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(02/28/03 10:00am)
In a season that has seen little momentum overall in either the win or the loss direction, the Penn women's basketball team has been able to bank on one thing -- winning at the Palestra against the Ivy League.
Penn (11-11, 5-4 Ivy) will look to continue the trend this weekend, as they plan on giving both Brown and Yale unwelcome visits to the confines of college basketball's most historic gym. Penn is 3-1 at home in Ivy League play, falling only to Harvard last week.
With four games remaining on its schedule, Penn has its eyes set on a second place finish in the Ivy League, and its third winning season in the past four years. Penn had just one winning season in an eight-year span, before coach Kelly Greenberg transformed the Quakers into a perennial contender upon her arrival at Penn four years ago.
To take second, victories over a struggling Yale squad and a physical Brown team will be essential.
Brown (7-3 Ivy) is undefeated at home but is a lowly 2-3 on the road. Posing an inside threat with a center measuring 6-foot-5, Brown will look to capitalize on its height advantage by controlling the offensive glass and dumping the ball into the key as much as possible.
Nonetheless, Penn is optimistic it can knock off Brown, who is currently situated at second in the Ivies.
"We are very anxious for the Brown game because we lost up there and it's a tough matchup for us because they are very big," Greenberg said.
Adding to that advantage will be the fact that Penn's overall leader, Jewel Clark, may continue to be hobbled by a stress fracture in her right foot.
Clark, who claimed Ivy League Honorable Mention honors for Player of the Week, will start however, and plans to continue leading the offense of the Red and Blue. Clark, now ranked sixth on Penn's all-time scoring list, posted a double-double yet again against Harvard in the Penn loss last weekend, scoring 16 points and hauling in 12 rebounds.
Greenberg lauded Clark's effort in playing games that will be crucial to securing a second-place finish in the Ivy League.
"Most people can't play on a stress fracture and Jewel Clark is playing 38 minutes on one," Greenberg said. "She's our go- to player."
To reckon with Brown's inside presence, Penn center Katie Kilker intends to play a physical style of play, keeping Brown off the boards. Kilker was flawless from the field against Harvard making all field goals and free throws attempted.
"By using our strength and not letting them do what they want to do is how we are going to stop them," Kilker said. "We're going to make sure we always have contact."
The Quakers will also be looking to utilize 6-foot-3 freshman Jenn Fleischer off the bench to help neutralize the Bears' height advantage.
Yale (2-8 Ivy League) has not been a dominant force in the league this year. However, the Bulldogs battled Penn to an overtime game previously this season and the Red and Blue will be leery of their deceiving record this time around.
"They're the types of games you hate because you know they come fired up and they play hard," Greenberg said. "At this point in the season there is no point to not have a lot of energy and not be ready."
(02/07/03 10:00am)
The Columbia and Cornell women's basketball teams may be visiting Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday, respectively. They will both face a determined Penn women's basketball team, as the Quakers know they will need to win both games to remain a contender for the Ivy League crown.
Although Columbia and Cornell will both outsize the Quakers on the hardwood, Penn coach Kelly Greenberg expressed confidence in her team's ability to win both games.
"We obviously want to play well, and if we play well, we will walk away with two 'W's,'" Greenberg said. "If we are able to come out and start the game with a lot of energy and play smart, I think that will be the key to our weekend."
Some energy will certainly come from junior Jewel Clark. The forward was named last week's Ivy League Player of the Week after averaging over 20 points and 14 rebounds per game against Delaware, Dartmouth and Harvard. The Red and Blue (7-9, 1-2 Ivy) emerged victorious against Delaware and Dartmouth but lost to Ivy-favorite Harvard on Sunday.
Cornell (7-10, 1-3 Ivy) has struggled as of late -- losing four of its last five games. The Big Red, however, are coming off a win against Yale in their last contest and will look for point guard Karen Force once again to lead the team's efforts. Force scored a game-high 28 points against Yale last weekend.
Penn starting point guard Tara Twomey will be responsible for holding Force at bay. Twomey, who dished seven assists at Dartmouth last weekend, is looking forward to returning home to the confines of the historic Palestra.
"It's definitely a positive to play on your home court," Twomey said. "We practice here everyday and the traveling takes a lot out of you."
The Penn coaching staff will be leery of the fact that former assistant coach Dyana Smith will be sitting on the opposing bench this time at the Palestra. The new Cornell assistant has not slipped off Greenberg's radar.
