The cream of the crop will grapple tonight to determine the strongest wrestlers in the country.
The NWCA All-Star Classic takes place in Dallas, and No. 14 Penn has two representatives poised to battle against their top-ranked counterparts.
Defending national champion and current national No. 1 Matt Valenti will meet No. 5 Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in the 133-pound weight class. Meanwhile, Michigan State Open champion and current No. 2 Matt Herrington faces off against cross-state rival James Yonushonis of Penn State at 174 pounds.
The All-Star Classic historically matches up the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the country at each weight class. Since each wrestler only has one opponent to concern himself with, the preparation is slightly different from a normal tournament.
We "watch film to try to find specific tendencies and things that you can exploit to win," coach Zeke Jones said.
Valenti's opponent is an unfamiliar foe. Scott is a recent addition to the event, having placed fifth in the NCAA Tournament last season at 125 pounds. The transition of weight class may bring a different type of wrestler to the table than the standard Valenti opponent.
"I am going to work on some things that are specific to [Scott's] style," Valenti said. "At the same time, I am going to be working on my own stuff."
Unlike Valenti, Herrington has experience against his opponent. In last year's NCAA consolation quarterfinals, Herrington pinned Yonushonis in only nine seconds.
Herrington also has the advantage of riding the momentum of a dominating performance at Michigan State a week ago. During that event, the senior had two falls and two major decisions.
Valenti also had a strong performance that day, but was upset in the finals. Both wrestlers have spent their time since then preparing and training for the Classic.
The Quakers are hoping the event will give them a taste of postseason competition while the campaign is still young.
"It's a chance for us to get up on the big stage for the first time this year," Herrington said. "We can get used to the spotlight in front of a lot of fans."
Due to their participation in the event, Valenti and Herrington did not wrestle in yesterday's Keystone Classic at the Palestra. The two will not see home action this season until their Jan. 6 date with York College.
Penn is one of only five teams that has two participants in the event. The No. 14 Quakers join No. 1 Minnesota, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 8 Penn State and
No. 10 Northwestern as teams with multiple wrestlers. Participation in high-profile events such as this is a strong reason why the wrestling team has continually gained recognition over the past few seasons.
