No. 11 Wrestling travels to Lehigh for final tune-up

Despite the proximity of the two schools, Penn and Lehigh have only wrestled twice since World War II. It's been quite a while since the Penn wrestling team has graced Lehigh's Grace Hall with its presence. Exactly 56 years to be precise. The last half-century is chock full of important events, and it should be -- half a century is a long time. Amidst all the tumultuous battles and great journeys made in this period, one that has not occurred is Penn venturing to Lehigh to wrestle. That is about to change tonight. The Quakers (9-2-1) are making the trip to Bethlehem, Pa., to take on the Engineers (9-7) in their last dual meet of the season. The hiatus between Penn's visiting Lehigh is surprising, considering the frequency with which other Quakers sports teams face Lehigh. Last season was the first time in 42 years that the Quakers and Engineers faced off. It was also the first time that Penn beat Lehigh. Needless to say, the 11th-ranked Quakers are ready to repeat their achievement and defeat their runner up at last year's Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship. "It's a perfect final dual meet before Eastern's," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "I couldn't ask for a better meet than for us to be on the road against this year's toughest competition." The match against Lehigh is the final meet of the season before the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships. The wrestling season has begun to wind down, but not slow down. After Lehigh is Easterns and after Eastern's is the NCAA championship, where those who qualify get to face the best in the country. Penn is not loosing sight of its goals or work ethic in these remaining weeks. Reina is looking for "intense performances and continued progress" from all his wrestlers. In most of the 10 weight classes, Penn has the advantage in the rankings, with seven Quakers ranked higher than their Lehigh opponents. But the Engineers are not ready to lie down and play dead for last year's champions. "I think they will all be competitive matches," Lehigh coach Greg Strobel said. Among the matches that should be the most challenging are those at 190 pounds and heavyweight classes. Penn's starting man at 190, Andrei Rodzianko, has not wrestled since he was injured earlier this season. Rodzianko's replacement, freshman Mike Fickle, who has wrestled well all season, is now faced with last year's EIWA champion, John Leonardis. "Mike has been growing steadily and this is a great challenge," said Reina. Engineers heavyweight Bill Closson, currently ranked 12th in the nation, will be facing Penn's Joey Allen. This meet might not provide the most challenging matches for all the wrestlers on Penn's formidable team, Any loss in intensity at this point in the season would be detrimental. "It's very important that our athletes continue to grow and develop even though we are close to the Easterns and NCAAs," Reina said. "There is a tendency to think we are there already and lose sight of the fact that we have two weeks between Lehigh and EIWAs and then two more weeks between NCAAs." As the current Quakers set foot in Grace Hall for the first time, they are preparing for the hurdles in their futures as well as their immediate business: beat Lehigh. To do so, all they have to do is wrestle? or listen to Strobel's thoughts on why Friday should be a good competition,"Penn comes to wrestle, and we come to wrestle."