"She certainly is familiar with everything we do and our personnel, so that puts a different twist on the game," Greenberg said. "We will have to be ready to make adjustments accordingly."
Once the Big Red depart, Penn will face a more challenging opponent in Columbia (9-8, 2-2 Ivy), who have already defeated Cornell twice this season. The Quakers will attempt to declaw the Lions, who sit one spot above the Red and Blue at fourth in the Ivy League standings. Columbia, like Cornell, has gone cold as of late, losing its last two games to Ancient Eight foes Brown and Princeton.
Opponents have outrebounded the Red and Blue by an average of five boards per contest. The Quakers will once again be challenged inside by the Lions, who have out-rebounded their opponents by over five per game this season. For this reason, Twomey stressed a need to gain an early lead, not only against Columbia, but also Cornell.
"We just want to jump out on both teams early on and set the pace for the team from the start. It's really important that we get two wins this weekend for the rest of the season," Twomey said.
If all goes according to plan, come Saturday night Penn will move into third -- and back into contention for the Ivy League Championship. With this in mind, Greenberg expressed a need for two victories this weekend.
"After being away last week we are certainly ready to play at home this weekend," Greenberg said. "We've been playing pretty well and need to keep our momentum up. We wont be happy with anything else."
(01/28/03 10:00am)
Yogi Berra once proclaimed that the game isn't over until it's over. Perhaps this year's Penn women's basketball team's results live up to that claim.
In a season that has seen 12 out of 13 games decided by 10 points or fewer, the women's basketball team will be looking to trap the Delaware Blue Hens early on tonight at the Palestra.
Penn (5-8) plays host to the invading Blue Hens (11-4).
After a lackluster start to the season -- in which they dropped their first three games -- the Blue Hens have flown to new heights, winning 11 out of their last 12 games in convincing fashion.
Penn senior forward Sunny Pitrof expressed the need for strong play from her team tonight against the Hens, beginning at the opening tip.
"We're definitely preparing to come out strong -- that's been a problem of ours in the past," Pitrof said. "Recently, we've done a lot better at increasing the intensity in the past two or three games, so we're trying to come out strong again tomorrow."
Delaware will bring an up-tempo style of play into the confines of the Palestra, led by guard Allison Trapp.
Trapp -- coming off a 34-point performance against Hofstra earlier this month -- and the rest of her offense-minded teammates have not gone unnoticed by the Quakers and their coaching staff.
"She's the quickest player we will play all year," coach Kelly Greenberg said. "Our players are aware of her, and we're not going to be able to stop her totally. But if we can contain her and limit her shots, then I think we will do well."
Penn will be attempting to avenge last year's loss to the Blue Hens, when they traveled to Newark, Del., and fell, 79-58. However, the Quakers will also be focused on fine tuning their skills in the final regular season matchup before their Ivy League schedule fills out their season starting Friday.
Starting point guard Tara Twomey noted the closeness of the games played this season and the need for consistent play at this point in the schedule with Ivy League competition looming just a few days away.
"There definitely are a lot of good things that we do, but a lot of games that we have lost we should have or could have won," Twomey said. "We just need to work on being consistent overall."
This week will be telling for the Quakers, as the Red and Blue leave the Penn campus this weekend for matchups against Harvard and Dartmouth, two of the perennial favorites in Ivy League women's basketball.
Yet Greenberg is welcoming the challenge of the two teams who out-size the Quakers and also tower over the passage to an Ivy League crown and postseason appearance.
"We lost a lot of tough games early to very talented teams, and I really like our team -- the versatility, the youth, the leadership -- and I feel good going into the Ivy League," Greenberg said.
"We are excited we are going right into the thick of things against Harvard and Dartmouth, who are traditionally the two best teams in the Ivy League."
(02/22/02 10:00am)
Undefeated in Ivy League competition, ranked in the top-10 of the nation and in possession of two wrestlers who have reached the 100-win plateau, the Penn wrestling team is en route to arguably its most prolific season of all time.
(02/12/02 10:00am)
In search of its seventh consecutive Ivy League title, the Penn wrestling team invaded the campuses of both Harvard and Brown last weekend.
(01/22/02 10:00am)
Penn 8th at the NWCAs
(12/07/01 10:00am)
For the next two weeks most Penn students will be focusing their
efforts on all-important final examinations -- before the beginning
of a much deserved period of rest and relaxation.
