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Penn wrestler Matt Herrington goes up against Lehigh's Travis Frick. Herrington's squad will go up against their second No. 1 team this year.

Nearly two months after facing the top team in the nation, the Penn wrestling team will head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the opportunity to gauge how it has grown as a team and on an individual level this Saturday at the National Duals.

The No. 14 Quakers (2-2) will make their first team appearance since wrestling toward a third-place finish in the Las Vegas Duals in early December. Waiting for them will be No. 1 Missouri (4-0), a squad that has held the top spot for the past four weeks with nine of its ten starters ranked in their respective top 20 in the nation.

In the Northeast Duals this November, Penn lost to former No. 1 Minnesota, 28-12, and learned a tough lesson about the ability and mindset that is required to be at the top.

"There's definitely maturity after we competed at the Northeast Duals," coach Zeke Jones said of his wrestlers. "I think they got a sense of confidence that they can compete with any team in the nation."

A sense of confidence and belonging will be crucial this weekend with 13 of the 16 teams ranked in the top 25 and nine in the top 10.

Penn is slated to begin the meet at 9 a.m. with its matchup against Missouri, and in the second round the opponent will be either No. 8 Northwestern or West Virginia.

With the early start forcing wrestlers to wake up around dawn, especially after spending over a month without formal competition and meeting Missouri in the first dual, "warmup will be critical," according to Jones.

Getting the energy level up for the matches should not be a problem though, as the Quakers will relish the chance to see more top-notch competition.

"Not a lot of teams have the opportunity to face the No. 1 team in the country twice," senior All-American Matt Herrington said. "To go against the No. 1 ranked team this late in the season is definitely an opportunity you want to take on."

Herrington, ranked No. 7, will not only experience his second competition against the top seeded school, but he will again face the top seeded wrestler in the 174-pound weight class.

Missouri senior Ben Askren is one of the two top national wrestlers on the Tigers' squad, an honor he shares with his freshman brother Max (197).

The elder Askren holds an undefeated record and is a leading candidate to win the Dan Hodge Trophy for the second consecutive year, an award comparable to college football's Heisman.

"Ben's probably the best wrestler out there right now in all weight classes," Herrington said as the tape from their last match played on the big screen behind him.

"I don't think he's let a person out of the first period in the past 20 matches. He does have a few signature moves. . I've got a new gameplan to slow the pace down and stay out of the situations he's good in."

Askren was able to pin Herrington, for his fifth fall of the tournament, in about 30 seconds when they faced off in the finals of the Las Vegas Invitational. Now, Herrington and his teammates have the chance to prove why they belong in Cedar Falls this weekend.

"There's a lot of learning that's about to take place," Jones said. "January's a good month for learning and we're going to found out what kind of team we really are."

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