The onslaught continues!! Penn State has a rich wrestling tradition, and I have personally seen a ton of great wrestlers over my 40+ years of following PSU Wrestling. BUT, the Record Book is, and has been (since 2010 or so) rewritten at a PACE never seen before by our fans. Following is an update;
CAREER WINS
#66 - Zain Retherford (67 Wins) – In 66th Place, after only 2 years, Zain has a shot at getting to 100 wins in 2016-17. This would tie him for 32nd Place with Troy Sunderland. Beyond that, Jimmy Martin’s 155 Career Wins is out of reach, as matches are down from Jimmy’s days, but a healthy Zain should challenge for 4th (138 Wins for Greg Elinsky), 5th (136 Wins for Ed Ruth), or 6th (134 for David Taylor) Place all-time.
Outside the Top-100 now, but surely to rocket up the charts are Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal, both 33-2 after year one.
CAREER WINS %
#4 – Zain Retherford (95.7%)
#5 – Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal (tied at 94.3%)
Given that this is a percentage, it’s a different animal. Wrestlers start higher on the list, and jumping those in front of them happens less often. Still, #3 Andy Matter (58-2, 96.7%), #2 David Taylor (134-3, 97.8%), and #1 Ed Ruth (136-3, 97.8%) are within striking distance.
CAREER FALLS
NONE are in the current top-25, but that will change this year. Zain Retherford has 19 career falls, Jason Nolf has 15, and Bo Nickal has 8. All 3 could pass the current #25 spot on this list, which is 21 falls. 31 career falls will get a wrestler into the top-10, and both Zain (12 more), and Jason (16 more) could earn that distinction in 2016-17, with 1 year and 2 years left in their careers, respectively. In fact, the #1 spot (53 falls, tie between David Taylor and Josh Moore) could be in jeopardy if Jason’s fall-rate continues. As it looks now, Jason, Zain, and Bo could end up top-6 by the time they’re done (i.e. more than 38 career falls).
CAREER FALLS %
#3 – Jason Nolf (42.9%), only current wrestler in the top-25. The two guys in front of Jason are from the 1920’s and 1930’s and had less than 35 total matches. To give an idea about this list, DT is #11 at 38.7%, and 15 of the 25 on the list are from the 1950’s or earlier. Just to be on this list, given the different era, is quite an accomplishment!!
CAREER TECH FALLS
#10 – Jason Nolf (tied w/11)
#13 – Zain Retherford (tied w/10)
#15 – Jimmy Gulibon (tied w/9)
#20 – Bo Nickal (tied w/7)
David Taylor is #1 by a long shot, with 42 career Tech Falls. 2nd is Jimmy Martin’s 27, and 3rd is Ed Ruth’s 25. Strictly by the numbers, though it’s only one season, it appears a healthy Jason Nolf could end up at least 2nd by the time his career is over, and Zain could be top-4. Jimmy, with only a couple more Tech Falls, , will end up top-10 in his career, and Bo could be top-3 by the time he’s finished. Long way to go, given their youth.
CAREER MAJOR DECISIONS
NONE currently in the top-25…but that’s not a bad thing when the guys are getting Tech Falls and Falls!!
CAREER BONUS WINS
NONE currently in the top-25, but the trio of Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal should skyrocket up this list. At 44 (Zain), 31 (Jason), and 23 (Bo), all three will surely be top-25 (46 or more) by the end of this coming season. Top-4, career-wise, is likely for all 3, with David Taylor (#1 w/125), Ed Ruth (#2 w/104), Jimmy Martin (#3 w/92), and Matt Brown (#4 w/76) in those places currently, and Zain (2 years), Jason and Bo (3 years each) only starting their climb.
CAREER BONUS WINS %
#2 – Jason Nolf (88.6%)
#4 – Bo Nickal (65.7%)
#5 – Zain Retherford (62.9%)
#16 – Shakur Rasheed (45.8%)
David Taylor’s unheard of 91.2% is the benchmark for a career (125 out of 137 matches), and Ed Ruth was #2 (74.8%) until he was bumped to #3 by Jason. That’s how good Jason was as a freshman! Doubt there will be much change for the next 2 years, and we can re-visit this when Jason and Bo are seniors.
SEASON WINS
NONE currently in the top-25. Because more matches were wrestled a decade or more ago, this is a tough list to enter…the wrestlers simply don’t get the number of matches. David Taylor and Ed Ruth did manage a tie for 12th, when they both won 38 matches in 2011. Keeping wrestlers fresh for post-season tournaments is more the philosophy today.
SEASON WIN %
#1 – Zain Retherford (100%)
#31 – Jason Nolf & Bo Nickal (tied at 94.3%)
With a no-loss season in 2015-16, Zain is tied for #1 with 11 other wrestler’s seasons. Jason and/or Bo can move up this list with an undefeated or 1-loss season.
