This past weekend Penn wrestling galloped into the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo., and rode out with four wrestlers placing first in their weight classes.
Yoshi Nakamura, Rick Springman, Josh Henson and Michael Faust led the charge for the Quakers, winning in the 157-, 165-, 174- and 194-pound weight classes, respectively.
Marcus Schontube (184 pounds) earned a second-place finish, while Mason Lenhard (125) and Jody Giuricich (149) each earned thirds. Jeff Eveleth (133) finished fourth.
Nakamura, an All American and member of USA Wrestling, won all five of his matches by decision. He saw the competition as a challenge and good preparation for the remainder of the season.
"Being in a diverse situation where the altitude was high and the travel day was long, I think this tournament was a good learning experience for both the younger and older guys," Nakamura said.
Henson, meanwhile, won two of his matches on falls (one technical). Despite taking home the title for Penn, however, Henson is looking forward to more difficult future opposition.
"I expected to win this weekend," Henson said. "I think the key thing is that the team builds on this past weekend because the competition just gets tougher.
Springman, for his part, earned pins in his first two matches in over a year. The Penn senior took last year off from wrestling to concentrate on a robotics course.
Penn coach Roger Reina was generally satisfied with the Quakers performance in the Cowboy Open.
"I felt we had good results, without necessarily standout performances," he said.
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