When most athletes tear their rotator cuff and spend six months avoiding heavy physical training, they don't usually return to garner the highest accolade in their sport.
But Matt Valenti isn't most athletes.
In March 2006, Valenti became the first Quakers wrestler since Brent Matter in 2000 to capture the NCAA title. In a coincidental twist of fate, he defeated Chris Fleeger of Purdue, who inflicted Valenti's season-ending injury the year before.
"Maybe it was a little bit sweeter beating him in the finals," Valenti said. "But, at the same time, I wouldn't have cared who I wrestled."
This year, the Newton, N.J., native has a chance to become only the second Penn wrestler in history to repeat as national champion. And the odds are on him to do it as he enters the season ranked No. 1 in his weight class.
Despite his past success and preseason expectations, Valenti is not content to rest on his laurels.
"Going into the season, I'm ranked No. 1, but the only number that matters is the one at the end of the season."
Nobody is really surprised by his success at Penn. John Gill, who coached Valenti at Kittatinny Regional High School, where he was a two-time state champion, said he "knew Matt had great things coming and great potential."
Teammate and fellow senior Matt Herrington is even more enthusiastic when talking about Valenti's accomplishments.
"You could kind of see from the beginning when someone has that drive to win," he said. "So I wasn't surprised at all when he won the national championship."
But Valenti is more than just a talented wrestler who slides by in his classes. Undoubtedly, he has had a scholarly ethic instilled in him by his parents - one a Princeton graduate and the other a schoolteacher.
In high school, he was a member of the USA All-Academic Team and was also chosen as his school's "scholar-athlete."
When the time came to choose a university, Valenti tried to strike a balance between athletics and academics.
"I looked at some Big 10 schools and Big 12 schools but ultimately decided that my post-wrestling career was more important to me in the long run."
Nonetheless, he still wanted to temporarily extend his wrestling career. Valenti is actually a fifth-year senior this year at Penn, since he took a leave of absence from the University after he suffered his torn rotator cuff.
"I was a semester behind, and I had taken enough classes and it worked out that I could spread out classes over two semesters for the semester that I missed."
Although he is the top wrestler on the team, Valenti hasn't let any of that success go to his head.
Coach Zeke Jones said the wrestling program at Penn "is based on the foundation of character and work ethic. Matt really exemplifies that."
With state, All-American and NCAA honors under his belt, there isn't much left for Valenti to accomplish. And though he is focused on trying to repeat as national champion this year, there is another honor that he has an eye on: being a part of the U.S. Olympic team in 2008.
"It's a possibility - it's in the back of my mind," he said.
But whether or not he reaches that feat, Valenti has been an inspiration to his teammates.
"Matt is a real leader. No matter what situation he gets put into, when he has to perform, he's going to do it," Herrington said. "He pushes other people on the team to excel the way he does."
