Wrestlers set records

Firing on all pistons, the Penn wrestling team cruised to two victories over Wilkes and Coppin State, 27-8 and 41-7, respectively, gaining precious momentum and a school record as it heads into next week's Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships at Cornell. The Quakers (18-5) broke the school record of 17 wins, set in 1989, and improved their chances of drawing favorable seeds in the EIWA tournament -- the culmination of the wrestling season. "We wanted to get our two wins today and use these as a barometer for next weekend," freshman Brandon Slay said. "There are still a couple of things that we need to work on. We use these matches to work on technique." After a week of grueling practices, Penn methodically pummeled its opponents, and added another impressive feather to its hat. The school record comes a week after the Quakers won their first Ivy League crown in 22 years. "I think that this team deserves to have the record," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "They've wrestled a very difficult schedule and have proven themselves against tough competition. They've earned it." Saturday's matches were billed as a warmup for the Quakers. Wilkes (10-13) had been struggling this season, coming off of a 19-16 loss to Hofstra. Coppin State does not have a competitive wrestling program, so Penn used its reserves in the win against the Eagles. "It was important that we were much more aggressive in the beginning of these matches," Reina said. "That's something that we didn't have last week against East Stroudsburg and wanted to correct." The Quakers were visibly pumped from the get-go, last week's intense practice schedule translated into intensity on the mats. "We hit on everything that we worked on during the week," senior tri-captain Gary Baker said. "It seems as though we've got our focus back and we're ready for the next level." The next level is something the Quakers have been desperately trying to reach this season. Inching ever-so-close to the Top 25, Penn has gained invaluable respect on the national level. For the second straight time, the Quakers received votes in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association/Amateur Wrestling News Top 25 rankings. Entering Saturday's matches, Penn also had two individuals ranked among the top 20 in their weight class. Junior Brian Butler is 14th in the country at 190 pounds, and sophomore Joe Allen is 19th nationally at heavyweight. Saturday, Butler and Allen added stellar performances. Butler defeated Wilkes sophomore Aaron Wurster, 7-0, and Allen beat Wilkes sophomore Heath Fleisher, 13-7. The victories raise their season records to 20-6 and 19-4, respectively. "I wanted to use this match to catapult me into next week," Allen said. "It's going to come down to seedings at the Easterns, so these wins mean a lot." They mean a new school record, and a story for the grandkids.