Three straight wins in one weekend - the best medicine for a losing streak.
After a tough loss to Hofstra last week, Penn wrestling responded in dominating fashion, winning its three varsity matches this past weekend at the Palestra. The Quakers started out strong Friday morning with a 33-4 decision over Brown.
Of the nine victories in the meet for Penn, four came by way of major decision and one was by technical fall.
"I think when you get a chance to wrestle in your conference there's an added motivation," Penn coach Zeke Jones said. "The Ivy League is a challenging conference to be able to win. So I think the guys came out energized to [do just that]."
In the final match, No. 9 Matt Herrington was able to secure a 12-4 lead after the first period against Brown's Seth Podhoretz. By the 4:40 point in the match, the Penn senior created the 15-point lead necessary to earn a technical fall, and he helped to finish off the team's second-largest win of the season.
After the junior varsity had a chance to show their skills in a noon meet against Delaware State, No. 14 Lior Zamir picked up where the team had left off in his 184-pound bout against Drexel's Brian Stouffer. Zamir was able to earn a 14-4 major decision, and another Quakers blowout loomed.
But Penn and Drexel went on to split the next eight matches in a meet that had four lead changes and was tightly contested until the final whistle, when Penn came out on top 22-17.
Heading into the final two matches the Quakers trailed 15-17, after No. 14 Matt Dragon (157 pounds) had lost by technical fall to Drexel's only ranked grappler - No. 20 Ryan Hluschak. Dragon's loss was the second straight for the Quakers, and the home team was in desperate need for a spark.
Sophomore Zack Shanaman, ranked No. 17, temporarily eased the fears of the Palestra fans by piling up point after point against Drexel's Billy Haydt with a near-fall and several takedowns. The major decision gave the lead back to Penn and set the stage for the final match.
"It was certainly nice to see Shanaman come back and get some momentum for the team and pull the lead back towards our side," Jones said. "He really took the responsibility not only for himself but for the team."
The finale pitted Herrington against Nick Kozar, and since the Penn lead was two points, any kind of win by either wrestler would deliver a win for his team.
The match was close but always in Herrington's favor, as the All-American gave up three points en route to a 5-3 individual win and an equally precarious team victory.
To cap off the weekend, the Quakers soundly defeated Harvard on Saturday. After falling behind 12-3, Penn turned it around when Shanaman scored a major decision and Herrington followed by pinning Fred Rowsey in just 39 seconds.
No. 2 Matt Valenti started off the match with a 5-1 decision over No. 13 Robbie Preston in the 133-pound weightclass. The senior started off slow, but found his rhythm in the third and held on after a 2-point reversal.
Brett McCurdy came within seconds of potentially upsetting No. 16 Max Meltzer. Meltzer won 5-4, however, and he started a small streak for the Crimson.
Harvard's No. 6 J.P. O'Connor defeated Brian Spangler by fall, and No. 10 Andrew Flanagan won an 11-4 decision over No. 14 Matt Dragon to put Harvard up 12-3.
Zamir won a wild rematch against No. 13 Louis Caputo in the 184-pound weightclass. The two had met earlier this year when Zamir found himself on the wrong side of a 4-0 decision. This time, the junior was able to set the tone with a two-point reversal in the third period. He was bothered by his knee during the match, but was able to pound out a 3-2 win. The past experience with Caputo aided Zamir, he said.
"You figure out certain things that he does," Zamir said, "and try to make adjustments."
The Quakers were able to win six straight matches after losing the first three of four.
Harvard "is tough between the middle weights," Shanaman said. "That was probably how the match was going to go."
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