(11/13/01 10:00am)
This past weekend Penn wrestling galloped into the Cowboy Open in Laramie,
Wyo., and rode out with four wrestlers placing first in their weight classes.
(11/08/01 10:00am)
Even the best things occasionally need fine-tuning.
(09/27/01 9:00am)
There's no secret to winning field hockey games -- you need to
score goals.
(05/02/01 9:00am)
In a game stereotypical of most Penn men's lacrosse contests this season, the Quakers fell behind early before mounting their habitual late-quarter charge.
But against Delaware (6-8) on Saturday, Penn's late charge wasn't enough, as the Quakers fell, 12-10, in their final game of the season.
In a first quarter that saw nine goals scored between the two teams, the No. 20 Quakers (6-7) only garnered two. Five of the seven Blue Hen goals came from the stick of one man -- Jason Lavey.
"Our defense just didn't show up to play in the first quarter and first half," Penn defender Steve Brown said. "You can't spot a good team four goals to start out with."
Penn coach Marc van Arsdale also found the Quakers' defense -- or lack thereof -- to be the main cause of Delaware's first-quarter offensive outburst.
"We didn't get any stops early. but then the defense played strong after the first quarter," van Arsdale said.
In fact, the defense shut out the Blue Hens in the second quarter and only allowed one goal in the third.
At the half, the Red and Blue found itself down by only two goals, and with 5:55 left to play in the third, the game was deadlocked at seven.
Yet after the full 60 minutes had elapsed, the Blue Hens found themselves clutching a 12-10 lead.
"The problem was digging the hole early in the game," van Arsdale said. "You leave yourself little room for error."
This was the fifth time this season that the Quakers lost by a margin of two or fewer goals. This typified the Red and Blue's season, as more than one third of this year's games ended in such a slim defeat.
Van Arsdale has not been surprised with the change of momentum and closeness of the games his team has battled in this season.
"It's typical of Division I college lacrosse," van Arsdale said. "A lot of our wins and losses were tight games."
Penn finished the season just short of .500 overall, but managed to break even in Ivy League play. The Quakers' 3-3 Ivy mark matches their best performances in the last decade.
The Quakers, though, were not as enthusiastic about their 6-7 overall record.
"In the sense that we had some close games we can look back on the season that way," Brown said.
But Brown and van Arsdale are already looking ahead to next season.
"We went .500 in the Ivy League and it's something to look forward to next year," Brown said.
"There are things to get excited about," van Arsdale added.
(04/16/01 9:00am)
Going into the locker room halfway through its last Ivy League game of the season, the Penn men's lacrosse team was in danger of finishing with a losing league record for the ninth time in 10 years.
Brown (3-6, 1-3 Ivy League) was riding a two-goal lead, as Penn (5-4, 3-3) had only tallied one goal in the first half. The Bears were controlling nearly all ground-balls and, as a result, the game.
But a different Penn team re-appeared on the field at the start of the second half.
The Quakers rallied to tie the host Bears by the end of the third period behind the goals of Sonny Sarker and Peter Scott.
With 15 minutes to play, recording the first .500 season since Penn coach Marc van Arsdale's first year at the helm in 1997, was in sight.
Penn sophomore Jake Martin rifled a shot past Brown goalie Mike Levin with only 51 seconds elapsed in the final frame to give the Quakers the lead.
Martin tallied for the second time 13 minutes later, as the Quakers accumulated four goals in the fourth quarter to seal the 7-3 victory and the 3-3 Ancient Eight record.
"I think it's a pretty nice accomplishment, but it's something we won't look back on until the end of the season," van Arsdale said.
The head coach of the Quakers attributed the startling turn around in the second half to ground ball play as well as defense.
In the first half, Penn controlled few ground balls and as a result fell into a 3-1 hole at halftime.
"The most telling thing was the ground ball factor. We were out-ground-balled 22-8 in the first half," van Arsdale said. "The ground ball stats were even more in favor of us in the second half than they were of Brown in the first."
Penn collected 27 ground balls in the second half alone, eight more than Brown's total of 19.
Van Arsdale also credited the team's defense for keeping the Quakers in the game during their offensively-deprived first half.
"The defense did a particularly good job in not letting Brown get away from us," van Arsdale said. "Steve Brown in particular did a great job in the fourth quarter."
Brown, Penn's sophomore defenseman, picked up 10 ground balls throughout the game, nearly a third of all of Penn's ground ball pickups.
Brown also tallied the first point of his Penn career, as he assisted Mike Iannacone's eighth goal of the season.
