Wrestlers finish disappointing 6th

In any sport, there comes a time when it seems that absolutely nothing will go your way, that it's impossible for you to catch a break. This can be especially frustrating in a team sport as the hard luck begins with one member and snowballs to affect the entire squad. The Penn wrestling team experienced this phenomenon first hand this past weekend as the Quakers struggled in the Sheridan Invitational Tournament at Lehigh. Penn finished a disappointing sixth out of 10 teams on Saturday, and the Quakers failed to capitalize on the opportunity to avenge their early season defeat at the hands of Bloomsburg and also to show well against conference foes such as Rutgers and East Stroudsburg. What made the finish even more heart-wrenching was the fact that it came on the heels of Penn's 32-7 thrashing of Drexel on Tuesday and the Quakers' watchword so far this year had been "consistency." Penn's performance at Lehigh, however, was far from consistent with their stellar showing versus the Dragons. "We wrestled pretty flat this weekend," senior co-captain Gary Baker said. "We just didn't perform well. What happened was we lost a couple of first-round matches and we lost our momentum. We were never able to regain our momentum back into our favor. And once things started going poorly for us it just seemed to add up." "The competition was really tough but there was no intimidation," freshman Brandon Slay said. "I don't think we took everything down there. It was just one of those days where nothing goes your way. Sometimes when things don't go right for one guy it gets to the others." Lady Luck definitely wasn't smiling on the Quakers at Lehigh. Co-captains Baker and Brian Butler turned in uncharacteristically subpar performances, with Baker taking fourth at 118 pounds and Butler placing fifth at 190 pounds. Both lost to wrestlers from conference foe Rutgers. Two of Penn's other traditionally solid upperclassmen, senior 150-pounder Gonz Medina and junior 158-pounder Roger London, also placed fifth. Slay finished fourth at 167 pounds but had to forfeit his second match due to a jaw injury which could keep him out of Penn's lineup for an extended period of time. Fortunately for the Quakers, their showing was not totally devoid of positive aspects. Sophomore Joe Allen placed third in the heavyweight division, and senior co-captain Sean Heinrichs finished second at 142-pounds. Heinrichs' run to the finals included an exciting semifinal match which went to overtime and beyond. Heinrichs prevailed when he prevented his opponent from reversing his hold in a sudden-death rideout round. However, these potential silver linings were far from enough to appease a Penn squad hungry for success and recognition. The Quakers have a three-week layoff now until their next tournament on December 29. What the Quakers need to do is learn from the frustration and disappointment that they felt at the Sheridan Invitational so they do not allow a repeat performance. Though it may want to forget it ever travelled to Lehigh, Penn needs to reap any benefits it can. There is plenty of time left in the season for the Quakers to overcome their sluggish showing, and the second half of their schedule has numerous opportunities for revenge. Penn will participate in meets involving North Carolina State, Rutgers and East Stroudsburg later this year, thus the Quakers have a chance to prove they are better than their sixth-place finish. "When it comes to the conference season and they check how we did against certain guys," Butler said, "they're not going to look back and say 'On December 4th you lost a 1-0 or a 4-3 match.' When it comes to dual meet time and we beat the competition handily, they're going to take the latest results – that's more likely to matter. We have a definite chance to show that we're better, we just didn't do it this time." "I think the break's going to be good for us," Baker said. "Because now we start our dual meet schedule and I think from how we performed against Drexel we'll perform well as a dual meet team. All of the teams we struggled against we'll be seeing them again so we'll be able to redeem ourselves. I think we're going to look at the film, see our mistakes and start building and forget about it." The most harmful effect of the Quakers' finish may be one of esteem. Penn needs to avoid getting down on itself over an isolated performance and come back strong in its next meet. If the Quakers lose their fire then the frustration and bad breaks will likely continue. It's up to Penn's veteran wrestlers to lead the team to the promised land of success. "I'm trying to work on my attitude and get myself back on track," Butler said. "My season isn't based on how I wrestle at Sheridan, however how I feel that I'm wrestling is based on how I wrestle at Sheridan. Right now I'd like to forget that I was ever involved in it. But then again you need to remember the times that you lost, the utter hate you have of losing, so that you don't let it happen again."