After a sweeping performance this past weekend at the Palestra, the No. 14 Penn wrestling team finds itself in a comfortable position.
The Quakers have remained incredibly consistent this season, beating every team they were supposed to beat. However, they have also lost to every team that they were supposed to lose to.
"When you are wrestling the number ones and the number sixes all the time it can be easy to lose perspective," head coach Zeke Jones said.
While the national ranking brings prestige and distinction to the program, it is reasonable to believe that the team is not satisfied with its
position. The wrestlers and coaches know they had their chances to own a more prominent place in the national picture.
So far this season, the Quakers have faced two No. 1s and teams ranked 6, 9 and 12. Surprisingly, the closest loss came against one of those No. 1s in a Jan. 13 matchup versus Missouri at the National Duals.
The overriding question at this point in the season: How does Penn break through against ranked competition?
The answer probably does not lie with issues of venue. Even though the Quakers have faced four of the ranked competition away from home, Penn suffered its worst loss of the season, a 31-3 decision, against No. 6 Hofstra in a Jan. 26 meeting at the Palestra. At that match, senior Matt Valenti won a gutty match that went to five overtimes, only to see the rest of the Quakers come away without a single win.
Nor can one point to the wrestlers shying away from the intense spotlight that the marquee matchups bring. Seven separate Penn wrestlers have notched at least one victory this season.
The problem is created from the inability to string those individual victories into the same meet, Jones has said, but the remaining schedule still offers the chance to bring together these solo efforts into the biggest team win of the season.
However, the losing streak against ranked competition has not diminished Penn's ability to win. Penn has an unbeaten streak against unranked competition.
"Getting some wins under our belt builds some confidence," Jones said.
The experience gained from the losses to ranked opponents was best exemplified this weekend at the Palestra. After falling behind Drexel with only two matches remaining, Quakers Zack Shanaman and Matt Herrington were able to pull out their remaining matches - each a must-win - to secure the victory.
A result made possible by the belief that they belong at the top, not in the land of the unranked.
So far this season, that confidence has allowed Penn to defeat all of their lesser competition, while keeping the team steady at its No. 14 ranking.
But this weekend, in what maybe the Quakers' biggest match of the season, the home team, Cornell sits two spots behind Penn at No. 16. Here, the rankings will probably go out the window as the two rivals battle for Ivy League and EIWA supremacy.
If this bid for a quality win fails, the Quakers will probably only have a few more chances to make a strong statement before the postseason tournaments. No. 20 Nebraska comes to the Palestra on February 17th, and EIWA rival and No. 23 Lehigh hosts the Quakers the following day.
Penn would probably prefer to knock off Cornell instead of relying on that mid-February marathon weekend for a big victory.
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