In his second year at the helm of the Penn State wrestling program, Cael Sanderson turned to an eclectic mix of wrestlers — convincingly talented newcomers, established stars, gritty veterans and another looking to make good on a second chance — to chase success.

That formula won Sanderson and Penn State their first national championship in 58 years.

And it’s a formula the Nittany Lions will stick with as they begin their Big Ten and National Title defenses this season.

While some of the names have changed, the road map to St. Louis, where the 2011-12 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held from March 15 to 17, will follow nearly all the same routes.

“I think our guys are ready to go,” Sanderson said at the team’s annual Media Day on Monday. “We had a young team last year, but we’re going to have a young team this year. “It’s very similar to the same position that we were in last year. I think we’ve got a little stronger leadership. ... These guys, they’re a rare breed and I think that our fans and our supporters are seeing that and that’s why the season tickets are as high as they are and we have two matches sold out already. It’s just because this is a fun team to watch.”

At the forefront are the most experienced members of this squad.

Seniors Frank Molinaro, Cameron Wade join junior Quentin Wright and sophomores David Taylor and Ed Ruth as the team’s core group. The quintet combined to go 159-20, win four individual Big Ten titles and each made an NCAA Tournament appearance. Wright won a national championship at 184 pounds and Molinaro and Taylor got close, losing in their respective finals matches.

While the Lions lost four seniors from last season’s squad, they welcome in a talented class of freshman, nine to be exact.

Sanderson and his older wrestlers expects a handful of those youngsters to step in and be competitive right away much like Taylor, Ruth and some of their younger cohorts were during last season’s title run.

True freshmen Nico Megaludis (125) and Morgan McIntosh (197) have drawn impressed gazes from their coaches and teammates in practice and could see significant time in the lineup at lighter and upper weights, respectively. The battle is on between several wrestlers at 133 and 141 pounds.

“It’s going to be pretty similar to last year,” Taylor said. “I think people are going to go out there and step up to the plate and get bonus points when bonus points need to be scored and I think the same people that were doing it last year will do the same thing this year, Quentin and Frank and myself.”

Taylor was asked numerous times on Monday about his loss in the NCAA finals to former Penn State wrestler Bubba Jenkins. The loss by fall is tough for Taylor to talk about. He prefers to forget it.

That’s part of the reason he’s never watched tape of the bout.

Taylor spent the offseason working that match out of his memory to a degree. He got bigger, stronger, and now he’ll bump up to 165 to start this season.

“I was weighing about 185 this summer so I just continued growing,” Taylor said. “Now I’ve got my weight down, and managed and I feel great, better than I’ve ever felt before.”

Echoing that sentiment was Wright.

Although the Bald Eagle Area High graduate admitted he took a bit more time off after his national title win, the first for any Penn State wrestler since Phil Davis won one at 197 pounds in 2008, Wright still managed to find time to compete in numerous freestyle events.

“I definitely think I took the summer a little bit more off than I normally do,” Wright said. “Just thinking about it, reflecting on the year, reflecting on what worked, what didn’t and using those lessons to help me for this year to reach the top of the podium again.”

Sanderson has already seen an improvement in Wright, which is a chilling thought for any of the two-time All-Americans’ opponents.

“He’s capable of doing whatever he wants to do. He’s incredibly talented,” Sanderson said. “The sky’s the limit for Quentin Wright. If he wants to dominate this year, it’s going to be tough to keep him from doing that.”

The Lions, as a team, not only want to dominate, they expect to now.

As Taylor put it, this is the reason he came to Penn State. He relishes the target on his back.

“At this time last year when I said we were going to be national champs, people didn’t necessarily believe me,” Taylor said. “But I think this year, the difference is everyone is expecting that national title so we just can’t let that get to our heads. We’ve just got to go out and wrestle to our ability and if we do that I still don’t think there’s a team out there that can beat us.

“I came here because I wanted to be a part of something new. A new tradition. And we established that right away. And why go out and wrestle if there’s not something to prove? Why go out and wrestle if there’s not someone to beat, to knock off?”

Travis Johnson can be reached at 231-4629.