Wrestlers unable to beat titans at duals

The Penn wrestling team is following the proven road to success paved by such sports powerhouses as Florida State and Temple, that of grueling schedules and challenging competition. In short the Quakers are wrestling the best in order to be the best. This past weekend was a prime example of Penn's philosophy as it traveled to Hampton, Va., to take part in the Virginia Duals. The Quakers were faced with an imposing opposition including five Top-25 teams. Though Penn dropped both of its matches, the scores were very close, and with a couple of breaks, the Quakers (6-4) could have been in the semifinals. In the opening round, Penn drew No. 23 Lockhaven. The Quakers were hoping to carry over some of the emotion that helped them succeed in the ACC Challenge last week. However to Penn's disappointment, the team lost an 18-17 decision to the eventual sixth-place finisher in one of the most exciting matches of the day. Penn senior tri-captain Gary Baker avenged an early-season loss by defeating Brad Silimperi, 13-4, at 118 pounds, and the Quakers opened up a 4-0 lead. Quaker freshman 126-pounder Mike Gaugler then lost a match he had in his grasp when he was reversed to his back with seconds remaining and then taken down in sudden death. Penn senior tri-captain Sean Heinrichs turned in what may have been the performance of the day at 142 pounds. Heinrichs pinned Shannon Gillespie, the No. 5 wrestler in the nation, in the opening period to put the Quakers ahead 10-6. However, Penn dropped a series of decisions to fall behind 18-10. Senior tri-captain Brian Butler dominated his 190-pound match, winning by 13 points. But Butler fell short of the 15-point technical fall which would have given the Quakers another team point. It proved crucial in the 18-17 decision. "I think we're a positive team so we always look at everything in a positive manner," Baker said. "It was a learning lesson going against the No. 23 team in the nation, and we had them beat, but we kind of let it slip through our hands. We did a relatively good job. We just have to win the close matches. That was the difference." "It's a positive sign that we didn't wrestle our very best, and still we were competitive with some of the top teams in the nation," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "And this is without one of our top freshmen -- Brandon Slay. It was very close and a lot of things could have gone either way. I don't think we were as emotionally high as we were a week before. I think that showed in our second match." In the second round, the Quakers were matched up with Maryland for the second straight week. Penn was unable to duplicate its previous 25-13 victory, and fell 19-15 to the Terrapins. Many of the scores were reversals of last weeks results, with the Quakers getting the short end of most of them. While Penn senior Gonz Medina avenged a loss at 150 pounds, both junior 158-pounder Roger London and Butler were defeated by previous victims. Despite the apparent letdown from the previous week, there were some highlights for Penn. Sophomore heavyweight Joe Allen turned in his second victory of the tournament, giving him seven wins in his last nine matches. Also Heinrichs was victorious for the fifth consecutive time. He has been a stalwart for the Quakers in the last two tournaments. "I'm believing in myself a lot more, and more confidence is coming from that," Heinrichs said. "I'm not hesitating as much as I used to. I'm taking more shots and a lot more opportunities are presenting themselves. I want to place at nationals this year, to be an all-American, and this is the last year I have to do it." The Quakers hope tournaments like the Virginia Duals will improve the team for when it hits the mat against conference foes. "We're really looking at the next couple of weeks as a time to focus on technique and get into a very rigorous training cycle," Reina said. "We need to take to heart the lessons we learned taking on the top teams. We're learning what's going to work against the best and that's what we're going to refine. [We have] the opportunity to see the best and make corrections before we open up with the home weekend against the Ivies." The entire Penn squad shares Heinrichs' dreams of becoming an all-American and being a member of a Top-25 team. The surest way for the Quakers to achieve those goals is to continue to face challenge after challenge in meets like the Virginia Duals. "We have to realize to ourselves that we've stepped up to the next level," Baker said. "Four years ago we were happy when we beat a Division III school. Now we're competing against the top-scholarship Division I schools. "We've changed our schedule every year and challenged ourselves by increasing our competition. We took the challenge head on and that can only make us better for the upcoming Ivy season, and when Easterns and Nationals come along."