Nick Suriano forfeited his dream of being a freshman Big Ten champion in order to keep alive his dream of being a freshman NCAA Champion.
Rather than test his injured ankle and risk a setback Saturday morning, the Penn State star 125-pounder defaulted out of the double-elimination Big Ten Championships. He was seeded No. 2 in the weight class.
The cautious strategy means that Suriano will have an extra 11 days of rest and rehabilitation before entering the NCAA Championships with an at-large berth.
Suriano limped onto the mat for his first match against No.