Wrestlers come up short in NCAA

While March Madness was dealing the North Carolina basketball team a cruel dose of reality this weekend, back home at the famed Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, the nation's top grapplers took to the mats for the Division I wrestling championships. Penn's three qualifiers -- senior tri-captain Gary Baker, sophomore Joe Allen and freshman Brandon Slay -- all made quick first-round exits, as the 1993-94 season came to a disheartening finish for the Quaker wrestling team. "We have to be a little disappointed with the results," Penn assistant coach Jon Hamrick said. "But we did send two first-year wrestlers to the tournament." Baker (22-10), entering the weekend ranked second in the prestigious Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association at 118 pounds, drew eighth-seeded Arizona State freshman Danny Felix, who placed first in the Pac 10 conference. This was Baker's second appearance in the national tournament. "I thought I wrestled pretty well, but I didn't finish my shots," Baker said. "I couldn't take him down because he was very good defensively. I should have been able to finish it during regulation." Felix (22-6) defeated Baker in a 30-second ride-out as Baker failed to escape Felix's hold. The sudden-death ride-out round followed a two-minute overtime period during which neither wrestler managed to score. Allen, who finished second in the EIWA championships, had the misfortune of drawing highly-touted Minnesota sophomore Billy Pierce. Pierce (28-7) was ranked first in the heavyweight division through much of the regular season, and fell to a No. 3 seed after finishing second in the Big Ten. Allen (22-6), making his NCAA Tournament debut, was disqualified in the third period after the referee whistled him for a fifth stalling call. This rare occurrence is at the referee's discretion, if a wrestler is making little or no effort to be on the offensive during the match. "I didn't wrestle that well at all," Allen said. "I ran into some very tough competition." After a two-year hiatus, this was Allen's first season back on the mat. Doubling for the Ivy-champion Quaker football team, he joined the wrestling squad late, but amply made up for any lost time. "This season was a learning experience for me," Allen said. "I'm looking forward to building on it for next year." Also making his first appearance in the championships was Quaker freshman Brandon Slay at 167 pounds. Slay faced Duquesne junior Jim Brasco (23-3), who finished first in the East Regional. Slay (17-8) fell behind early in the match and never recovered, losing 10-6. "I wasn't as mentally prepared as I should have been and I'm upset with my performance," Slay said. "But I learned that it doesn't matter what seed you are, it's who wants to wrestle when it counts. It's the attitude that matters." This season saw the Penn wrestling program make tremendous leaps towards national success and recognition, as the team set the school record for victories and received votes in the Top 25 for the first time ever. Last weekend's losses left many shaking their heads, but also affirmed Penn's respectable presence among the country's best wrestlers.