Wrestling pinned by Lehigh

Close, but not quite. That has been the story of the Penn wrestling team in dual-meet action this season. The Quakers left Bethlehem, Pa., yesterday with another close-but-disappointing 21-18 loss to No. 10 Lehigh. With the defeat, the Red and Blue (6-7) end their dual-meet season with a sub-.500 record for the first time in a decade. However, the Quakers aren't too concerned about win-loss records or streaks. "It doesn't really matter until the [Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships]," Penn freshman Mason Lenhard said. "We're on the right pace, and we've been improving a lot." Of the 10 bouts between the Quakers and the Engineers (18-5), perhaps the most shocking was Penn junior co-captain Yoshi Nakamura's 2-1 tiebreaker loss to Lehigh senior Ryan Bernholz at 157 pounds. Nakamura -- currently ranked No. 3 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News -- was undefeated in NCAA-sanctioned matches until his loss to No. 17 Bernholz yesterday. After a 1-1 tie at the end of three periods and a scoreless overtime period, Nakamura -- who won the coin toss -- chose the bottom position for the 30-second tiebreaker. Unfortunately for Penn, Nakamura was unable to escape as Bernholz rode him out to victory. Lehigh's senior co-captain credited his victory to the 2,017 screaming fans that gathered at the "Snake Pit" yesterday. "I knew it was going to be a tough bout," Bernholz said. "But with the match being in Grace [Hall], I knew the fans would be behind me." Nakamura, now 19-1 overall and 9-1 in dual-meet action, was obviously disappointed at the outcome. However, the Penn wrestler, who embodies the very essence of konjo -- the Japanese word for "fighting spirit" -- will be back to redeem himself. "[Penn coach Roger Reina] gave me a one-liner and said, 'What counts now is how you respond to it,'" Nakamura said. "I'm going to respond like a champion, come back and win." Penn also lost two other key swing matches. Senior Tim Ortman suffered an 8-6 loss to Lehigh's Chris Vitale, while freshman heavyweight Mike Faust lost a 3-2 decision to Lehigh's Shawn Laughlin. On a positive note for the Quakers, the team's freshmen performed especially well. "A lot of the younger guys really stepped up today and showed what they're all about," Nakamura said. Three of Penn's freshmen -- Lenhard, Jeff Eveleth and Marcus Schontube -- recorded victories for the Red and Blue at 125, 133 and 184, respectively. Schontube was especially impressive, pinning Lehigh's Ted Dufresne in 5:30. Also winning by fall for the Quakers was Penn junior Josh Henson. The Nebraska transfer put Lehigh's Warren Stout -- who usually wrestles at 165 for the Engineers -- on his back in 2:17 and gave Penn some needed momentum with his win at 174 pounds. The Quakers will get a chance to redeem themselves when they host the EIWA Championships at the Palestra in two weeks. The 10-team tournament will include the Engineers, who are currently No. 1 in the EIWA. Nakamura welcomes the opportunity for a rematch. "This is the time to peak," Nakamura said. "We are going to train very hard, try to leapfrog Lehigh and beat them at Easterns."

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