Ironically, Brown was pulled from the game in the first quarter after he was held accountable for a goal by the Bears' Dan Creighton.
"I got pulled out of the game and Coach van said to me 'you owe the team a couple,'" Brown said. "I knew I had to do something to step up my game.
Penn goalie Ryan Kelly also had a stellar performance on Saturday. Kelly allowed just three shots by him all day, saving 16 shots and helping the Quakers to the big win.
"We've stepped up our play in the last couple of games," Brown said. "It means a lot to the team to finish 3-3 in the Ivies -- and we're looking ahead to five victories."
(04/03/01 9:00am)
The Penn men's lacrosse team waged its second-consecutive epic battle last weekend. But this time, the roles were reversed, as the Red and Blue were unsuccessful in their invasion of Cornell.
Penn was unable to upset No. 7 Big Red, as the Quakers fell, 10-9, in New Canaan, Conn.
In a game destined for a captivating finish, the score was tied 4-4 at the half. However, the Big Red rallied to an 8-5 lead and seemed to be in control with 11 minutes remaining.
Then, everything turned around, as Penn's Kevin Cadin found the net twice.
The Quakers were suddenly within one.
After a Big Red goal from Andrew Schardt, Penn found itself in a 2-goal hole with a minute left to play.
But the Quakers refused to roll over. With just 52.7 seconds left, the Quakers staged a last-minute charge, as Scott Solow found the back of the net.
"We knew we had to do something," Solow said. "I cut across the middle, got the ball and put it in."
Following Solow's goal, Penn coach Marc van Arsdale signaled for a time-out and laid out a play he envisioned would provide the tying goal.
The play gave Andrew Solow a shot on goal, but Cornell's Cynar blocked the ball, giving Cadin the opportunity for a rebound score -- an opportunity he fully capitalized on, sending a game many would have written off into overtime.
"I got the rebound and put it in; I was in the right place at the right time," Cadin said.
The two goals gave the Quakers the momentum, and Penn won the opening face-off in the overtime period.
But Cornell's Frank Sands beat Penn goalie Ryan Kelly only 67 seconds into the extra frame.
Van Arsdale noted that it was an emotionally difficult loss, but that the Quakers won a nearly identical game just last week against Harvard.
"Both teams fought a hard- fought, even game," Van Arsdale said.
"We were fortunate to get the 10-9 win the week before."
The Quakers will look to avenge their second Ivy loss today as they host rival Princeton at 4:30 p.m. at Franklin Field. The Red and Blue fell victim to the Tigers last season by a score of 10-4.
"Princeton hasn't lost an Ivy game in so long; we definitely want to be the team that stops their streak," Cadin said.
An energized van Arsdale feels strongly that he and his team are ready to dethrone reigning Ivy champ Princeton tomorrow, despite the emotional hardship of the Cornell loss.
"You'd like to have more time to prepare for a team like Princeton, but in terms of the emotional side we don't have time to dwell," Van Arsdale said.
Solow, who began the last minute rally against Cornell, believes his team can and will leave the field tomorrow with a victory.
"We're going to the game expecting to play hard and expecting to get a win," Solow said.
(03/26/01 10:00am)
In a game more volatile than the Nasdaq stock market, the Penn lacrosse team left No. 18 Harvard in the red by a score of 10-9.
The first Ivy league win (1-1) and third win overall for the Quakers (3-2) came in dramatic fashion.
With 9:20 elapsed in the final quarter, junior Sonny Sarker netted the game winner.
Peter Scott, who tallied a goal in the first period, was cutting to the cage when the ball hit off the post. Sarker was there to retrieve the ball and fired it into the back of the net.
"I just happened to be there and I picked it up and put it in," Sarker said.
Coach Marc Van Arsdale was not only pleased with his team's upset of Harvard but also with its ability to win on the road.
"We beat a good team on the road in a hard fought game," Van Arsdale said. "It was a game we had to battle to win."
Penn goalie Ryan Kelly, who held the lead by keeping the remaining Crimson shots out of the back of the net, thought that Penn emerged victorious due to the team's unselfishness on the field.
"It was up and down the whole way, and no one decided they needed to win the game by themselves," Kelly said. "We won as a team."
Kelly finished with 21 saves on the day, and thought that the defense was what ultimately enabled the Quakers to hand the Crimson its first loss of the season.
"We played sound defense throughout the whole game and just kept doing it," Kelly said.
