PHILADELPHIA – A total of 20 ranked wrestlers are set to compete this weekend in the Keystone Classic inside the historic Palestra. That group includes four Penn State Nittany Lions ranked No. 1 at their weight and 10 grapplers ranked inside the Top-8 after two weeks of the 2017-18 season.
 
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 in this week's FloWrestling Top 20 as a team. The defending NCAA champions started last season with a team title at the Keystone Classic and will enter this year's event as favorites once again.
 
Leading the way for Penn State will be No. 1 Zain Retherford at 149 pounds. The Benton, Pa. native is a two-time NCAA champion who won the Hodge Trophy in 2017 as the nation's top wrestlers. This summer, Retherford qualified for the U.S. World Team at 65kg where he went 1-1. Retherford has been dominant the past two seasons, winning 63 matches in a row on his way to a pair of national titles. That win streak is up to 65 entering this weekend after a pair of wins to open the season.
 
A pair of 2017 All-Americans are expected to highlight the field at 165 pounds. Returning NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) is ranked No. 1 and Rider's Chad Walsh (seventh in 2017) is ranked No. 6. Also in the mix will be Penn's May Bethea. A Round of 12 finisher last year at 157, Bethea is ranked No. 20 at that weight but expected to move up this season.
 
Down at 157, look for a rematch between Penn State's No. 1 Jason Nolf and Rider's No. 8 B.J. Clagon to be the expected final. The two met last year in the NCAA quarterfinals where Nolf won by fall at 4:07. Clagon, a past All-American, leads the Rider squad into this year's tournament.
 
At 197 pounds, Penn State's No. 4 Matt McCutcheon and Penn's No. 12 Frank Mattiace could meet again. McCutcheon won the two meetings last season – a 3-1 decision in the Keystone Classic final and a 6-3 decision in the second round of the NCAA Championships.
 
At heavyweight, a trio of Top-10 wrestlers are looking for a Keystone Classic title. 2017 NCAA All-Americans Nick Nevills (Penn State) and Jacob Kasper (Duke) met in the fifth-place match in St. Louis last season, Nevills scoring a 4-3 win in overtime. Nevills is No. 3 in the country this week, with Kasper sitting No. 6. Also in the mix is Northwestern's Conan Jennings who is ranked No. 10.
 
125
No. 18 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern)
 
133
No. 20 Corey Keener (Penn State)
 
149
No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State)
No. 10 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
No. 16 Matt Zovistoski (Appalachian State)
 
157
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State)
No. 8 B.J. Clagon (Rider)
No. 11 Mitch Finesilver (Duke)
No. 20 May Bethea (Penn) Likely to compete at 165
 
165
No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State)
No. 6 Chad Walsh (Rider)
 
174
No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State)
 
184
No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State)
No. 18 Joe Heyob (Penn)
 
197
No. 4 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State)
No. 12 Frank Mattiace (Penn)
 
285
No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State)
No. 6 Jacob Kasper (Duke)
No. 10 Conan Jennings (Northwestern)
No. 18 Joey Goodhart (Drexel)