Penn wrestling coach Roger Reina has been calling the shots for 19 years, the longest tenure of a coach in program history. During that time, he has compiled quite the resume.
Reina has produced 14 winning seasons and eight Ivy League Championship teams, six outright. Under his watch, Penn became the first program in fifty years to win four consecutive EIWA championships. Reina's win total, now at 199, is more than double any other coach in team history.
With one more win, Penn's most successful coach of all time will join the exclusive 200-win club. This weekend, he has the chance to do so, as the Quakers travel to New York City and then Ithaca, N.Y., to face Columbia and Cornell.
It is only fitting, then, that this critical stage in Reina's career comes when his team is in midseason form, ready to commence league play and vie for the Ancient Eight title. This weekend will prove to be vital in attaining that goal, as the grapplers face two must-win matches immediately into Ivy League play.
Tonight, the Red and Blue (No. 24, USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Poll) kicks off the 2005 league schedule with a dual meet against Columbia. The bout will be the 101st in a matchup that is the third oldest in collegiate wrestling history. Penn, one of the Ivy League's perennial powerhouses, figures to be the favorite. The Quakers lead the all-time series, 61-37-2, of which they have won the last 11 meetings.
Although Columbia deserves attention, it would be foolish to pretend that this weekend's big match is tomorrow.
A bitter rivalry, the Penn-Cornell bout will go a long way in determining who will be the league champion. The only other team besides the Red and Blue to win an outright league championship in the Reina era has been Cornell -- Harvard shared championship honors with Penn and Cornell in the 2000-01 season.
Penn hasn't won a league championship since the 2001-02 season, and the reason is the Big Red. No. 14 Cornell has held the honors for the last two seasons. Last season, Cornell edged the Quakers 17-15, a key step toward winning the title.
"We know it's going to be an extremely tough match," said Jeff Eveleth, who will be facing one of the Big Red's top-ranked wrestlers -- Travis Lee -- at 133 pounds. "Cornell is ranked really high. It's always really close, though, because we have such a big rivalry.
"Everybody always steps up in those matches against Cornell. ... We're actually going to have to pull some upsets and guys are going to really have to step up and win some matches for us."
