Penn to see more of wrestling's best

As Penn students finish their finals and head home for the holidays next week, not many of them will think about what goes on back at Penn during the winter break. The Penn wrestlers, although they will be home for a short time, will be travelling back to campus for not one, but two wrestling matches that will take place over winter break. "It's part of wrestling," senior captain Clint Matter said of being here over the break. "It's a great opportunity and it's well worth it. I'm glad we have the opportunity to do it." The first match is the Midlands Open and will take place in Evanston, Ill. It is a two-day event on December 28-29 and will include the best wrestlers in the country. "It's the country's best and then some," senior captain Josh Bailer said. "It also attracts Olympic-level wrestlers. Next to Nationals, it's the toughest competition we'll face all year. It's such a great chance to prove ourselves. We're chomping at the bit to get into this tournament." The Midlands Open is an invitational tournament for individuals, as well as teams. The invites are based on the previous year's performance. Graduate wrestlers are invited along with collegiates. This is the second consecutive year and only the second time ever that the entire Penn wrestling squad has been invited. Individuals place in each weight division and the top six teams will place. The Quakers have high expectations, but all the top teams in the country, such as Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma, will be represented in the tournament. The Quakers will bring 13 wrestlers. "We have high hopes," Bailer said. "We expect to do well. We want to have guys who are placing and winning." Penn hopes to improve on its solid performance in the Penn State Open last week. Four wrestlers reached the finals, but only one, captain Clint Matter, was able to win his division. "I don't think we'll be satisfied until everyone wrestles perfectly," Matter said After the long trip to Illinois, the Quakers won't relax for long. Their next match will be at the Palestra on January 5 at noon. It will be a dual meet with Virginia and North Carolina representing the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Brown, Army and Penn representing the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). Although this meet will not test the Penn wrestlers as severely as the Midlands Open will, they will still have to wrestle well to win. "We expect to wrestle well against both teams," Bailer said. "We expect to outperform Virginia and North Carolina." "Both those teams are solid," Matter added. So as the Penn wrestlers take their short break next week, they will be getting ready to try to make a name for themselves during the holidays. They have shown the potential and now they hope to realize it on the national scene.