At the end of the first quarter of play, Penn was in possession of a 3-2 lead. Yet, by the end of the second period, the Quakers headed to the sidelines behind by a single goal, 5-4.
This roller-coaster like battle for the lead continued in the third quarter as Harvard broadened its lead to 7-4. Following Harvard's biggest lead of the game, the Red and Blue beat the Crimson goalie five times in a row, ending the period ahead by a 9-7 score.
In the final period, the Crimson battled back once again, tying the game at the 6:42 mark. Sarker then scored Penn's game-winning goal to put an end to the see-saw battle.
In addition to Sarker, Kevin Cadin and Todd Minerley were the driving forces of the Quakers offense. Cadin and Minerley each tallied four points a piece before the final horn.
Both losses thus far for the Red and Blue have come to the likes of top 20 teams -- No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 20 Yale. With the upset of No. 18 Harvard, the Quakers have a chance to break into the top 20.
However, Sarker pointed out that the team focuses more on beating its opponents than on the voting that occurs off the field each week.
"We really don't look at polls; we just try to win the next game," Sarker said.
The Red and Blue will try to build on their momentum coming from this win and build an Ivy winning streak against Cornell on Saturday, in New Cannaan, Conn.
(03/20/01 10:00am)
The NCAA Championships, the grandest of all college wrestling tournaments, was invaded by five Penn wrestlers -- Yoshi Nakamura, Mike Fickell, Tim Ortman, Mason Lenhard, and Josh Henson -- from March 15-17.
During these three days, Penn seniors Yoshi Nakamura and Mike Fickell earned All-American spots, and the Quakers placed 20th in a field of 78 teams.
The Red and Blue finished first among its Ivy League competitors and had twice as many All-Americans as all other Ivy teams combined.
Penn Coach Roger Reina was generally pleased with the result of his shortened squad in the Penn wrestling team's final performance of the 2000-01 campaign.
"All five of our qualifiers went there with the intention of competing successfully, and they all put forward a lot of effort," Reina said. "To come away with the third top-20 finish in three years and two All-Americans was a positive statement."
Penn's highest seeded wrestler, Yoshi Nakamura, was surprised in his first match of the tournament by unseeded Griff Powell. The Quakers 157-pounder lost by a score of 3-2.
"I got off to a slow start and never really got my engine started, which was a bad thing," Nakamura said.
The third-seed battled back however, as he tore through the back-bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
In the process, Nakamura avenged his sole regular season loss to Lehigh's Ryan Bernholz, 10-5, and once again defeated Iowa's seventh-seeded Cole Sanderson, 10-5.
Nakamura eventually fell victim to fifth-seeded Kirk White, in what Reina termed a "very controversial" 2-1 decision.
"It was a close match," Nakamura said. "He hung on and played a close tactical match, got a stalling call on me, and ended up winning."
Nakamura left Iowa with not only a seventh place finish but his first-ever selection to the All-American team.
Penn's other All-American was 197 pounder Mike Fickell.
The 11th-seeded Fickell ripped through the brackets until the semi-finals, and ultimately finished in fifth-place to mark the end of the Penn senior's prolific wrestling career.
"I always said I wanted to go out with no regrets, and I went out and wrestled hard and came out with All-American status," Fickell said. "In that sense I feel good about it."
Mason Lenhard finished a successful freshmen season that had included an EIWA Championship at 125 pounds with two consecutive losses. The unseeded Lenhard was ousted from the championship bracket by eighth-seeded Ben Vombaur.
Tim Ortman, the EIWA's 165-pound titleholder, could not equal his success of two weeks ago. He fell short to Michigan's tenth-seeded Charles Martelli, 6-3, in the first round of the Championship bracket.
Ortman, however, faired well in the back-bracket, garnering two wins and upsetting eighth-seeded Carl Fronhofer in the process.
Penn's fifth and final wrestler, junior Joe Henson, gained a victory over Duquesne's Erick Glasse before departing from the 149-pound championship bracket.
Reflecting upon the season as a whole, Reina remained upbeat as he considered the youth on his team and its steady improvement during the final weeks of the season.
"This season was challenging in a lot of ways," he said. "Seven out of 10 starters were new to the program. After the Virginia Duals [on January 12-13] our performance improved week by week."
(03/06/01 10:00am)
Finishing second in a sporting event is often difficult to accept.
