If sophomore wrestler Rollie Peterkin feels he's experiencing some deja vu on Sunday when Penn visits Hofstra, don't blame him. He's already seen his opponent in action.
Although the teams' dual meet in Hempstead, N.Y. will be the first match against the Pride this year for Penn, Peterkin already faced his Hofstra counterpart in the Las Vegas Invitational this past December.
The Quakers (5-3) hope his experience will help them against a tough Hofstra team, currently ranked 12th in Division I.
"[Hofstra has] been ranked in the top 10 in the country for the last couple of years," Quakers coach Zeke Jones said. "They're tough all the way through their lineup."
Despite the overall depth of the team, the Pride actually has a losing record against the Quakers. The 125-pound Peterkin bested Hofstra senior Dave Tomasette both in the quarterfinals and the third-place match in Las Vegas.
The Vegas experience "definitely gives me confidence," Peterkin said. "It's good to know that I've wrestled him before and that I have that confidence going in. Hopefully I can do it again."
In addition to Tomasette, who is ranked 13th nationally in his weight class, Hofstra (10-6) boasts four other ranked wrestlers: No. 6 sophomore Lou Ruggirello at 133 pounds, No. 6 senior Charles Griffin at 141, No. 5 junior Alton Lucas at 171, and No. 8 senior Joe Rovelli at 197.
But while the Quakers also have a handful of ranked wrestlers, the 125-pound level is the only weightclass where Hofstra and Penn both have one. Peterkin, at No. 7, has amassed a record of 17-1 in his weightclass, and his third matchup against Tomasette (24-6) will likely be the highlight of the weekend.
After going 4-3 over winter break, the Quakers are running out of time to improve as they prepare to hit the meat of their schedule.
"A lot of individuals have done well," Peterkin said. "But obviously we've come short of team goals. I know we have some pretty high expectations which we haven't met yet. But we have a bunch of dual meets coming up, and I think we have a good chance to do well in the Ivies."
The Hofstra dual meet is the first in a series of three critical non-conference meets. The Quakers face both North Carolina and No. 21 Maryland on Feb. 2 at the Palestra. Just six days later, the Quakers go to Harvard.
But before they can compete in the Ivy schedule, they will look to take care of business this weekend. Hofstra whipped Penn last year at the Palestra, and the Quakers will hope there is no déj… vu lurking there.
