Quakers hope to pin Tigers, Ivy title

Wrestling has a chance to finish undefeated in dual meets for the first time since before WWII. Penn will likely limit Princeton to single digits on Sunday. And unlike the men's basketball team, which crumbled after building a 33-9 first half lead against its nemesis from Old Nassau, the Penn wrestling team (8-0-2, 3-0-1 Ivy League) has the power to forcefully slam the door on Princeton's dainty fingers. "I know that we're going to beat them both pretty good," senior 125-pounder Randall Braunfeld said. For Braunfeld and for the other seniors on the team, this weekend's tri-meet against Princeton (4-10, 0-4 Ivy League) and George Mason (6-3) represents their final chance to don the Red and Blue in the friendly confines of the Palestra. "We all have memories of the Palestra that will stay with us," senior Ryan Slack (174 lbs.) said. "It's just strange how your time here just sneaks up on you and ends." This year's senior class has ample reason for nostalgia. These Quakers grapplers have been part of an EIWA championship-winning team in each of their first three seasons and they are once again poised for victory. "I think this group has contributed greatly to the progress that this program has made," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "They have emphasized that our goals are set very high and that the NCAA championship is our top goal." Reminiscing should be a lesser concern for the Quakers on Sunday, however. Too much is at stake. With No. 15 Cornell's recent 27-10 victory over Brown, the No. 14 Quakers need to beat Princeton in order to share the Ivy crown with the Big Red (12-2-1, 4-0-1). Penn also has the opportunity to remain one of only two NCAA Division I programs with an undefeated record. This 1998-99 squad would be the first to go undefeated during Reina's 13-year reign and would also be the first since to do so since before World War II. "We are definitely coming together as a team," senior tri-captain Mark Piotrowsky (141 lbs.) said. "It's nice that we're undefeated, but I think what matters most is that we're all peaking at the right time." Add the fact that senior tri-captain Andrei Rodzianko's unblemished 14-0 record is also on the line, and one begins to see just how important Sunday's matchups are. "I try to never worry about my record," the perfect-so-far 197-pounder said. "It's just the way it happened. I just go out there and focus." The focus will need to be there for the Quakers on Sunday, but do not expect much from the hapless Tigers. "This is a team that's rebuilding. They have a few key athletes that will give us problems," Reina said. The Tigers have been anything but ferocious against Ivy competition this season. Their closest match was a 19-point loss to Columbia. Their 10 points against the Lions was the only time they cracked double digits. Cornell humiliated them worst of all -- 39-6. Juan Venturi is a 133-lb. bright spot in the somber world of Princeton wrestling. His No. 1 EIWA ranking is the best on the Tigers team by far and his victory at the 1998 Ivy Kickoff turned heads. "[Jason] Nagle lost to him in sudden death at the Ivy Kickoff," Reina said. "I think [Nagle] is wrestling much better now and this match will matter for seedings at Easterns." Princeton senior captain Ryan Bonfiglio, ranked No. 18 in the most recent Atlantic region rankings, will hope to challenge Atlantic No. 1 Rick Springman at 165 lbs. GMU will also provide some quality competition for Springman -- as long as he is not ousted from the lineup by a senior. The Patriots' 165-pounder, Kevin Brandon, is their only wrestler to carry a national ranking. "Springman had a disappointing loss at Lehigh but I have every confidence in the world in his ability to bounce back," Reina said. "I think he'll come back even stronger." The Patriots should not vex the Quakers too much but they ought not be taken lightly. "They're not a deep team at all," said Penn assistant Jon McGovern, who coached at George Mason last year. "They won't lay down, though. We'll need to be tough." GMU is ranked No. 29 in the Atlantic region, while Penn is first. But George Mason is riding high off the momentum of a 28-13 trouncing of archrival James Madison and it may prove a formidable opponent in the final of Sunday's three matchups. "It's pretty much going to be the same way it's always been," Rodzianko said. "The Palestra's been my home court for a while, so it'll be a farewell. It should be fun as always."