Wrestling crushes Lehigh

The Penn wrestling team took another step forward Saturday in defending its position as the top team in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. The No. 1 Quakers (8-2, 4-0 Ivy) soundly defeated No. 4 Lehigh at the Palestra, 23-12. "We've established ourselves as the No. 1 team," Penn 142-pounder Brett Matter said. "We're definitely reaching the next level." The Mountain Hawks, who have been ranked as high as No. 17 in the nation this year, are the defending EIWA tournament champions. This year, Penn has already defeated Cornell and Lehigh, two longtime Eastern rivals. Randall Braunfeld (118 pounds), Mark Piotrowsky (134), Brett Matter (142), Ryan Slack (158), Clinton Matter (177) and Joey Allen (275) were all victorious in the Quakers win. After Braunfeld defeated Lehigh's Damon Achey 3-1 in the first match of the evening, co-captain Brian Eveleth (126) lost 6-2 to Lehigh's Jason Kutz. Kutz is the top-ranked wrestler in the EIWA in his weight class and is ranked seventh in the nation. Kutz's victory failed to give his team any momentum, though. Piotrowsky dominated the Eagles' Marc Lombardy en route to a 15-6 major decision, giving the Red and the Blue a 7-3 lead in the dual meet. The 142-pound match was probably the most anticipated match of the evening, featuring the top two wrestlers in the EIWA. In a close battle between two freshmen, Brett Matter (No. 2) defeated Lehigh's Chris Ayers (No. 1), 7-6. Matter's victory established him as the man to beat at 142 pounds in the East. But more importantly, it virtually assured the Quakers of the dual-meet victory. Slack, Clinton Matter and Allen sealed the win with individual victories. In addition to Eveleth's loss at 126 pounds, the other major Quakers' loss came at 167 pounds. Penn junior Josh Bailer, who had been ranked No. 1 in the EIWA, fell to Lehigh's Cory Brechbill, 9-7. Although new national rankings have not yet been released, the Penn victory increases its chances of earning a Top-20 national ranking. "I think we can compete with almost any team in the nation," Brett Matter said.

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