But, when one is runner-up in a field of 12 highly competitive teams -- including a team ranked No. 10 in the nation -- it is a little easier to endure. And when that team's bridesmaid finish includes four out of a possible 10 individual champions, that finish is even sweeter.
This was the nature of the Quakers' second-place finish to Harvard at last weekend's EIWA Championships.
And while the Quakers could not come out on top, they managed to defeat No.10 Lehigh.
Although the regular season is now over for the Quakers, five Penn wrestlers will don the red and blue at the upcoming NCAA National Championships.
Penn coach Roger Reina is optimistic about his wrestlers' chances in the biggest wrestling tournament of the year.
"We've got five guys going out who can all put a lot of points on the board," Reina said. "It's time to refocus and prepare for key opponents we'll be facing."
The five grapplers Penn will send are seniors Yoshi Nakamura, Mike Fickell and Tim Ortman, freshman Mason Lenhard and junior Joe Henson.
At 157 pounds, 1999 and 2001 EIWA Champion Nakamura will represent the Red and Blue. The eight-time national judo champion is currently ranked third in the nation and holds an intimidating 24-1 record this season.
Nakamura faced No. 12 Leo Urbinelli of Cornell in the EIWA finals last Sunday. In the match, Urbinelli seemed to be attempting to avoid Nakamura -- he was eventually cited for a stalling violation -- and Nakamura won a 6-2 decision.
Nakamura is widely regarded as having a chance to win the entire championship, and recognizes this.
"My goal is to be at the top of the podium by the end of nationals," he said.
EIWA Champion Fickell will also be heading to Iowa to compete in the national championships.
Fickell, who holds a 20-3 record on the season, soundly defeated last season's EIWA 197-pound champion Corey Anderson with an 11-3 major decision.
Another Penn EIWA champion, Lenhard defeated Lehigh's Mario Stuart at 125 to gain his EIWA Championship last Sunday. Following a first period that saw no scoring, Lenhard picked up the pace and eventually won a 9-7 decision.
In his first collegiate season, Lenhard will be grappling for the Quakers on March 15-17, and is excited about the opportunity to capture an All-America title.
"Being an All-American, I'm not looking at it as a learning experience, but as a freshman, there's no pressure on me," Lenhard said.
The winner at 165 at last weekend's EIWAs, Ortman is also heading to nationals.
Ortman won a hotly contested 3-2 victory over Brian Bonfiglio of Princeton to capture his first EIWA championship.
The senior is now eagerly anticipating the NCAAS.
"I've set my goals high at the beginning of the season, and my goal stands at top four," Ortman said. "I've never lost by more than two points all season, so I have high goals."
The fifth and final wrestler headed to Iowa is Henson, who grapples at 149.
After placing third this weekend, Henson was selected to compete in NCAAs as a wild-card.
Although the regular match season has come to an end for this year's Penn team, these five potential national champions look to continue their wrestling dominance.
(03/05/01 10:00am)
Despite four tournament champions and five NCAA qualifiers, the Penn wrestling team finished second this weekend at the EIWA Championships.
In the two-day, 12-team event, the Red and Blue were just nine points shy of eventual champion Harvard.
The Crimson finished with 123 total team points, ahead of Penn's 114 and Lehigh's 109.5.
Harvard's Dawid Rechul pinned four wrestlers during the course of the weekend tournament and earned the Sheraton award for most pins as well as the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
Penn coach Roger Reina was generally pleased about his team's second-place finish, but he noted the Quakers' ultimate goal was to win the tournament.
Reina also alluded to the performances of seniors Tim Ortman and Mike Fickell, who were able to avenge earlier season losses.
"Several opponents we had been beaten by before, and we were able to turn around and beat them," Reina said.
Penn's had four wrestlers advance to the finals, and all four -- freshman Mason Lenhard and seniors Yoshi Nakamura, Tim Ortman and Mike Fickell -- won their matches to claim an individual title.
Lenhard opened the championship finals last night by earning his and Penn's first 2001 EIWA individual championship. The 125-pounder defeated Lehigh's Mario Stuart by a final score of 9-7.
"I wanted to win this -- it was a goal of mine from the beginning of the season," Lenhard said. "I'm glad I came through for the team."
In the 157-pound weight class, Penn co-captain Yoshi Nakamura continued his season-long domination of opponents, as he defeated Cornell's two-time NCAA qualifier Leo Urbinelli, 6-2.
Nakamura improved his stellar record to 24-1, as the eight-time national judo champion won his second EIWA Championship.
