Ed Ruth won 13-2 over Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)As InterMat's 2012 Wrestler of the Year, Ruth is in elite company. Among the previous honorees are some of the most accomplished college wrestlers of the past decade: Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska in 2011, Jayson Ness of Minnesota in 2010, Northwestern's Jake Herbert in 2009, Brent Metcalf of Iowa in 2008, and Missouri's Ben Askren, 2006 and 2007.
Ruth, who won the NCAA title at 174 pounds and finished the season 31-0, edged out Nittany Lion teammate David Taylor for the award. Ruth received 72 points and five first-place votes. Taylor, an NCAA champion at 165 pounds, received 66 points and four first-place votes. Cornell's Kyle Dake, who claimed his third NCAA title, finished third in the balloting with 48 points and one first-place vote. All three wrestlers finished the season undefeated.
Below is side-by-side comparison of the seasons compiled by the top three vote-getters.
Ruth, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., went 8-0 in the postseason, which included seven bonus-point victories. (His only non-bonus-point postseason victory was an 11-4 decision over Ohio State's Nick Heflin in the NCAA quarterfinals.) He won by technical fall, 17-1, in the NCAA semifinals over Minnesota's Logan Storley. Ruth then topped Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui, 13-2, to claim the NCAA title at 174 pounds. He will head into his junior season as a two-time All-American with a 69-2 career record.
"Ed Ruth was never seriously challenged all season," said InterMat senior editor Andrew Hipps. "He dominated opponents and made it look easy, almost effortless. There were some truly outstanding performers this season, but to me Ed Ruth was the top performer this season based on his dominance over a field that also included two other wrestlers who entered the NCAAs undefeated."
2012 InterMat Wrestler of the Year
1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1
Total Votes/(First-Place Votes)
1. Ed Ruth, Penn State, 72 (5)
2. David Taylor, Penn State, 66 (4)
3. Kyle Dake, Cornell, 48 (1)
4. Kellen Russell, Michigan, 24
5. Frank Molinaro, Penn State, 22
6. Logan Stieber, Ohio State, 8
7. Cam Simaz, Cornell, 4
8. Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State, 3
9. Matt McDonough, Iowa, 1
9. Tony Nelson, Minnesota, 1
9. Tony Ramos, Iowa, 1
Michigan's Kellen Russell, who won his second NCAA title at 141 pounds, was fourth with 24 points. Rounding out the top five vote-getters was Penn State's Frank Molinaro.
1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1
Total Votes/(First-Place Votes)
1. Ed Ruth, Penn State, 72 (5)
2. David Taylor, Penn State, 66 (4)
3. Kyle Dake, Cornell, 48 (1)
4. Kellen Russell, Michigan, 24
5. Frank Molinaro, Penn State, 22
6. Logan Stieber, Ohio State, 8
7. Cam Simaz, Cornell, 4
8. Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State, 3
9. Matt McDonough, Iowa, 1
9. Tony Nelson, Minnesota, 1
9. Tony Ramos, Iowa, 1
Other wrestlers who received votes included Ohio State's Logan Stieber, Cornell's Cam Simaz, Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver, Iowa's Matt McDonough, Minnesota's Tony Nelson, and Iowa's Tony Ramos.
Ruth, Taylor, Dake, Russell, Stieber, Oliver, and McDonough are expected to compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22.
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