The Penn wrestling team came out flat Friday night to begin the regular season. They fell behind a strong opponent, No. 16 Wisconsin, 15-3. After losing four of the first five weight classes, including one defeat by pin, victory seemed far out of reach.
But the Quakers refused to quit. Needing to win each of the final five weight classes, the Red and Blue did just that at the dual meet at the Palestra. First, sophomore Matt Herrington dominated Wisconsin's Adam Turner at 174 pounds, winning a major decision, 17-6.
In the next three matches, junior Paul Velekei at 184 pounds, senior Marcus Schontube at 197 pounds and junior co-captain Matt Feast at 285 pounds won by scores of 10-6, 9-3 and 5-1, respectively, giving the Quakers a 16-15 lead. However, Penn still needed to win the last match to complete the unlikely comeback.
The night's final match pitted Wisconsin junior Tom Clum, ranked No. 13 in the nation, against Penn sophomore Matt Valenti, ranked No. 4, in the 125- pound weight class. The contest went into two overtime periods before Valenti pulled out a 10-4 victory, giving the 12th ranked Quakers a 19-15 win over their Big Ten foe.
Penn coach Roger Reina said that his players came out tight and tentative in their first match of the year, but they responded with determination and grit.
"They showed tremendous heart and battled back," Reina said. "It was a good gut-check."
The Quakers stayed hot Sunday at the Penn State Open, as three wrestlers won their respective weight classes, three finished second, three placed third and four came in fourth.
Valenti remains undefeated for the year as he won the 125-pound title over teammate Mike Silengo, 8-5 -- the only all-Quaker final of the day.
Also winning their weight classes were Herrington at 174 pounds and senior co-captain Brett Vanderveer at 157. Herrington beat Bloomsburg's Bryce Hasseman 13-4 in the finals, while Vanderveer topped Nate Galloway of Penn State in his first match, 12-6.
Reina praised Vanderveer's efforts, as he had four dominating wins on his way to a blue ribbon, pinning Pittsburgh's Tim Allen, earning a major decision over John Pruit of Navy and beating the Midshipmen's Mike Carbonaro easily on his way to the final round.
Reina added that the momentum from Friday's dramatic victory was a key factor in the Red and Blue's success at Penn State.
"Our guys responded well," he said. "I am very pleased with their response."
Reina also noted that the Quakers were much more aggressive at Penn State then they were Friday night, controlling the matches from the outset. He felt that they made more of a commitment to hard work after falling behind early against the Badgers.
