Unranked Wrestling faces Lehigh

No votes. Not even one. Perhaps there was a miscount. Or maybe the hole wasn't punched all the way through on one of the ballots. Whatever the reason, the Penn wrestling team received zero points in the weekly national rankings from the National Wrestling Coaches Association for the first time all season. Penn (6-6, 4-1 Ivy League), which takes on No. 10 Lehigh this weekend, was ranked No. 15 in the preseason polls but has since seen its national ranking slowly fall into obscurity. It could easily be argued, however, that Penn deserves at least some points. Buffalo, whom the Quakers annihilated 26-9 at this season's Virginia Duals, garnered two points in the latest poll. And Harvard, which fared no better than the Bulls in its 25-11 loss to Penn, received one point. Penn State and Cornell, two other nationally ranked teams, only won by one point each against a Penn squad that wasn't at full strength in either match. Do the Quakers deserve this insult from the NWCA, which happens to feature Penn coach Roger Reina as its president? Probably not. But maybe this is the wake-up call the Quakers need. Penn has shown far too many times this season that it can't contend with the nation's elite. But at the same time, the Quakers have been stellar against some not-so-good competition. Last Wednesday, the Red and Blue had no problem disposing of Princeton, 34-6. Apparently in the NWCA Coaches Committee's books, that doesn't count for much. But all hope is not lost just yet. This Sunday, the Quakers will travel to "The Snake Pit" in Bethlehem, Pa., to face defending Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion Lehigh. The Engineers (15-5) will be one of Penn's toughest opponents all season. Penn freshman Mike Faust, the Quakers' grappler in the big man division, knows what his coach wants out of him and his teammates. "I know [Reina] is looking for us to take the momentum we've had in the past couple of dual meets and step it up against a higher-level opponent," Faust said. A lot rides on this weekend's meet at Grace Hall. The individual bouts can have huge implications for seeding in the EIWA Championships to be held in two weeks at the Palestra. The Quakers have the upper hand on paper in four weight classes. Penn freshmen Mason Lenhard and Jeff Eveleth, who wrestle at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, should have no problems winning their bouts. Penn will be expecting a win at 157, as well. Quakers senior co-captain Yoshi Nakamura, ranked No. 3 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, will face No. 17 Ryan Bernholz at that weight class. The Quakers will also have the advantage at 174, where Nebraska transfer Josh Henson will suit up for Penn. The rest of the weight classes will be tough wins for the Quakers. In four of the remaining six weight classes, unranked Red and Blue wrestlers will be facing Lehigh wrestlers ranked in the top 20 by AWN. Faust, however, likes the challenge of grappling with opponents that are better on paper. "I like wrestling guys that are higher ranked because it takes a little bit of the pressure off," Faust said. "They have to win to keep their ranking. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain." The Quakers have fared poorly against higher ranked teams this season. But perhaps the fear of having their first losing season in a decade will be motivation enough to pull off the upset.

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