Pennsylvania: Altons Give Verbal to Penn State

Central Mountain junior twins ranked No. 1 in the nation at their respective weights.

LOCK HAVEN -- Penn State always ranked high on the list for Central Mountain junior wrestling standouts Andrew and Dylan Alton.

"It was always one of our top choices because it was close," Dylan said. "I wanted my parents to see us wrestle in college, and I knew if we were going to leave the state, it would have been a long trip for them."

When PSU announced recently that Cael Sanderson was going to be its new head coach, it was just the icing on the cake.

And the Altons figured, why wait?

The twins, both ranked No. 1 in the country in their respective weight classes by Amateur Wrestling News, gave their verbal commitment Friday morning to Penn State University and will continue their wrestling days in Happy Valley.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard that he was going to leave Iowa State and come to coach at Penn State," Andrew said. "It's exciting that we'll have an opportunity to learn from him. He knows what it takes to get to that next level. He knows how to train and what it takes mentally. Hopefully, he can teach it to us and we can reach the level that he has someday."

Sanderson has reached the pinnacle of the sport at the collegiate and Olympic level. He was the only undefeated four-time NCAA champion, finishing his career with a record of 159-0, and also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games.

His resume as the coach of Iowa State was just as impressive. In his three years there, the Cyclones never finished any lower than fifth at the NCAA championships, and never had a wrestler not qualify for nationals.

The opportunity to wrestle for him was always on the Altons' minds. In fact, Iowa State was on their short list of schools, which ranged from PSU, Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska.

"That was the deciding factor for me," Dylan said. "When Penn State hired him, that meant a lot. We know him pretty well, and know that he can train us for that next level. He's a pretty cool guy and is really down-to-earth. Now that he's close to us, that just made the decision a lot easier."

The Altons, who will be seniors in 2009-2010, have built up impressive scholastic resumes themselves.

Dylan, who wrestled at 145 last season, is a two-time state champion. He was 47-0 this season, defeating Cumberland Valley's Joey Napoli in the state final. Carrying an 89-match winning streak into next season, Dylan is 131-5 in his Central Mountain career with 70 career falls and 10 career technical falls. He's the No.1 ranked wrestler in the country at 145.

Andrew, who wrestled at 140 last season, won his first state title when he pinned Hempfield Area's Jake Bachman less than two minutes into the first period. Andrew has only lost one match in the last two years, finished with a record of 46-0 last season, and has a Central Mountain career record of 133-8 with 90 career falls. He is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at the 140-pound weight class.

Both should break the Clinton County record for wins, and the boys are Nos. 1 and 2 in the Clinton County top 15 single-season victories list. Andrew holds the county record for both falls in a career and single season, while Dylan was Central Mountain's first state champion in the sport and was named the PIAA Class AAA Most Outstanding Wrestling at the individual tournament in March.

Announcing the decision to attend Penn State now will let the twins focus on summer wrestling and their final year at Central Mountain without any questions as to their collegiate future.

"All along, we wanted to announce where we would attend before the senior season," Andrew said. "It is like a big weight has been lifted off our shoulders. I'm excited about the decision. I love the campus, and I really liked their business school. Plus, I'm going to receive a quality education. When we told our parents about the decision, they were pretty excited. My mom was happy because she didn't want us to be far away from home. My dad was supportive through the process and said it was our decision."

Now that they have given their verbal to PSU, the boys can focus on the sport they love. The next stop for both is the Junior World Team Trails in Colorado Springs. The event runs from May 18 through May 23. The top person at each weight then gets an opportunity to wrestle at the FILA Junior World Championships during the month of August in Ankara, Turkey.

Tom Fox is Sports Editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com