State College, Pa., May 18, 2004 - Penn State head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland announced the addition of seven new men to the Nittany Lion roster during the late signing period which started April 14. The late period additions bring the Nittany Lions 2004 recruiting class to nine men, four from Pennsylvania, three from New Jersey and one each from Illinois and Maryland.

Joining the 2004 recruiting class are Philip Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata HS), Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.)/Seton Hall Prep), Joseph Farina (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls HS), Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville HS), Matt Kaplan (Randolph, N.J./Randolph HS), Brock Scott (Juniata, Pa.,/Juniata Valley HS) and Andrew Winfield (New Windsor, Md./South Carroll HS). They join early signees Jake Strayer (Forest Hills HS/South Fork, Pa.) and Neil Bretz (Cumberland Valley HS/Carlisle, Pa.).

Bomberger is projected as a 174-pound collegian. He was the runner-up at 171 pounds at the 2004 PIAA AA Championships, after finishing fourth in 2003, and posted a career record of 165-21, tying for the most wins in District 3 history. A four-year starter, he was a four-time sectional champion, three-time district champion and two-time regional champion. He earned All-America honors by finishing fifth at the 2004 National High School Senior Wrestling Championships. His 79 career falls are a school record and he was part of Juniata's 2003 State Team Championship squad. He also excelled in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition, winning a Cadet Greco-Roman national championship and finishing runner-up in Cadet freestyle, and is a two-time All-State academic team selection.

Bomberger also starred on the football field setting school single-season records with 1,531 yards rushing and 156 points scored and a single-game record with five touchdowns in leading Juniata High to the Eastern Conference championship.

Decker is projected as a 149-157 pound collegian. He was the 2004 New Jersey State High School runner-up at 140 pounds and was ranked No. 2 in the final New Jersey's Best Top 12 Individual Rankings at 140. A two-time state place winner (he was sixth at 125 in 2003), he posted a 35-3 record in his senior season to improve his career record to 117-22, becoming Seton Hall Preps all-time career wins leader and the first Pirate to post 100 career wins. He was also a freestyle state place winner and qualified for the cadet and junior national championships in freestyle.

Farina posted a 33-5 record in his senior campaign at Morris Knolls High School and placed seventh at the 2004 New Jersey High School State Championships at 189 pounds. Projected as a 197-pound or possible heavyweight collegian, he was ranked No. 6 in the final New Jersey's Best Top 12 Individual Rankings at 189.

Friend is projected as a 165-pound collegian. A four-year starter and three-time state qualifier, he was the runner-up at 160 pounds at the 2004 Illinois State Championships. A three-time regional and conference champion, he was also an Academic Honor Roll member. Friend also excelled in freestyle and Greco-Roman competition winning Illinois state titles in both in 2002. He was also a two-time freestyle All-American finishing eight at the 2003 Junior High School Nationals and seventh at the 2004 Senior High School Nationals. He also finished fifth at the 2002 Greco-Roman Junior World Team Trials and second in freestyle and fourth in Greco-Roman at the 2003 Junior Southeast Regionals. Friend also has numerous national folkstyle tournament placings to his credit, including a second at the 2003 Tulsa Folkstyle Nationals and third at the 2003 AAU Folkstyle Nationals. He is ranked 15th among 160-pound recruits by InterMat.

Kaplan is projected as a 125-pound collegian. He was a two-time New Jersey State Championship place winner at Randolph High School finishing fifth at 125 pounds in 2003 and sixth at 130 pounds in 2004. He posted a 36-3 record in his senior campaign and had a career mark of 117-16. A three-year starter and two-year team captain, Kaplan won county, district and regional championships and won the High School Coaches Association National Open as a sophomore. He helped lead Randolph to a 17-7 dual meet record and was ranked No. 6 in the final New Jersey's Best Individual Rankings at 130 pounds.

Scott, projected as a 133-141 pound collegian, was a three-time PIAA place winner at Juniata Valley High School. He reached the 2004 final at 125 pounds before falling to fellow Nittany Lion recruit Strayer. Scott posted a 35-3 record in his senior campaign and set a new school record with a career mark of 130-14.

Winfield, projected as a 184-pound collegian, won a Maryland state championship at 171 pounds in 2004 after completing a perfect 27-0 season for South Carroll High School. He is a three-time Maryland state placewinner (second in 2003 and fifth in 2002) and completed his career with a 100-13 record. He is also a two-time National Scholar Athlete Award winner.