Wrestlers host trio

Two years ago, the Penn wrestling team defeated heavily-favored Cornell and finished as the undefeated Ivy League champion. The next year the Big Red avenged the loss and took the title. Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that this weekend, when the Quakers will host Cornell, Columbia, and Seton Hall, is the most important meet of the team season.The crucial weekend starts at 7 tonight against the Lions. "They're a young, hungry team. A parallel could be made with their football team [who upset the Quakers]," Penn coach Roger Reina said. Even though the dual meet with Columbia is Penn's league opener, the feature match-up will be at 3 tomorrow afternoon against Cornell. This will mark the Big Red's first trip to the Philadelphia since the Quakers broke up their 42 dual-meet winning streak in 1994. "It's a pretty strong rivalry -- it has been a focal point," said senior co-captain Clinton Matter, who wrestles in the 177 pound class. Reina is expecting the atmosphere at the Palestra (which actually derives from a Greek word meaning "wrestling", not "Big 5 hoops") will match that of two years ago. "It should be an exciting weekend in terms of the kind of action people can expect to see," he said. After the Ivy League showdown, the Quakers will get a break before meeting Seton Hall in the early evening. This will be a rematch of sorts, since both squads participated in Penn's Keystone Classic tournament in mid-November. At that event, Penn bested the Pirates, who have a strong program which has been ranked in the top 20 in recent years, and four other schools to take first place. "They have some really tough guys -- it's a quality program," Matter said. Penn will be counting on a mix of youth and experience as they enter the dual-meet season, as opposed to individual tournaments that have filled the schedule to date. Senior co-captain Brian Eveleth, a 126 pounder, and freshman Brett Matter, who wrestles at 142 pounds, have been two standouts so far, according to Reina. Nonetheless, there are still at least three weight classes that are not locked up by any one team member. There will not be a better chance to impress the coaching staff than this weekend.