Boston University's Jay Holder gave Penn wrestler Jody Giuricich his only challenge yesterday at Penn's Eighth Annual Keystone Classic, as Giuricich led the Quakers to the Keystone Classic tournament title at the Palestra. The two headed into the finals of the 149-pound weight class with Giuricich holding a narrow 1-0 lead.
Having pinned his previous three opponents, the Quakers' captain wasn't about to allow Holder to taint his streak.
Giuricich won by fall 34 seconds into the third period to capture the Red and Blue's first of three individual titles.
Penn also captured the team championship with 132 points. Rider and Brown rounded out the top three with 122 and 103.5 points.
Giuricich attributed this success to his skills in wrestling from an upright position.
"It's a little different story when you're on top and when you're on your feet," Giuricich said. "I've been wrestling pretty well on top which is why I came out with some falls today."
The other individual champions for the Quakers were Paul Velekei at 197 pounds and Matt Feast at 285 pounds.
Velekei claimed his final match over Iowa State's Woodley Milord, 7-3, while Feast won his second straight Keystone Classic title with a 6-3 decision over Rider's Vinny D'Agostino.
"I thought we wrestled with a lot of grit and a lot of intensity -- two of the things that we were looking for today," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "I think we showed improvement over two weeks ago up in Michigan State.
"That's what we want to do. Our goal is to be the fastest improving team in the country."
The emphasis on progress is evidenced by the Quakers' post-competition attitudes. Despite winning their respective weight classes, Velekei and Giuricich emphasized their shortcomings, and downplayed their accomplishments.
"I wasn't too happy with how I ended the match," Velekei said of his win over Milord. "I thought the first two periods I wrestled well, but I kind of just sat on my lead in the third period [and] let him ride me a little bit."
Giuricich noted footwork as his area that needs the most improvement.
"I'm kind of dwelling on the fact that I'm not really happy with the way I wrestled," he said. "I wasn't moving my feet, I just wasn't taking advantage of positions that I should've been."
Still, the results don't lie. In addition to the individual champions, freshman Matt Herrington finished second at 174 pounds, while Matt Eveleth, Dan Mousetis and Marcus Schontube each turned in third-place performances.
Penn was runner-up at last year's Keystone Classic.
"As a team, with all that we lost, to come back this year and win the tournament is a big step for us," Velekei said. "We're just working toward a higher goal."
