Titles: 2
Howard Johnston
Years: 1933-1935
Record: 24-5
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1 – First NCAA Individual Championship for Penn State
Joe Lemyre
Years: 1951-1953
Record: 39-9-1
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
174: Carter Starocci
Years: 2021-2025
Record: 104-4
Conference titles: 3 (2022, 2023, & 2025)
NCAA finish: 1st (2021), 1st (2022), 1st (2023), 1st (2024), 1st (2025)
Penn State Accolades
No. 32 in all-time wins (104)
No. 9 in all-time win percentage (96.3%)
T-No. 6 in all-time technical fall wins (25)
1st Nittany Lion to become a four-time NCAA Champion
1st D1 Wrestler to become a five-time NCAA Champion
Carter Starocci will always go down as Penn State’s first four-time NCAA champion. That’s a fact.
It’s also a fact that he will always go down as the first-ever D1 wrestler to be a five-time NCAA champion. And it’s possible he may be the only person to ever do this.
There’s another fact that is simply indisputable: Carter Starocci is one of the most mentally strong and toughest competitors to have ever come through Happy Valley. Regardless of the sport. Period.
Carter won an NCAA title in 2022 with a broken hand. And he defied all of the odds on the planet when he won his fourth title last year with only one functional knee.
Then this year, while moving up a weight class, Starocci continued to prove why he’s one of the best to ever wrestle. With him coming back to try for a fifth title, there was a bullseye on his back from day one of the 2024-2025 season.
Did Carter duck anyone? Did he take matches off to rest up?
Nope.
Carter Starocci took to the mat every single time. Furthermore, his 26 matches this past year represent the most matches he wrestled in any of the five years he competed in Happy Valley.
Additionally, he posted by far his highest bonus point percentage of 84.62.
Starocci welcomed the added pressure. Heck, it’s possible he enjoyed it more than ever.
And that’s why he takes the spot at 174 for this team.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Mark Hall
Years: 2017-2020
Record: 116-6
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Titles: 1
Matt Brown
Years: 2012-2015
Record: 118-16
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
Glenn Pritzlaff
Years: 1995-1999
Record: 106-29
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
184: Aaron Brooks
Years: 2020-2024
Record: 89-3
Conference titles: 4 (2020-2021 & 2023-2024)
NCAA finish: 1st (2021), 1st (2022), 1st (2023), 1st (2024)
Penn State Accolades
T-No. 47 in all-time wins (89)
No. 7 in all-time win percentage (96.7%)
T-No. 20 in all-time bonus point wins (60)
No. 9 in all-time bonus point win percentage (65.2%)
No. 11 in all-time technical fall wins (20)
T-No. 19 in all-time major decision wins (24)
2nd Nittany Lion to become a four-time NCAA Champion
2nd Nittany Lion to become a five-time All-American
Man, this was a really tough one.
On one hand you have a four-time B1G Champion, three-time NCAA Champion, and four-time All-American who finished no lower than third.
Ed Ruth finished his Penn State career with a staggering record of 136-3 and he currently occupies the following spots in program history:
No. 5 in all-time wins (136)
No. 2 in all-time win percentage (97.8%)
No. 2 in all-time bonus point wins (104)
No. 4 in all-time bonus point win percentage (75.9%)
T-No. 6 in all-time technical fall wins (25)
No. 6 in all-time major decision wins (33)
1st Nittany Lion to become a three-time NCAA Champion
How can anyone possibly beat this resume?
Well, with what Aaron Brooks accomplished during his time at Penn State, it simply can’t be overmatched.
Notably, Brooks’ 2023-2024 season was one of the most dominant seasons in Nittany Lion history.
Aaron won his fourth Big Ten title, was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Big Ten Championships, and was the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Then Brooks went and won his fourth NCAA title, was named Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships, and was crowned the 2024 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler.
And him taking home the 2024 Dan Hodge Trophy was simply the cherry on top. It may be a long time until the Nittany Lion faithful see someone truly as great as Aaron Brooks ever again.
