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Penn State wrestlers rally for win

Sports

January 23rd, 2012 by Ric Hanson

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — On the day former football coach Joe Paterno died, Penn State’s third-ranked wrestlers honored his memory in a way he would have approved — by winning. The No. 3 Nittany Lions rallied from a 12-0 deficit after three weights to win the final seven bouts and hand the No. 2 Hawkeyes a 22-13 defeat. Before the match started, an image of a smiling Paterno, arms crossed, and the words Joseph Vincent Paterno 1926-2012, appeared on scoreboards at either end of the arena. A moment of silence was followed by a 30-minute standing ovation in honor of the man also known as Joe Pa. Once the match began, Iowa reeled off three straight wins, two decisions sandwiched around a pin. But Penn State’s top-ranked 149-pounder, Frank Molinaro, brought the momentum the Nittany Lions’ way with a 10-5 win that started a streak of seven consecutive wins.