The Penn wrestling team barely missed winning the Virginia Duals title for the first time in team history over the weekend.
The second-place finish still landed the Quakers (6-2) their best finish ever at the event, but a hard-fought 18-15 loss to No. 15 Indiana (USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Poll) in the finals sealed the squad's fate.
The tournament was undecided until the final bout: the heavyweight class. With the score knotted at 15 each, the Quakers needed a win in the match in order to take the tournament.
Opting not to send his freshman heavyweight wrestler, Jason Bowlsby, into such a crucial match, Penn coach Zeke Jones chose instead to use senior 197-pounder Paul Velekei despite a weight disadvantage.
The move did not pay off: Velekei lost the bout to Indiana's 280-pound Dave Herman.
Velekei managed to keep the contest within a point, but Herman used his weight advantage to gain the riding time bonus, winning the match 3-2 and sending the Hoosiers (9-0) past Penn.
The close loss will stay with the wrestlers for some time.
"The team is going to take this as a positive experience," senior Matt Herrington said of the second-place finish. "But we came away with a bitter taste in our mouths."
Herrington defeated Marc Bennett 12-5 at 174 to put Penn up 15-6 with three matches remaining. But the Hoosiers (9-0) would not stop fighting, and they managed to sweep the remaining matches to secure the title.
In the first of the last three matches at 184, senior captain Dustin Wiles lost a tight 3-2 match to Indiana's Justin Curran. As part of Jones' late strategy, Penn freshman Jack Sullivan wrestled in place of Velekei against Brady Richardson -- ranked No. 8 in the nation at 197.
The move appeared to backfire, however, as Richardson was able to pin Sullivan just 1:07 into the match to earn bonus points and tie the team scores at 15.
Though the team was unable to earn the ultimate prize, the Quakers showed that they are among the best in the nation.
"Our performance at this tournament gives us great momentum heading into the rest of the season," Jones said. "I feel like we are ready to show everyone what we can do."
Penn looked dominant leading up to the finals, defeating North Dakota State 38-3 in the first round and topping Drexel 37-2 in the quarterfinals. Ohio State had slightly more success against the Quakers in the semifinals, but Penn still prevailed, 23-15.
The Quakers will face more top-notch competition when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to wrestle UNC and the Citadel on Saturday.
