Wrestling tries to keep in practice

At this point, only the EIWAs matter, so Penn will try to stay in shape this weekend. Last weekend the Penn wrestling team won their third Ivy League Championship in four years. The next major roadblock for the Quakers is the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships in the first week of March. Penn, however, cannot afford to rest until then and will attempt to keep rolling tonight as it travels to Bloomsburg to take on the Huskies and Seton Hall. These two somewhat inferior opponents will give the Quakers, ranked 12th in the country for the second consecutive week, a chance to relax and prepare for the upcoming EIWA championships. "They are not as tough as the teams we have been facing," Penn co-captain Brandon Slay said. "We do not have as much pressure and can go in and have fun." Bloomsburg, the stronger of the two teams, is a perennial top 25 team that is going through a rebuilding year. "They have a strong history and tradition of quality wrestling in the state," said Roger Reina, coach of the 7-3 Quakers. "Pennsylvania is widely regarded as having some of the best wrestling programs in the country, so they will certainly not be a pushover." The Huskies (3-3) have wins over Rutgers and West Virginia at home and defeated Clarion on the road. They also suffered a lost to No. 17 Pittsburgh. The three wrestlers that pose the greatest threat for the Quakers are all underclassmen. Their most nationally-recognized wrestler is sophomore Brett Tullo, who is ranked No. 6 in the country at the 126-pound weight class. He earned this ranking due to a 20-0 record, which included a win against the former No. 6-ranked wrestler, Jake Whisenhumt of Oregon State. "He will provide a very good challenge for Steven Walker at 126," Reina said. Also leading Bloomsburg is sophomore Justin Brinkley at 167 pounds with a 14-7 record and freshman Ed Hockenberry competing at 134 pounds with an 11-5 record. "I have never wrestled him before, and have no particular strategy since I have not seen any videos. I am just going to try to keep focused," said Slay, when asked about his match against Brinkley. Seton Hall (2-4) faced the Quakers earlier this season when they placed eighth at the Keystone Classic hosted by Penn in November. In other action this season, they have defeated Boston College and Howard, while losing to Drexel and Syracuse. The highlight of the Pirates season was winning the Cost Guard Invitational against Boston University and Norwich. It was at this tournament that Junior R.J. Galiota was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at 150 pounds. Seton Hall also features senior Kesner DuFresne who won the Wilkes-Barre Open at the 190-pound weight class. Although these teams are not in the same class as the national powerhouses the Quakers are used to facing off against, Penn is certainly not looking past them to the EIWAs. "We want to start off real strong against both teams," Slay said. "This way we can end both matches early and win in a convincing manner."