In his first year at the helm of the wrestling team, Zeke Jones has yet to notch a victory over a ranked opponent. Yesterday's match against Lehigh seemed for a while like it might be his first.
But in the end, the No. 22 Quakers (NWCA/InterMat Coaches' Poll) barely lost a hard-fought meet to No. 15 Lehigh, 21-16. But the Quakers (11-5, 4-1), no doubt fueled by their disappointing loss, blanked Princeton in the later contest, 52-0.
The lead changed hands several times in the first meet, but the Mountain Hawks (13-5-1) were able to take their final lead after the ninth match.
The meet began with a near-comeback by Penn senior No. 17 Mike Silengo, wrestling at 125 pounds. Falling behind 9-0 early, Silengo started to gain momentum in the match and pulled to within one point.
Lehigh's Matt Fisk was able to hold off Silengo for the win, however, in spite of the crowd's cheers for a stalling penalty. The tightly contested bout was a sign of things to come as many bouts, including the meet, came down to the wire.
"There were a whole lot of mistakes I made that affected the outcome," Silengo said. "I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. I gave up a turn, and I never give up turns."
Silengo's disappointment was eased slightly in the next match, when No. 10 junior Matt Valenti gave Penn the lead by pinning John Stout at 133 pounds. Valenti needed only a minute and 45 seconds to get the fall and secure his team-leading 25th win of the season.
"Valenti [came] through with a big pin and [took] charge of the team," Penn head coach Zeke Jones said.
Penn's No. 17 Matt Herrington and No. 12 Travis Frick faced off at 174. The two kept a 1-1 tie into double overtime until Frick earned an escape and the 2-1 win.
"In a close bout you always need to take advantage of the opportunities and really a lot of times get charge of the moment that can go either way," Jones said.
The match at 197 was decided in the closing seconds. Penn senior Paul Velekei held a 1-1 tie with No. 16 Matt Cassidy in a bout that seemed to be heading toward a third straight overtime. Cassidy earned a takedown in the final seconds with a call that Jones not happy about.
"The referee's job is to make the calls whether they're tough or not," Jones said. "Some went our way and some didn't."
Down 17-16, Penn needed a rare victory from the heavyweight bout in order to pull off the upset. But the ending was anticlimactic, with freshman Jack Sullivan losing a 17-4 major decision to Lehigh senior Paul Weibel.
Venting their frustrations, the Quakers dominated Princeton later in the day. The team was awarded bonus points in all 10 matches.
The team enjoyed the shutout, but the loss to Lehigh will help create motivation for the upcoming EIWA Championships, which coincidentally are being hosted by Lehigh. The wrestlers will be looking forward to that date.
"Any given day someone can lose," freshman Matt Dragon said. "You've got to take it one match at a time, and we just lost those close ones. ... Hopefully, we'll get them at the EIWAs."
