Take a quick look at Hofstra's 5-foot-8, 174-pound monster Alton Lucas, and it's not very hard to see why he's the pride of the Pride wrestling squad.
His chest resembles that of a mythical hero, his arms massive pillars of granite.
OK, that may be a bit of a hyperbole, but suffice it to say, the guy is ripped.
And everybody knows it.
"Alton's a very gifted athlete, very explosive," Penn wrestling coach Rob Eiter said. "Alton's just a straight, unbelievable athlete."
Lucas' "unbelievable" ability has helped propel the No. 21 Pride to a 7-3 record and garnered him a No. 10 ranking of his own to go along with his 17-4 season mark.
All that and more will be on display tomorrow afternoon when Hofstra rolls into the Palestra to take on the surging Quakers wrestling team (7-5).
Lucas was something of a recruiting coup for Hofstra, which wrestles in the laughable Colonial Athletic Association and is tucked far away from large media markets in Hempstead, N.Y.
A native of West Babylon, N.Y., the senior psychology major was a hot commodity for big-name programs like Nebraska (which beat Penn last weekend) and North Carolina.
But Lucas chose to stay close to home, a decision that no doubt pleases Hofstra coach Tom Shifflet just as much as it frustrates opposing teams.
"All the top programs go after the top kids," Eiter said. "Whether it's a state school or a private school, we compete against the Cornells, the Ohio States, the Hofstras [for recruits]. It's just a matter of selling your program and selling your university."
Lucas and ninth-ranked 133-pounder Lou Ruggirello act as Hofstra's own personal recruiting salesmen every time they step out on the mat.
The task of making Hofstra's top seller look bad will fall squarely on the shoulders of Penn 174-pound sophomore Scott Giffin, who dropped to No. 2 Brandon Browne of Nebraska in last weekend's match.
And doing that, Giffin knows, centers around finding an answer for Lucas' otherworldly speed and strength.
"More than anything, it's trying to get back in shape," Giffin said. "That was my biggest problem: that I couldn't last the whole seven minutes."
The Red and Blue will need an exceptional seven minutes from both Giffin at 174 and Bryan Ortenzio at 133 if they hope to come away with wins in those weightclasses.
And the Giffin-Lucas bout is emblematic of how the Quakers will match up overall against the Pride: not too well.
Hofstra boasts four ranked wrestlers, Penn only three (one of whom -- Matt Dragon at 157 pounds - is injured).
Still, Eiter likes Giffin's chances.
"That's going to be a nice match to watch," he said.
