Penn’s season thus far can be summed up by two main trends: youth and volatility.
The Quakers are coming off of their last regular-season contest ahead of the upcoming Ivy League Championships. Last Thursday, Penn wrestling (7-4, 2-3 Ivy) bested Rider (12-6) at the Palestra in a tightly contested bout. With a slight lead heading into the final matchup, sophomore heavyweight John Pardo sealed the victory by beating Hogan Swenski.
A handful of young freshmen and sophomores have stepped up and filled bigger roles on the team. Pardo is not the only underclassman to come up with big moments under pressure. Sophomore Cross Wasilewski has continued to dominate with a 23-2 record, while freshmen Liam Carlin and Davis Motyka have come away with decisive victories against fierce programs.
Despite being successful in most out-of-conference matchups, three of the Quakers’ four losses have come against Ivy League rivals. The Red and Blue lost to Cornell (9-7, 4-1 Ivy) and conference leaders Columbia (11-3, 5-0 Ivy) at the Palestra earlier in the season. Cornell has historically stayed on top of the Ivy League as favorites, while Columbia has emerged as an unexpected frontrunner in recent years.
This same stretch of matchups also included two resounding Quaker victories at Harvard (6-6, 2-3 Ivy) and Brown (5-9, 0-5 Ivy). After a Valentine’s Day loss at Princeton (4-11, 2-3 Ivy), Penn now sits squarely in the middle of the Ivy pack, tied for third in the conference with the Crimson and the Tigers.
“We’ve had some difficult team losses, especially during that tough stretch,” Wasilewski said in an interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian. “I think as a team, we definitely had to learn a lot about the culture we’re creating and have had to stay diligent throughout the season. Definitely, the recent loss against Princeton was a learning opportunity, but our goals don’t change.”
Last year marked the inaugural Ivy League Wrestling Championships. Cornell and Penn battled for first place in the finals, but the Big Red emerged victorious with Penn finishing close behind as runners-up. This year, Penn will be out for revenge to surpass favorites Columbia and Cornell in New York.
“There’s a lot of good guys competing at the Ivy [Championships],” Wasilewski said. “Specifically, at my weight class, I’m gonna have a matchup against a top-five wrestler in the country. A lot of people don’t get that opportunity two weeks before the national championships, so this is definitely something I’m looking forward to.”
The Ivy League Championships, while important in their own right, have not been around for nearly as long as the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Perhaps that’s the reason why members of the Red and Blue are aligning their prep mostly for the national stage in Cleveland, Ohio — a closer to their season. It is undeniable that this is the most prestigious and grandest stage in collegiate wrestling.
“The National Tournament is what we all have our eye on. I would lose the Ivy League Championships 100 times to get the opportunity to wrestle in the national finals,” Wasilweski said. “It does not matter what has happened so far in the season; if you win the national title, no one cares what happened November through February. The NCAAs are really the end-all be-all, which puts a lot of pressure on the tournament.”
For coach Matt Valenti, the national stage isn’t something new. Valenti, a two-time NCAA champion and Penn Athletics Hall of Famer, will look for growth and leverage the season finale in mid-March as a measuring stick for his first full season at the program’s reigns.
“Coach Valenti was able to do it twice,” Wasilewski said. “He really gave us insight into what it takes. It all starts with belief. When you have the mental capacity to actually believe you can go into a tough tournament and come out on top, it starts to become possible. That’s something I’m individually focusing on, and I think a lot of other guys on the team also have the same mindset.”
Penn will return from a brief hiatus at the Ivy League Championships on March 8 before culminating the season at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, held from March 19 through March 21.
“With the postseason coming up, a lot of guys on the team have their eyes on national titles, so we keep working,” Wasilweski said.