SINGLE-SEASON FALLS
#7 – Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf (tied w/15), only current wrestlers in the top-25. It’s unrealistic to expect much more here, as again, they wrestler fewer bouts today. Josh Moore (#1, with 24 falls in 52 bouts), and Scott Moore (#2, with 22 falls in 63 bouts) may never be equaled, though David Taylor (#5, tied with 16) is reachable.
SINGLE-SEASON FALLS %
#13 – Zain Retherford (44.1%)
#15 – Jason Nolf (42.9%)
Tough to move up this list, but a season with 16 falls could do it.
SINGLE-SEASON TECH FALLS
#2 – Jason Nolf (11)
#8 – Zain Retherford (8)
#11 – Bo Nickal (7)
Not sure what the potential is here. Getting a Tech Fall means the wrestler isn’t getting a Fall, so who knows if the Tech Falls records or the Falls records will be affected (or both!!).
SINGLE-SEASON MAJOR DECISIONS
Who cares. The guys aren’t getting Majors, they’re getting Falls and Tech Falls.
SEASON BONUS POINT WINS
#4 – Jason Nolf (31)
#5 – Zain Retherford (30)
#19 – Bo Nickal (23)
David Taylor owns 3 of the top-5 spots (with 34 Bonus Point Wins the #1 spot), Josh Moore is tied at #2 (with David Taylor) with 32 Bonus Point wins during his 52-match season, and Ed Ruth had 30 (tied for #5 with David Taylor, and now Zain). Bo should move up the list. It'll be difficult for any of the wrestlers to reach DT’s 34, given fewer matches.
SEASON BONUS POINT WINS %
#5 – Jason Nolf (88.6%)
#6 – Zain Retherford (88.2%)
#19 – Bo Nickal (65.7%)
David Taylor owns 3 of the top-4 spots here, with his highest at 94.1% in 2014. It is not inconceivable that the top-15 all-time “Bonus Point Win %” seasons are owned by the likes of David, Jason, Ed, and Zain, with one year for Jeff Prescott (currently 3rd, with 91.3% in 1991).
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So there you have it. The sky’s the limit for our guys, though some thought we may have seen "the sky" when David and Ed and Q were here. And, to be honest, and with apologies, there’s other wrestlers currently on the team that can make the Record Book in a big way.
Not included are Big Ten and NCAA Placements or championships, so that can be a topic for another day. Then there’s “the horizon”…when the Suriano’s, Hall’s, Manville’s and others of the world will be here and adding their names!!
CAREER WINS
#66 - Zain Retherford (67 Wins) – In 66th Place, after only 2 years, Zain has a shot at getting to 100 wins in 2016-17. This would tie him for 32nd Place with Troy Sunderland. Beyond that, Jimmy Martin’s 155 Career Wins is out of reach, as matches are down from Jimmy’s days, but a healthy Zain should challenge for 4th (138 Wins for Greg Elinsky), 5th (136 Wins for Ed Ruth), or 6th (134 for David Taylor) Place all-time.
Outside the Top-100 now, but surely to rocket up the charts are Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal, both 33-2 after year one.
CAREER WINS %
#4 – Zain Retherford (95.7%)
#5 – Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal (tied at 94.3%)
Given that this is a percentage, it’s a different animal. Wrestlers start higher on the list, and jumping those in front of them happens less often. Still, #3 Andy Matter (58-2, 96.7%), #2 David Taylor (134-3, 97.8%), and #1 Ed Ruth (136-3, 97.8%) are within striking distance.
CAREER FALLS
NONE are in the current top-25, but that will change this year. Zain Retherford has 19 career falls, Jason Nolf has 15, and Bo Nickal has 8. All 3 could pass the current #25 spot on this list, which is 21 falls. 31 career falls will get a wrestler into the top-10, and both Zain (12 more), and Jason (16 more) could earn that distinction in 2016-17, with 1 year and 2 years left in their careers, respectively. In fact, the #1 spot (53 falls, tie between David Taylor and Josh Moore) could be in jeopardy if Jason’s fall-rate continues. As it looks now, Jason, Zain, and Bo could end up top-6 by the time they’re done (i.e. more than 38 career falls).
CAREER FALLS %
#3 – Jason Nolf (42.9%), only current wrestler in the top-25. The two guys in front of Jason are from the 1920’s and 1930’s and had less than 35 total matches. To give an idea about this list, DT is #11 at 38.7%, and 15 of the 25 on the list are from the 1950’s or earlier. Just to be on this list, given the different era, is quite an accomplishment!!