Unfortunately, I could only pick two guys between Ed Ruth, Aaron Brooks, and Bo Nickal. And in this case I picked Brooks and the guy up next …
Honorable Mention (in order)
Ed Ruth
Years: 2011-2014
Record: 136-3
Conf. Titles: 4 (2011-2014)
NCAA Titles:3
Quentin Wright
Years: 2009-2013
Record: 116-23
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 2
197: Bo Nickal
Years: 2016-2019
Record: 120-3
Conference titles: 3 (2016, 2018, & 2019)
NCAA finish: 2nd (2016), 1st (2017), 1st (2018), 1st (2019)
Penn State Accolades
No. 13 in all-time wins (120)
No. 5 in all-time win percentage (97.6%)
No. 5 in all-time bonus point wins (94)
No. 3 in all-time bonus point win percentage (77.1%)
T-No. 18 in all-time technical fall wins (12)
T-No. 21 in all-time major decision wins (23)
No. 2 in all-time career falls (59)
When looking at the stats between Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal, they are very similar.
Nolf had a career record of 117-3 and a win percentage of 97.5%. Additionally, he had a bonus point percentage of 86.6% and he holds the top spot in career falls (60).
On the other hand, Nickal had a career record of 120-3 and a win percentage of 97.6%. His bonus point percentage was 77.1% and he was only a single pin away from tying Nolf with the most in program history (59).
The reason I’m comparing these guys?
Well, that’s easy. Nolf already made this team so I’m just making the easy case for why Nickal should also be on it. Just take a look at what he did in his final campaign for Penn State Wrestling.
Bo’s 2018-2019 season was absolutely incredible. He was a perfect 30-0 which included six major decisions, three technical falls, and a ridiculous 18 pins on the year.
Moreover, that’s a bonus point percentage of 90.0% and a fall rate of 60%.
His year was so good that Bo Nickal was awarded the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy. Thus making Bo the fourth Nittany Lion (at the time) in program history to be given that high honor.
Nickal did things on the mat that appeared to defy all physics … and sometimes logic. He was the ultimate “No, no, no, no. YES!!!” type of wrestler.
It’s a no-brainer to have him be the guy at 197.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Phil Davis
Years: 2005-2008
Record: 116-20
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1
Max Dean
Years: 2018-2023 (2022 & 2023 at Penn State)
Record: 105-18
Conf. Titles: 2
NCAA Titles: 1
Hud Samson
Years: 1952-1953
Record: 24-6
Conf. Titles: 0 (3rd)
NCAA Titles: 1
285: Kerry McCoy
Years: 1993-1997
Record: 150-18
Conference titles: 3 (1994-1995 & 1997)
NCAA finish: 1st (1994), 3rd (1995), 1st (1997)
Penn State Accolades
No. 2 in all-time wins (150)
T-No. 14 in all-time bonus point wins (64)
T-No. 21 in all-time major decision wins (23)
1st Nittany Lion to win Dan Hodge Trophy
McCoy’s Penn State career got off to a shaky start as he finished his freshman year with a record of 19-17. As a result, this included a 6th place finish in the 1993 B1G Tournament, and McCoy did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
And if you were following Penn State wrestling back in the mid-90’s, raise your beer mug if you thought McCoy would turn this into a perfect 47-0 sophomore campaign, which included his first of three B1G Titles and first of two NCAA titles?
I didn’t follow Penn State Wrestling back then, but this had to be a bit of a surprise.
Kerry rode the momentum of his impressive sophomore year by taking a perfect record into the 1995 NCAA Championships. But an early round loss completely derailed his chances, and he ended up finishing 3rd in the 1995 season.
McCoy took a redshirt year in 1996 and looked to be back in top form once again going into the 1997 season.
Which is exactly what happened.
McCoy put up an amazing 41-0 record, which included 11 falls, four technical falls, and 12 major decisions. Furthermore, he won his third B1G Title and second NCAA Title.
McCoy’s dominant 1997 season was also rewarded when he was announced as the 1997 Dan Hodge Trophy winner. McCoy also finished his Penn State career going a total of 131-1 in his final 132 matches.
Which is why McCoy rounds out the final starting spot in my “All-Time Penn State Wrestling NCAA Champions Lineup”.
Honorable Mention (in order)
Greg Kerkvliet
Years: 2021-2025
Record: 92-13
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
Bill Oberly
Years: 1954-1956
Record: 39-6-3
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
Anthony Cassar
Years: 2018-2020
Record: 49-3
Conf. Titles: 1
NCAA Titles: 1
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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