Wrestling | Same state, different outcomes

Just the day after one typically filled with surprises - if you can call getting a rose from that boy who has a crush on you a "surprise" - the Penn wrestling team was hoping to add one of its own by upsetting No. 3 Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.

Unfortunately, everything went as expected yesterday in the Quakers' 24-9 loss to the Big Red, just as it had in their 32-6 win over Columbia Saturday.

But ask the Quakers (11-6, 6-2 EIWA), and the loss is not as bad as it might seem.

"The team score wasn't very indicative," junior 125-pounder Rollie Peterkin said. "Every match was close."

The "close" loss put a quick halt to whatever momentum the Quakers had built after they took a bite out of the Big Apple by taming the Lions (3-12, 1-5).

Still, Penn coach Rob Eiter feels like the Quakers are on the cusp of being able to beat big teams like the Big Red (10-2, 3-0).

"There's a couple matches where we made one more mistake than we needed to," Eiter said. "Fortunately those are things that are very correctable."

The 125-pound weightclass was supposed to feature the day's best match: No. 2 Troy Nickerson of Cornell against No. 11 Peterkin.

The bout fit the bill, as Peterkin was able to keep it close against one of the country's premier wrestlers.

"Rollie came out, took Nickerson down twice," Eiter said. "I don't think anybody's taken Nickerson down more than one time this whole year."

Although Peterkin was able to put together a respectable showing, he eventually succumbed to Nickerson's unrelenting pressure and fell, 8-4.

Usually, the first individual bout in a dual match does not really act as a harbinger for the rest of the contest.

In this case, Peterkin's loss might as well have been a seismograph for the earthquake that was about to befall the Quakers.

Cornell's No. 12 Mike Grey made short work of Penn's unranked Bryan Ortenzio at 133 pounds, notching a 10-3 win to put the Big Red ahead, 6-0.

Then, just as quickly as the storm clouds had descended upon the Red and Blue, they seemed to part.

Consecutive wins by Rick Rappo and No. 11 Cesar Grajales at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, tied the score at six and made it look for a moment like the Quakers had a chance to rally back for the win - moment being the key word.

Cornell then rattled off five straight wins, one by pin, to build an impenetrable 24-6 lead.

In everything the Red and Blue failed to do against Cornell, they succeeded against the overmatched Lions.

Penn started strong, winning the first five matches to accumulate a 21-0 lead and effectively clinch the match.

From there it was easy sailing. One of the few blemishes on the match was Penn heavyweight Trey McLean's 9-6 loss to No. 13 Ryan Flores.

And McLean even thinks that result should have been different.

"Even though I outwrestled him, because of the way the points worked out . the match didn't go my way."

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