CAREER TECH FALLS
#10 – Jason Nolf (tied w/11)
#13 – Zain Retherford (tied w/10)
#15 – Jimmy Gulibon (tied w/9)
#20 – Bo Nickal (tied w/7)
David Taylor is #1 by a long shot, with 42 career Tech Falls. 2nd is Jimmy Martin’s 27, and 3rd is Ed Ruth’s 25. Strictly by the numbers, though it’s only one season, it appears a healthy Jason Nolf could end up at least 2nd by the time his career is over, and Zain could be top-4. Jimmy, with only a couple more Tech Falls, , will end up top-10 in his career, and Bo could be top-3 by the time he’s finished. Long way to go, given their youth.
CAREER MAJOR DECISIONS
NONE currently in the top-25…but that’s not a bad thing when the guys are getting Tech Falls and Falls!!
CAREER BONUS WINS
NONE currently in the top-25, but the trio of Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, and Bo Nickal should skyrocket up this list. At 44 (Zain), 31 (Jason), and 23 (Bo), all three will surely be top-25 (46 or more) by the end of this coming season. Top-4, career-wise, is likely for all 3, with David Taylor (#1 w/125), Ed Ruth (#2 w/104), Jimmy Martin (#3 w/92), and Matt Brown (#4 w/76) in those places currently, and Zain (2 years), Jason and Bo (3 years each) only starting their climb.
CAREER BONUS WINS %
#2 – Jason Nolf (88.6%)
#4 – Bo Nickal (65.7%)
#5 – Zain Retherford (62.9%)
#16 – Shakur Rasheed (45.8%)
David Taylor’s unheard of 91.2% is the benchmark for a career (125 out of 137 matches), and Ed Ruth was #2 (74.8%) until he was bumped to #3 by Jason. That’s how good Jason was as a freshman! Doubt there will be much change for the next 2 years, and we can re-visit this when Jason and Bo are seniors.
SEASON WINS
NONE currently in the top-25. Because more matches were wrestled a decade or more ago, this is a tough list to enter…the wrestlers simply don’t get the number of matches. David Taylor and Ed Ruth did manage a tie for 12th, when they both won 38 matches in 2011. Keeping wrestlers fresh for post-season tournaments is more the philosophy today.
SEASON WIN %
#1 – Zain Retherford (100%)
#31 – Jason Nolf & Bo Nickal (tied at 94.3%)
With a no-loss season in 2015-16, Zain is tied for #1 with 11 other wrestler’s seasons. Jason and/or Bo can move up this list with an undefeated or 1-loss season.
SINGLE-SEASON FALLS
#7 – Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf (tied w/15), only current wrestlers in the top-25. It’s unrealistic to expect much more here, as again, they wrestler fewer bouts today. Josh Moore (#1, with 24 falls in 52 bouts), and Scott Moore (#2, with 22 falls in 63 bouts) may never be equaled, though David Taylor (#5, tied with 16) is reachable.
SINGLE-SEASON FALLS %
#13 – Zain Retherford (44.1%)
#15 – Jason Nolf (42.9%)
Tough to move up this list, but a season with 16 falls could do it.
SINGLE-SEASON TECH FALLS
#2 – Jason Nolf (11)
#8 – Zain Retherford (8)
#11 – Bo Nickal (7)
Not sure what the potential is here. Getting a Tech Fall means the wrestler isn’t getting a Fall, so who knows if the Tech Falls records or the Falls records will be affected (or both!!).
SINGLE-SEASON MAJOR DECISIONS
Who cares. The guys aren’t getting Majors, they’re getting Falls and Tech Falls.
SEASON BONUS POINT WINS
#4 – Jason Nolf (31)
#5 – Zain Retherford (30)
#19 – Bo Nickal (23)
David Taylor owns 3 of the top-5 spots (with 34 Bonus Point Wins the #1 spot), Josh Moore is tied at #2 (with David Taylor) with 32 Bonus Point wins during his 52-match season, and Ed Ruth had 30 (tied for #5 with David Taylor, and now Zain). Bo should move up the list. It'll be difficult for any of the wrestlers to reach DT’s 34, given fewer matches.
SEASON BONUS POINT WINS %
#5 – Jason Nolf (88.6%)
#6 – Zain Retherford (88.2%)
#19 – Bo Nickal (65.7%)
David Taylor owns 3 of the top-4 spots here, with his highest at 94.1% in 2014. It is not inconceivable that the top-15 all-time “Bonus Point Win %” seasons are owned by the likes of David, Jason, Ed, and Zain, with one year for Jeff Prescott (currently 3rd, with 91.3% in 1991).
**********************************************
So there you have it. The sky’s the limit for our guys, though some thought we may have seen "the sky" when David and Ed and Q were here. And, to be honest, and with apologies, there’s other wrestlers currently on the team that can make the Record Book in a big way.
Not included are Big Ten and NCAA Placements or championships, so that can be a topic for another day. Then there’s “the horizon”…when the Suriano’s, Hall’s, Manville’s and others of the world will be here and adding their names!!
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