Iowa State beats Wrestling in tiebreaker

The Penn wrestling team faced the third-ranked team in the country this weekend and never trailed, yet they still lost the match. This loss occurred in the first round of the National Team Dual Championships in Lincoln, Neb., to perennial national powerhouse Iowa State. The tournament featured the five top-ranked teams in the country -- Iowa, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Penn State and Minnesota -- and included a total of 12 teams ranked in the top 20. The No. 18 Quakers took an early 3-0 lead when junior Ben Hatta won a decision, 6-5, at 118 pounds, but they were tied up immediately after a loss at 126 pounds. Penn won its most surprising match of the day when senior Sean O'Hara posted a 4-3 overtime win over Dwight Hinson, the No. 1 wrestler in the 134-pound weight class in the nation. Sophomore Brett Matter provided four points for the Quakers giving them a 10-3 lead, with a convincing 13-5 win. However, Iowa State quickly trimmed the lead back to three with a 16-6 win at 150-pounds. The Quakers responded with two victories from captains Josh Bailer and Brandon Slay, extending the lead to 16-7. After getting out to an early lead, it appeared as if Slay would win by the eight-point margin necessary to give the team four points instead of three. However he faltered near the end and ended up winning the match by only two. The point the team lost would prove to be crucial. Penn still had a nine-point lead, and would have to lose all three remaining matches in order to lose. This seemed impossible given that the No. 2 ranked Clinton Matter and and senior Joey Allen were still waiting to wrestle. "The pressure was really on Iowa State," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "We were an unseeded Ivy League team and we got out to a big lead." Matter was facing the No. 3-ranked Barry Weldon and had already beaten him once this year. However, Weldon got his revenge with a 3-1 victory. Freshman Matt Fickell was placed into the 190-pound match due to injury and also lost 13-10. Thus, the outcome of the match was in the hands of Allen, who had never lost when placed in the position of deciding the team's fate. Allen took a 5-2 lead into the third period against Trent Hynek, but saw his lead cut to 6-5 with little time remaining. With about 5 seconds left in the match Allen was taken down and Hynek was awarded two points and given a 7-6 win. The match ended with the two teams tied at 16. However, after a tally of near-fall points -- points counted up when a wrestler almost pins another wrestler -- accumulated over the ten matches, Iowa State was announced the winner and moved on in the tournament. The Quakers were headed to the consolation bracket. "It could have been an all-time high for our program," Reina said. "We had it and let it slip away and it will take a long time to get over that." In the consolation bracket, Penn was faced with the easier task of wrestling Division III champion Wartburg. Although they did not wrestle well, the Quakers posted a 24-10 win and moved on to face No. 4 Penn State, who had lost to No. 5 Minnesota. "We did not wrestle well," Reina said. "But it was a good chance to get the freshman some experience in competition." The Quakers (2-3), who may not have emotionally recovered from their loss Iowa State, fell behind Penn State early and never had a chance to come back. A controversial call in favor of the Nittany Lions during the 134-pound match resulted in a point penalty for Penn and put the match out of reach. "This was excellent preparation for the NCAA's and we have a big advantage against our Ivy League opponents because of this experience," Reina said. The tournament turned out as expected, when No. 1 Iowa defeated No. 2 Oklahoma State in the finals. Minnesota finished third and Penn State finished fourth. What once looked like a day of glory for the Penn wrestling team ended up being a day of bitter disappointment. However, Reina is still able to see the positive side of things. "We were the first Ivy League team ever to be invited to a tournament of this magnitude and we are proud that we can compete with any team in the country."