Wrestling opens this weekend

This weekend, the Penn wrestling team will be a strong contender for top honors at the sixth annual Keystone Classic to be held at the Palestra. The matches, which begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, will be organized in a 16-man, single-elimination bracket for each of the 10 weight classes. Each team attending this year's Keystone Classic will be allowed two wrestlers per weight class. Six of the seven teams participating this weekend -- American, Brown, Rider, Seton Hall, Virginia and Penn -- also competed in last year's tournament. The newcomer is The Citadel, which will replace last year's third-place team, Central Michigan. The Quakers have high hopes for this weekend. "I think Pennsylvania and Rider are the two favorites going into it," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "Virginia should also have some pretty tough guys." The Quakers, who finished second last year with 122.0 points, will look to overtake defending champion Rider this weekend (126.5). Both teams have four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes by Amateur Wrestling News. At the 125-pound weight class, the favorite will be Rider junior Jerold Limongelli, ranked 10th in the nation in his weight class by AWN. At the 133-pound weight class, none of the seven teams have a phenomenal wrestler. The Quakers have no veterans in the 133-pound division, so two freshmen will get the nod. The favorite in the 141-pound weight class will be Rider sophomore P.J. Sargent, who is ranked 19th in the nation at that weight. American's Marc Hoffer, The Citadel's Wayne Watts, Virginia's P.J. Bory and Penn's Joe Henson all have a shot at the 149-pound title this weekend. Watts, a two-time Utah 5A high school state champion, will likely see immediate action despite being a freshman. Bory, who was last year's ACC Champion at 141, has decided to move up to 149 where his coach says he will be more comfortable. Henson, a transfer from the University of Nebraska, was an NCAA qualifier in each of his two seasons with the Cornhuskers. He looks to surpass the No. 5 national ranking he achieved as a sophomore. The 157-pound weight class should be dominated by Penn tri-captain Yoshi Nakamura. The senior out of Elyria, Ohio, was the EIWA Champion at 157 and the University National Freestyle Champion in his sophomore year. Nakamura, who is currently ranked eighth in his weight class, did not wrestle last season due to injury. At 165, Penn fifth-year senior Tim Ortman and American senior Denis Alampiev should duke it out for the title. Alampiev is ranked 17th in his weight class. Penn standout Rick Springman should have little problem at 174. Last year, the All-American NCAA semifinalist and 2000 EIWA champion set the single-season Penn record for most falls (11), shattering the old mark of seven held by seven different wrestlers. Rider senior Shawn Scannell will likely dominate the 184-pound bracket. An NCAA quarterfinalist last season, Scannell looks to improve on his current No. 6 ranking in his weight class. The 197-pound weight class will be closely contested between seniors Mike Fickell from Penn and Marc DeFrancesco from Rider. Fickell was last season's Keystone Classic champion in this weight class. With the loss of All-American Bandele Adeniyi-Bada to graduation, Penn will have to look to a younger wrestler to take the heavyweight crown. The favorite in that bracket will be Brown junior Bronson Lingamfelter. The Quakers are definitely ready to wrestle this weekend. "I'm very confident with our preparation," Reina said. "We're real excited going into the competition to just see where we are."

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