Wrestling falls to Penn State

When the final two wrestlers walked off the mats at Penn State last night, both the Penn and Nittany Lions wrestling teams had accumulated five match victories. The tied-match finish was not unexpected by Penn Coach Roger Reina. "We knew going into the meet it could end up being 5-5, and bonus points could determine the outcome," Reina said. They did, but not for the team the 15-year Quakers coach had hoped. With a major decision and two pins, the No. 21 Penn St. squad ultimately accrued more bonus points on the evening, claiming a 22-16 victory over the visiting Red and Blue (2-5). Penn has not finished a season with a losing record in a decade -- the last time was 1990-1991, when the Quakers ended up 8-9. After having lost three of its last four dual meets to a trio of premier wrestling teams -- Michigan, Cornell and the Nittany Lions -- the No. 24 Quakers must return to the winning ways they had seen earlier this season to prevent a relapse into their '90-'91 form. In fact, Penn will have to defeat five of the final six teams it grapples with to finish the season with a winning record. There is saving salvation, though, to a season that Penn was once marching through. In this disappointing team loss, some positive individual results emerged. Yoshi Nakamura was able to extend his unbeaten record to 16-0. He soundly defeated the Nittany Lions' Aaron Wright, 11-6. But Nakamura was unable to gain some added bonus points in the match, as Wright was extremely cautious in grappling with the EIWA's No.1 wrestler at 157 pounds. "I got off to a slow start," Nakamura said. "I wanted to beat him by more than six points." Nakamura is earning more national respect with each victory he accumulates. In some rankings, Penn's senior captain is listed as high as second in the nation. Last night also marked the return of Penn senior Mike Fickell. Fickell had been absent from the Penn lineup at the 197-pound slot in last Saturday's loss to Cornell. The return of Fickell benefited the Quakers, as he won a 7-3 decision over Penn St.'s Pete Nielmik. Nielmik had won the last contest between the two wrestlers. Another highlight for the Quakers was the performance of 125-pound freshman Mason Lenhard. Lenhard avenged the loss he had suffered to Penn St.'s Josh Moore the last time the two teams faced. He surprised Moore last night in a dominating 17-7 win. The other two wins for Penn came from senior Tim Ortman and junior Josh Henson. Ortman scored an 8-6 decision over Zach Vecchio at 165-pounds, and Henson pulled out a 3-2 decision against the Nittany Lions' Mark Becks at 174. Despite the loss to Penn State, the Quakers are still 1-1 in the Ivy League and continue to remain confident in their chances for the Ancient Eight title. "There's a reasonable likelihood we could win share of the Ivy," Reina said. The final five matches the Quakers have scheduled are all against beatable opponents for the reigning Ivy League champions. Brown, George Mason, Arizona State, Princeton, and Lehigh represent the final teams the Quakers will face before the all-important EIWA and NCAA championships.

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