Nick Lee enters this weekend’s NCAA Championships as the eighth seed in a loaded field at 141 lbs. and as the latest Nittany Lion to qualify for the national tournament as a true freshman. Although only one true freshman has ever placed first in the NCAA Championships, Penn State, as of late, has had a long line of rookies emerging and winning team points in March.

2017 — Mark Hall, First Place at 174 lbs.

Like Lee, Mark Hall burned his redshirt in January to provide a bit more firepower at one of the Nittany Lions’ stagnant weights. Two months after making his varsity debut, Hall capped off his remarkable freshman season by winning the national title with a thrilling 5-2 win over Ohio State’s Bo Jordan, becoming the first true freshman in program history to place first at the NCAA Championships.

Hall’s win over Jordan avenged a touch sudden victory loss in the Big Ten Championships finals.

During the tournament, Hall cruised to the semifinals, with an 8-2 decision, a technical fall, and a major decision in his first three bouts. On Friday night, he met his match in Arizona State’s Zahid Valencia, who was undefeated at the time and seeded first at 174 lbs. Hall edged Valencia for a trip to the national finals thanks to a controversial call on a headgear pull by Valencia.

The win over Valencia set up Hall’s date with Jordan in the finals, one that ended in an epic flex and crowd staredown by Hall.

2014 — Zain Retherford, Fifth Place at 149 lbs.

Take a second to recall that two thirds of Zain Retherford’s collegiate losses happened within a span of 24 hours.

A touch draw in the NCAA Championships during Retherford’s true freshman season pitted him against eventual four-time national champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State in the semifinals and top-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the consolation bracket.

Retherford dropped a 7-3 decision to Stieber before falling to Port 3-1 in sudden victory while wrestling for a spot in the third-place match. He eventually placed fifth after winning via forfeit in his final bout before taking the next season off to redshirt. That decision has worked out quite well for him.

The only other loss in Retherford’s decorated college came two weeks prior to his fifth place finish in 2014, when he lost by decision to Stieber in the Big Ten Championships finals.

2012 — Nico Megaludis, Second Place at 125 lbs.

As a tenth seed and true freshman, Nico Megaludis made an unlikely run in the NCAA Championships, beating the seven, six, and two seeds en route to the NCAA Finals. He used a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over sixth seeded Frank Perelli of Cornell to reach the finals.

In the finals, Megaludis’s magical run fell short when he met top-seeded Matt McDonough of Iowa and lost 4-1. Megaludis went on to place second the following year and third as a junior. After taking a rare redshirt year between his third and fourth years of eligibility, Megaludis finally won his national title in 2016.

2012 — Morgan McIntosh, DNP at 197 lbs.

While Megaludis enjoyed a monumental weekend in the 125 lb. bracket, Morgan McIntosh struggled at the 2012 NCAA Championships while competing at 197 lbs.

After winning his first match against Oregon State’s Taylor Meeks by decision, McIntosh finished the tournament 1-2, losing by technical fall to top-seeded Cam Simaz of Cornell and by decision to Ohio State’s Andrew Campolattano.

Like Retherford, Macintosh redshirted after his true freshman season. He went on to earn All-American status during his last three years of eligibility, which Retherford is now only a few wins away from.

2009 — Quentin Wright, Sixth Place at 174 lbs.

True freshman Quentin Wright started Troy Sunderland’s last NCAA Championships off with a bang by advancing to the 174 lb. quarterfinals as an eleventh seed off of a fall and upset over sixth-seeded Steve Anceravage of Cornell. In the quarterfinals, third-seeded Brandon Browne of Nebraska bounced Wright from the championship bracket with a 4-1 decision win.

Wright won his next two bouts to secure a medal, but lost his final two bouts. A 13-3 loss in a rematch with Anceravage landed Wright a sixth place finish.

Wright too took a redshirt year after his true freshman season. After redshirting, Wright was a national finalist in each of his final three seasons, winning two titles.