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“I remember Cael asking, ‘Do you think this is possible?’” Dernlan said. “I said, ‘It’s definitely possible, with the resources we have, not only from the university side, but from the alumni.’ There’s a total commitment to our program and people see the crossover effect. A lot of people have the vision and very few people can make the vision a reality.” Less than a year later, former college
stars flocked to State College. Les Sigman (Nebraska-Omaha), a 2010 World Team member at 120 kg/ 264.5 lbs. was the first athlete to uproot and move to State College. Sigman missed this year’s World Team Trials because of an injury. Teyon Ware, a two-time NCAA champ at Oklahoma, arrived next. Varner and Nick Fanthorpe moved to State College after graduating from Iowa State, where they wrestled for Sanderson. They joined Anspach, a 2007 NCAA finalist who was already living and working in State College.
The club continued adding domestic pieces, including Doug Umbehauer (Rider) and Mark McKnight (Penn State). The NLWC received an international fla- vor last summer when Gomez, a NCAA champion at Michigan State, moved to State College. Gomez brought Espinal along last fall.
“I feel blessed,” Gomez said. “They needed my weight class. They could have called somebody else. Now, I’m training with guys on the World Team and Cael Sanderson. Opportunities come once in a lifetime and I want to make sure I grab this one.”
Dernlan said the club wants to cover all seven freestyle weight classes. The only hole is 74 kg/163 lbs. “A lot of it was filling out a roster like you would for a college team going into a season and after a season, seeing what our needs are and who is the best person to fill that need,” he said. “We want to do that with men of character and we have that. These guys are examples and men- tors to our younger guys.
“The neat thing is that, in a lot of ways, these guys are a family. When you have family on the line, you are going to fight harder, you are going to push harder for it and pull somebody along with you.” The NLWC funds athletes living, med- ical, training and competing expenses. Athletes also receive stipends and incen- tive-based packages rewarding wrestlers for making National and World teams. The club trains in Penn State’s Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, a $4 million training center with four mats, a weight room and
20 USA Wrestler
Teyon Ware (in red) joined the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club in 2009 and beat 2010 World Team member Brent Metcalf to make his first U.S. World Team in freestyle wrestling this year. Larry Slater photo.
high-tech video equipment. The privately- funded complex opened in 2006. “I can tell you one thing, the club has really helped me,” Ware said. “I don’t have to worry about money and the stress that comes with it. I don’t have to ask if I can go this tournament or that tournament. When you are wrestling, you need to keep positive and not stress about where your income is coming from. It’s easy to focus on just training.” The club conducts three major fundraisers - an August golf tournament, December’s Nittany Lion Open and a youth tournament in February - but it leans heavily on private donations. The NLWC also operates a youth club, which serves more than 300 wrestlers in Pennsylvania. “It takes so much support,“ Penn State associate head coach Cody Sanderson
said. “The amount of support we have received from wrestling alumni is unbe- lievable. We pay for these athletes to live here and train here and we pay for their equipment and their travel. The generosi- ty of some of our alumni is remarkable.” Cael and Cody Sanderson both said the club’s long-term goal involves offering post-collegiate freestyle opportunities for former Penn State wrestlers. Penn State sent a large contingent to the University Nationals, with Quentin Wright, Andrew Long, James English and Andrew Alton capturing titles. Wright, an NCAA champi- on raised in State College, competed at the World Team Trials. Andrew and Dylan Alton, and David
Taylor are among the other Penn State wrestlers with serious freestyle ambitions. Cody Sanderson said Penn State is no
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