Wrestling | Penn finds two legs to stand on at Keystone

It's not every day you come across a one-legged wrestler. But that's exactly what Quakers sophomore Rollie Peterkin faced in the finals of the 125-pound division at the Keystone Classic yesterday at the Palestra.

Peterkin took down his opponent, Arizona State's Anthony Robles, in 1:13, earning one of two Penn championships on the day.

Behind Peterkin's performance, as well as senior Lior Zamir's win at the 184-pound level, the No. 23 Quakers finished second in the 10-team tournament they host every year. No. 13 Tennessee-Chattanooga finished first with 140.5 points, while Penn tallied 125.5.

The Peterkin-Robles final, the first championship match of the night, had the most interesting storyline of any bout. ESPN nominated Robles, who was born without one leg, for an ESPY award for "Best Male Athlete with a Disability" in 2006. But Robles is more than just an inspirational story; he's also a fine wrestler, as No. 8-ranked Javier Maldonado found out after getting upset in the semi-finals.

With his disability, Robles has a different strategy that can rattle some opponents.

"I planned out my strategy in advance, since he has a very unorthodox style," Peterkin said. "He's got the ability to take out top guys like [Maldonado]. Coach [Zeke] Jones said 'He's just a gimmick wrestler. You can figure him out.'"

The other key match was the championship bout between Zamir and Brent Chriswell, another Sun Devils grappler, where Zamir pulled out the 8-4 victory.

"There were some calls I didn't agree with, but coach Jones told me to focus," Zamir said. "I just calmed down and finished my match. It's always great to get a win early in my senior year."

"Rollie and Lior are definitely on track," Jones said. "Rollie had a good tournament, and Lior was able to overcome some adversity [an ankle injury]."

At the same time, these two weren't the only finalists for Penn. Five out of the 10 Quakers in the semis advanced to the finals. With three Penn wrestlers falling in the finals, the Quakers had a losing record in championship bouts, including Rick Rappo's loss at 133 pounds just a few seconds into overtime.

So it's no surprise Jones believes the team needs to improve their finishes, among other adjustments.

"Overall I think we competed well . we're on track but not there yet," he said. "And I want them to know that. I think we need to work on our finishing."

But while the Quakers must work on techniques, at least they don't have to worry about facing any more one-legged wrestlers; Robles is the only one currently in the NCAA.

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