Wrestling to face nation's best

The nations No. 1 and No. 2 squads, Iowa and Iowa State, will be at the Cyclone Open in Ames. When Penn's wrestling coach Roger Reina got a call from the coach at Iowa State inviting him to the tournament the Cyclones were hosting, he knew that the Quakers program had truly gained national recognition. This weekend, Reina will take 11 wrestlers to Iowa State to participate in the Cyclone Open -- an individual tournament featuring the best wrestlers in the country. The Quakers, who are ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation in one poll, are the defending Ivy League and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champions and finished last year ranked No. 23 in the nation. This year, Reina's goal is to have his team move into the top 10. The Quakers will certainly find out how good they are this weekend when they face the elite of college wrestling. "It is a great opportunity to get exposure to the best early in the year," Reina said. "This way, we know who we are up against." The phenomenal field is highlighted by Iowa, which was dominant in winning the national championship last year. The Hawkeyes defeated their opponents by an average of 25 points per contest last year in scoring an incredible season total of 546-126. The team has won nine NCAA championships under coach Dan Gable, who posts a career 346-20-5 record. Host Iowa State was ranked right behind Iowa last year with five All-Americans on their squad. Also included in the field are top 10 teams Nebraska and Minnesota and No. 16 Northern Iowa, which will host the NCAA tournament in March. Penn will send a representative from almost every weight class to see how it fairs against such stiff competition. The Quakers are led by tri-captains Josh Bailer, Clinton Matter and Brandon Slay. Bailer, a senior in the 158-pound weight class, will try to begin the season in strong fashion, improving on his somewhat disappointing 1-2 record in last year's NCAA tournament. Matter, also a senior, advanced to the third round of the consolation tournament at the NCAAs last year, which placed him in the top 16 in the country in the 177-pound division. Finally, Slay, a junior at 167 pounds, will return from an injury last year, in hopes of putting Penn over the top. But the Quakers' best hope may be sophomore Brett Matter, who is ranked in the top 10 in the country at 142 pounds. He returns as one of the leaders of the Penn team after an incredible freshman year, which saw him run up a 33-4 record and earn EIWA Rookie of the Year honors. This weekend, Penn, which is favored to hold onto its Ivy League and the EIWA titles, will find out how it compares to the top-notch national wrestling programs. "Facing the best early in the season is great," Reina said. "This way, we will have a good amount of time to make adjustments and work on necessary improvements before the NCAAs."