NCAA Wrestling Championships | Pinned down - again

ST. LOUIS - For Rollie Peterkin, the March 19-21 NCAA Tournament was the same disappointment, just a different year.

Just like in 2008, the Penn 125-pound wrestler advanced all the way to the round of 12 - the round just before All-American status is guaranteed - only to lose a close match and see his dreams of placing at nationals go up in smoke.

Last year, it was a controversial call that did him in. This year, it was a methodical 4-0 loss to Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan, who would eventually place seventh at 125.

"It's incredibly frustrating," Peterkin said. "I'm pretty pissed about it. I worked all year for this one goal."

Just as Peterkin gave his blood, sweat and tears in his quest for All-American status, so too did the entire Quakers team (12-7, 6-3 EIWA) work toward a good finish at the paramount event.

However, they fell well short of their expectations, finishing in 45th place with just 9.0 team points. Iowa won the tournament with an impressive 96.5 points, and Cornell, who came into the tournament ranked second in the nation, finished fifth with 73.5.

The Red and Blue's paltry performance was a product of a 5-12 overall record from the six Penn grapplers that competed.

Three of those six failed to win a match. Heavyweight Trey McLean, 141-pounder Rick Rappo and 157-pounder Matt Dragon were all bounced on the first day without a victory. For McLean and Rappo, it was their final shot at the ultimate prize of standing on the podium.

Also a senior, Dragon has one more chance to make his mark at nationals; he has an extra year of eligibility granted to him because of injury.

Another senior with an extra year to compete is 149-pounder Cesar Grajales, who won two matches but was eliminated two rounds short of a top-eight finish.

Grajales started the tournament with a tough draw, getting pinned by No. 3 seed Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State, who would go on to upset No. 1 seed Brent Metcalf of Iowa in the finals and claim his first national title.

"It's disappointing not to make it to the medal round," Grajales said. "Especially when you see guys that you know you could beat or guys that you've beaten before getting medals."

That sentiment was common among the Quakers, who felt as if they kept getting so close just to falter when it really mattered.

A lot of this can be attributed to seeding and draws in the tournament, coach Rob Eiter contends. And this is evident when examining the place finishers at 125 pounds.

"I think [Peterkin's] beaten four out of the eight guys that are on the stand tonight [during the season]," Eiter said. "It's gonna hurt for a while."

Still, Eiter feels that Peterkin and 174-pound redshirt sophomore Scott Giffin, who upset No. 10 seed Kurt Brenner of West Virginia and lost by three points to eventual runner-up Mike Miller of Central Michigan, can use the pain they feel as fuel for next year.

"In a situation like this, you got two ways to go about it," Eiter said. "You can either feel sorry for yourself or you can just dig in and move forward. I know what choice [Peterkin and Giffin are] gonna make."

Despite posting an unimpressive 1-2 record for the tournament, Giffin should be able to build on his strong performances against seeded wrestlers.

Indeed, a three-point loss to the eventual second-place finisher indicates that Giffin is on the cusp of that elite level.

And Giffin knows this.

"I learned that I can hang with some of the best guys in the country," he said. "I don't think that guy from Central Michigan was really better than me."

Whether Miller was better or not, he won the match, and that's what ultimately counts. Statistics reflect victories, not who was "the better wrestler."

The Quakers know this fundamental fact. And they also know that, until they can find a way to bridge the gap between talent and results, they will keep going home frustrated and wondering what could have been.

"It's really unsatisfying," Peterkin said, nearly at a loss for words. "It feels like all this work I've put in ."

He could not finish the sentence. He didn't want to say, "was all for nothing."

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