"It's good to repeat. You're showing the true mark of a champion," Nakamura said.
In the very next match, Tim Ortman won Penn's third individual championship of the night by defeating Lehigh's Ryan Bonfiglio, 4-2.
"It feels great," Ortman said. "I've just placed in the last three years and missed nationals. There's a huge burden off my back."
Fickell, meanwhile, won the 197-pound crown by defeating defending EIWA champion Cory Anderson by an 11-3 major decision. Anderson had beaten Fickell in last year's EIWA semifinals.
"Winning in front of the Palestra is special and in front of my old teammates was even more special," Fickell said.
Penn now looks toward the NCAA Championships at the University of Iowa. Lenhard, Nakamura, Ortman and Fickell, as well as junior Joe Henson -- who earned a wild-card bid at 149 for his third-place finish -- will head to the Championships, which will be held March 15-17 at the University of Iowa.
(02/12/01 10:00am)
Following three consecutive victories, the Penn wrestling team looked to continue riding its recent success into the state of Arizona. However, powerhouse Arizona State, ranked No. 14 in the nation, proved to be a major roadblock for the Quakers (5-6) and their chances for a fourth straight victory.
In a star-studded match that contained 11 wrestlers ranked within the top 25 in their respective divisions, the Sun Devils (10-3) defeated the Red and Blue, 25-13.
The Sun Devils didn't shine so brightly at first though, as the Quakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after freshman Mason Lenhard recorded a 19-7 major decision over ASU's Chris Knox.
Arizona State then accumulated 13 unanswered points in the next three matches. David Douglas, ranked No. 11 nationally at 133 pounds, defeated Penn's Jeff Eveleth by major decision, 15-5. At 141 pounds, the Sun Devil's Eric Larkin, ranked third in his weight class, pinned the Quakers' Dan Mousetis at the 2:45 mark.
Surprisingly, at 149, ASU's Dana Holland upset nationally ranked No. 14 Joe Henson by a slim 12-9 margin.
But the string of losses for the Quakers stopped there, as No. 2 Yoshi Nakamura stepped to the mat next.
In a match between two wrestlers ranked within the top 15 in the nation at 157, Nakamura edged out No. 13 Rocky Smart in overtime by a 2-1 count.
"My opponent wrestled an ideal match for himself and kept it close the whole time," Nakamura said.
Nakamura's national ranking is causing his opponents to be extremely cautious in his presence.
"They are straying away and trying to tie me up and hold on the whole time," Nakamura said. "But I'm still putting forth my best effort and I'm still pushing forward for a national championship."
Nakamura has defeated every opponent he has faced this season and holds an impressive 18-0 record.
The third and final victory for the Quakers came from the 197-pound division. Mike Fickell, now ranked 10th in the country, pinned Andy Swanson of ASU at 1:45.
In the Quakers' final two dual meets, Penn will battle Princeton at the Palestra on February 14 and travel to Lehigh on February 18.
The Red and Blue will look to regain the momentum they had prior to the Arizona State match in these two matches, as the season-defining EIWA and NCAA championships quickly approach.
(02/01/01 10:00am)
When the final two wrestlers walked off the mats at Penn State last night, both the Penn and Nittany Lions wrestling teams had accumulated five match victories.
The tied-match finish was not unexpected by Penn Coach Roger Reina.
"We knew going into the meet it could end up being 5-5, and bonus points could determine the outcome," Reina said.
They did, but not for the team the 15-year Quakers coach had hoped.
With a major decision and two pins, the No. 21 Penn St. squad ultimately accrued more bonus points on the evening, claiming a 22-16 victory over the visiting Red and Blue (2-5).
Penn has not finished a season with a losing record in a decade -- the last time was 1990-1991, when the Quakers ended up 8-9.
After having lost three of its last four dual meets to a trio of premier wrestling teams -- Michigan, Cornell and the Nittany Lions -- the No. 24 Quakers must return to the winning ways they had seen earlier this season to prevent a relapse into their '90-'91 form.
In fact, Penn will have to defeat five of the final six teams it grapples with to finish the season with a winning record.
There is saving salvation, though, to a season that Penn was once marching through.
In this disappointing team loss, some positive individual results emerged.
Yoshi Nakamura was able to extend his unbeaten record to 16-0. He soundly defeated the Nittany Lions' Aaron Wright, 11-6.
But Nakamura was unable to gain some added bonus points in the match, as Wright was extremely cautious in grappling with the EIWA's No.1 wrestler at 157 pounds.
