Wrestling hosts two critical Ivy League meets

The Penn wrestling team hosts Brown in a post-basketball nightcap Friday and sees always-tough Harvard Saturday. First things first. The Penn wrestling team has high hopes for this season's upcoming stretch run. Visions of a fourth straight EIWA crown and a blockbuster showing at nationals dance in their heads. Atop their agenda, however, is the Ivy League title. Unlike basketball, where the Ancient Eight squads have two chances to face off against their competition, Ivy wrestling allows its six varsity programs only one opportunity to do battle against each other. As a result, the Quakers (5-0-2, 1-0-1 Ivy League) do not just want to welcome Brown and Harvard to the Palestra. They want to send them home in tears. "We need to stay focused throughout both these meets," Penn sophomore Yoshi Nakamura (157 lbs.) said. "We have to step up and make sure that we win the Ivy championship." After a familial smooching of Cornell last Saturday, the Quakers -- No. 15 in Wednesday's National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings -- have made their task somewhat more arduous. Cornell, with a tie against consensus favorite Penn under its belt, also has a share of the Ivy crown in its sights. If the Quakers falter against either Brown tonight following the men's hoops game or tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Harvard, the boys from Ithaca have a shot to win outright. "I think the Cornell meet was a disappointment because we didn't seize the opportunity to dictate the way the matches went," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "We will need to come out strong and confident against Harvard." Harvard, the more highly touted of the weekend's foes, is just a few votes short of cracking the top 25. But the Crimson have no reason for confidence against Penn at the Palestra. Still, the Crimson boast some fine wrestlers who may vex the Red and Blue. Two matchups between potential All-Americans at 149 and 165 pounds highlight tomorrow's meeting. At 165, Penn sophomore Rick Springman will grapple with No. 6 Joey Killar. This contest brims with excitement -- not only because No. 9 Springman has been ripping through his competition, but also because of the history between the two. "Last season, they wrestled three times," Reina said. "In the first two, Rick gave up a five-point move early in the match and it cost him. At the semis of the Easterns, it was a different story." Springman's overtime thriller victory over Killar certainly was a different story. It came against a favored opponent and iced the then-freshman's NCAA qualification. Despite decisive major decisions at Central Michigan and Cornell that both ensured a Quakers tie, Springman will need to be on his toes. "Springman's doing a lot better at working for good positions. But he knows Killar is dangerous on top," Reina said. At 149, No. 8 Brett Matter will encounter Harvard's Joel Friedman, ranked No. 10 in the nation. Their first meeting went to Matter, who was definitive in his 12-4 major in the finals of the Ivy Kickoff in November. "Brett needs to focus on wrestling," Reina said. "Winning and losing matter, but he needs to control the pace of the match before anything else." Penn senior tri-captain Mark Piotrowksy will once again have his hands full tomorrow with No. 9 Dustin DeNunzio. The Crimson senior captain, who has handled Pio every time they have met, is riding high off of a 24-8 humiliation of Lehigh's Aaron Paterson in Harvard's 23-14 loss. "I know what he's capable of doing," Piotrowsky said. Revenge will be first and foremost on No. 11 Nakamura's mind as well. He fell to his opponent, No. 17 Kevin Kurtz, 2-1 at the Ivy Kickoff. Harvard is a strong team, but a number of Quakers should be able to open up their matches. Sophomore Justin Bravo (125 lbs.) will be a heavy favorite against the Crimson. No. 3 Andrei Rodzianko, the Penn tri-captain, faces a formidable opponent in sophomore Brad Soltis, but Reina always expects great things of his 197-pounder. "Andrei will face a fairly good sophomore," Reina said. "He was in control at Cornell, but I think he should be beating people more impressively." The Brown Bears are not a team to be taken lightly. They are ranked No. 5 in the EIWA, just behind Harvard. But they are also four places behind the No. 1 Quakers. "We know that this is a team that won't give us anything. We have to work for the win," Nakamura said. Granted, they may sport fewer stars than Harvard, but they challenge the Quakers most in weight classes where Penn has struggled. Livio DiRubbo is third in the EIWA at 133 lbs., while James Brennan, the Quakers' entry, has failed to crack the top five. Brown's Brad McDonald (174 lbs.) is fourth in the conference, and 184-lb. Nate Burroughs is third. In both of these weight classes, their Penn counterparts are ranked lower. A balanced attack will be needed for Penn to dispense with Brown. Reina ascribes to the time-honored dictum that consistency is the one true mark of a champion. He hopes his team does, too.