Full lineup will benefit Wrestling at PSU

After second-place finishes at two straight tournaments, Wrestling heads to Penn State to face tough competition. Considering its top-10 aspirations, Penn's wrestling team cannot help but be disappointed with back-to-back second-place finishes in tournaments to open the season. Especially considering the way they have been beaten. "I can't remember the last time we've had to essentially compete without one of our wrestlers in two straight meets," Quaker coach Roger Reina said. Mike Fickell (197 pounds) was disqualified for biting in the Ivy League Kickoff Classic and Mark Piotrowsky (141) did not receive medical clearance to compete in the Keystone Classic. Penn still managed to nearly win each of those tournaments with only 90 percent of their team in action. In fact, Harvard's margin of victory in the Kickoff Classic -- 14 points -- was exactly the same number of points Fickell had accumulated before his disqualification in the semi-finals. "The biting was entirely unintentional, as Mike was leading 14-1 at the time and nothing had led up to the incident," Reina said. "Sometimes in wrestling you have your mouth open and you just happen to catch a forearm in the mouth." In the Keystone Classic, the Quakers would have been in position to knock off Arizona State with top-seeded Piotrowsky in the lineup. If he had been victorious, Penn would have been able to edge the Sun Devils on points. The Quakers should be at full strength at the upcoming Penn State Open on Sunday. Piotrowsky is fully recovered and slated to be back in the lineup. Fickell, for his part, has already recovered, winning his weight class at the Keystone Open. · Brett Matter, undefeated through two tournaments, will face a stiff test on Sunday. Withstanding any upsets, he should meet up with Penn State's Jamar Billman in the finals. Billman, a sophomore, is ranked second in the nation, while Matter is fourth. The two have not faced each other before. · Making weight has always been an important, but sometimes dangerous, part of the sport of wrestling. A new rule put into effect this season changing weigh-in time from the night before to two hours before a meet has tried to curb this danger. "Although it has required changes and some fine-tuning in our weight management system, this is a better system for the athlete," Reina said. The rule change removes the advantage of rapid weight loss and starvation, as wrestlers no longer have the night to recover and refuel in typical fast/binge fashion. With weigh-ins taking place the morning of the meet, such dangerous practices no longer benefit wrestlers or maximize performance. With several wrestlers dying in the past year of complications associated with their rapid weight-cutting, the NCAA has been trying to crack down on unhealthy methods of weight loss. The Quakers, for their part, have been model citizens in upholding safety rules. They have all passed the first stage of a two-step process that insures weight is being cut safely and gradually. And they are 90 percent through the second stage. Reina is concerned with one aspect of the change. Now that wrestlers are recovering from weigh-ins on the day of the tournament, they face an added energy concern in the grueling, day-long tournaments. · On the surface, Rick Springman's performance in the Keystone Classic may seem unimpressive. When you consider his competition, though, his third-place finish seems more significant. Rider's Chad Liott, the winner, was ranked seventh in the nation, while second-place finisher Steve Blackford of Arizona State was ranked fifth. Just to finish third, Springman had to beat out another top-20 opponent, Jim Harshaw of Virginia. Things don't get any easier for Springman on Sunday, as he will need to defeat top-ranked Ryan Cunningham of Central Michigan to win. Last year at Nationals, Cunningham beat Springman in a close match en route to a fourth-place finish. · Ryan Cunningham's brother Casey will also provide prime competition for the Quakers on Sunday. At 157 pounds, Yoshi Nakamura should have his hands full with two top-five wrestlers -- Casey Cunningham and Penn State's Clint Musser.