"I got off to a slow start," Nakamura said. "I wanted to beat him by more than six points."
Nakamura is earning more national respect with each victory he accumulates. In some rankings, Penn's senior captain is listed as high as second in the nation.
Last night also marked the return of Penn senior Mike Fickell.
Fickell had been absent from the Penn lineup at the 197-pound slot in last Saturday's loss to Cornell.
The return of Fickell benefited the Quakers, as he won a 7-3 decision over Penn St.'s Pete Nielmik. Nielmik had won the last contest between the two wrestlers.
Another highlight for the Quakers was the performance of 125-pound freshman Mason Lenhard.
Lenhard avenged the loss he had suffered to Penn St.'s Josh Moore the last time the two teams faced. He surprised Moore last night in a dominating 17-7 win.
The other two wins for Penn came from senior Tim Ortman and junior Josh Henson. Ortman scored an 8-6 decision over Zach Vecchio at 165-pounds, and Henson pulled out a 3-2 decision against the Nittany Lions' Mark Becks at 174.
Despite the loss to Penn State, the Quakers are still 1-1 in the Ivy League and continue to remain confident in their chances for the Ancient Eight title.
"There's a reasonable likelihood we could win share of the Ivy," Reina said.
The final five matches the Quakers have scheduled are all against beatable opponents for the reigning Ivy League champions.
Brown, George Mason, Arizona State, Princeton, and Lehigh represent the final teams the Quakers will face before the all-important EIWA and NCAA championships.
(02/01/01 10:00am)
When the final two wrestlers walked off the mats at Penn State last night, both the Penn and Nittany Lions wrestling teams had accumulated five match victories.
The tied-match finish was not unexpected by Penn Coach Roger Reina.
"We knew going into the meet it could end up being 5-5, and bonus points could determine the outcome," Reina said.
They did, but not for the team the 15-year Quakers coach had hoped.
With a major decision and two pins, the No. 21 Penn St. squad ultimately accrued more bonus points on the evening, claiming a 22-16 victory over the visiting Red and Blue (2-5).
Penn has not finished a season with a losing record in a decade -- the last time was 1990-1991, when the Quakers ended up 8-9.
After having lost three of its last four dual meets to a trio of premier wrestling teams -- Michigan, Cornell and the Nittany Lions -- the No. 24 Quakers must return to the winning ways they had seen earlier this season to prevent a relapse into their '90-'91 form.
In fact, Penn will have to defeat five of the final six teams it grapples with to finish the season with a winning record.
There is saving salvation, though, to a season that Penn was once marching through.
In this disappointing team loss, some positive individual results emerged.
Yoshi Nakamura was able to extend his unbeaten record to 16-0. He soundly defeated the Nittany Lions' Aaron Wright, 11-6.
But Nakamura was unable to gain some added bonus points in the match, as Wright was extremely cautious in grappling with the EIWA's No.1 wrestler at 157 pounds.
"I got off to a slow start," Nakamura said. "I wanted to beat him by more than six points."
Nakamura is earning more national respect with each victory he accumulates. In some rankings, Penn's senior captain is listed as high as second in the nation.
Last night also marked the return of Penn senior Mike Fickell.
Fickell had been absent from the Penn lineup at the 197-pound slot in last Saturday's loss to Cornell.
The return of Fickell benefited the Quakers, as he won a 7-3 decision over Penn St.'s Pete Nielmik. Nielmik had won the last contest between the two wrestlers.
Another highlight for the Quakers was the performance of 125-pound freshman Mason Lenhard.
Lenhard avenged the loss he had suffered to Penn St.'s Josh Moore the last time the two teams faced. He surprised Moore last night in a dominating 17-7 win.
The other two wins for Penn came from senior Tim Ortman and junior Josh Henson. Ortman scored an 8-6 decision over Zach Vecchio at 165-pounds, and Henson pulled out a 3-2 decision against the Nittany Lions' Mark Becks at 174.
Despite the loss to Penn State, the Quakers are still 1-1 in the Ivy League and continue to remain confident in their chances for the Ancient Eight title.
"There's a reasonable likelihood we could win share of the Ivy," Reina said.
The final five matches the Quakers have scheduled are all against beatable opponents for the reigning Ivy League champions.
Brown, George Mason, Arizona State, Princeton, and Lehigh represent the final teams the Quakers will face before the all-important EIWA and NCAA championships.
