Ask most wrestlers what they plan on doing after the collegiate season ends in March, and they'll probably say "eating."
In a sport that demands so much of its participants, especially in the realm of dietary restrictions, that may be understandable. To maintain the same level of intensity in training and preparation beyond the limits of the regular season is an extremely difficult task. But three Penn wrestlers decided that was exactly what they wanted to do. This past weekend, juniors Matt Dragon, Brett McCurdy and Jack Sullivan competed in the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a spot on the U.S. under-20 national team in the upcoming Junior World Championships at stake. Only the top wrestler from each weightclass would get the chance to travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala, in late August for the event.
None of the three managed to do that, but some found success at the Olympic Training Center nonetheless.
Dragon finished third at 74kg (163 pounds), while McCurdy placed fourth in the 66kg (145.5-pound) bracket.
"I was proud of how Matt and Brett McCurdy both did ¥ÿthey both placed high and wrestled great tournaments in knocking off top people," Penn coach Zeke Jones said.
Jones played an integral part in bringing the three Quakers wrestlers to the competition. The former Olympian, touted all along for the Olympic and international flavor that he brought the program upon his arrival just over a year ago, is also one of the top coaches in the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, an elite wrestling club based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Most of the athletes competing in last weekend's event were affiliated with one club or another, and Penn's three were no exception each of them trained with Sunkist heading into the tournament.
The significance of participating in such a high-profile program, with such a strong connection to its leadership, is not something the wrestlers take for granted.
Coach Jones "is one of the leading figures for the Sunkist team," McCurdy said. "A lot of big names in wrestling like Cael Sanderson, a lot of olympic athletes, are with Sunkist. So you get a lot of confidence wearing a Sunkist singlet."
Sanderson was an undefeated four-time NCAA champion at Iowa State and an Olympic gold medalist.
Dragon also sees Jones' access to the monetary resources of Sunkist as an advantage, making it possible for Penn wrestlers to travel to these tournaments.
"Coach Jones being one of the Sunkist coaches -- also the world coach and the Olympic coach -- just helps you not only to hook up with these big programs like Sunkist and the Olympic Training Center, but also the funding," said Dragon, who wrestled at 149 pounds during the season and placed 12th at Nationals. "If we didn't have a program like that, with coach Jones' involvement, we wouldn't be able to do that."
The only Penn wrestler to not win a match at the Trials was Sullivan, who competed at 96 kg (211.5 pounds) and came away empty-handed.
But in reality, each athlete emerged the better for having competed.
"To see that our kids are making a commitment beyond the college season in a year-round approach really signifies those guys that want to win at the highest level," Jones said.
That fact isn't lost on Dragon.
"Every match helps that little bit compared to just sitting around, getting out of shape and being lazy," Dragon said. "The guys who placed at this tournament, those are the guys who are expected to do well at nationals next year. With that being said, you have to do these tournaments."
