Wrestling
With its captain's sights on the horizon, Penn wrestling takes on busy weekend
Coming off a busy but successful winter break, the Quakers will look to keep improving as they head into the midpoint of their season. This weekend will be another wild one for the Quakers, as they have a tournament and back-to-back away meets over the course of two days.
January 9 | Is Stat So?
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Is Stat So?, a compilation of some of the most interesting stats to come out of Penn Athletics from the week. Each week, we'll highlight a few different numbers that go beyond the box score, and give deeper insight behind Penn's biggest wins and losses.
A historic performance from Frank Mattiace earns him DP Sports Player of the Break
Penn wrestling's Frank Mattiace had himself an extremely successful winter break. Highlighted by his takedown of No. 6 Nate Robert, Mattiace's efforts were enough to earn him DP Sports Player of the Break.
Gritty efforts and upsets highlight Penn wrestling's busy winter break
The Quakers started their slate of matches before the new year when they travelled down to Illinois for the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, where they finished with their best team score in 16 years. A week later, Penn travelled to the west coast for a dual meet double-header against Cal Poly and Stanford. There, they dominated Cal Poly 32-13 but lost a nail bitter to Stanford 21-20.
Injured and outclassed, Penn wrestling falls to No. 5 Lehigh, 41-6
Injuries proved too much for Penn to overcome, as in just about every weight class of Sunday’s match, the Quakers were stymied by No. 5 Lehigh and fell by a score of 41-6. Although the Red and Blue (3-2) briefly held the lead at 6-5 after two bouts, Lehigh (5-1) scored 36 unanswered points to close out the match.
In final collegiate season, stacked class of senior captains seeks to return Penn wrestling to glory
You could call them the Superior Six. Seniors May Bethea, Joe Heyob, Marc Mastropietro, Frank Mattiace, Joe Oliva, and Joe Velliquette might not look like the most uniform group of guys. Their weights vary from 140 to 200 pounds and everywhere in between — and yet their uniformly strong leadership elevates them above the rest.
Penn wrestling's three-match win streak to be put to the test against No. 5 Lehigh
Another top-five team is set to enter the Palestra, and the Quakers are ready. This Sunday at 1 P.M., Penn wrestling will host No. 5 Lehigh, a match that will test how well the Red and Blue can perform against a top-notch team, both on the individual and team level.
Future of Penn wrestling looks bright with freshmen off to promising starts
Coach Roger Reina has continuously spoken highly of the freshmen members of the team and their development throughout the early stages of the season and sees the potential for greatness in the upcoming years.
Influx of young talent leads to position battles for Penn wrestling
Because of these new wrestlers, as well as the returners from last year, the roster is filled with talent, as evidenced by the team’s three wins in the Hofstra Duals. While this plezthora of strong wrestlers is clearly a plus for Penn, it also means that difficult decisions must be made regarding the team’s starting personnel, as only one wrestler per weight class can compete in each dual.
The return of a legend — Roger Reina back at the helm for Penn wrestling
Roger Reina, Penn wrestling’s winningest coach, returned to the program this season after a 12-year hiatus. Before stepping down as head coach in 2005, Reina spent 25 consecutive years with the program as a wrestler, assistant coach and head coach. In fact, he was named head coach only two years after graduating from Penn, making him the youngest coach in Division I wrestling at the time.
Penn wrestling's weekend performance has the season off to a strong start
In Penn wrestling's opening weekend with duals, the Quakers finished 3-1 with wins over Campbell, The Citadel, and Hofstra, while suffering a loss against Rider.
After impressive Keystone Classic, Penn wrestling prepares for dual meets including No. 21 Rider
The Red and Blue welcome a nationally ranked Rider team (1-1) that is eager to continue their success after defeating Iowa State this past Sunday.
Penn wrestling impresses amongst stacked field at Keystone Classic
This past Sunday, Penn wrestling hosted 11 other teams in an electric Palestra filled with fans from all over the East Coast for the annual Keystone Classic.
Fresh off impressive season opener, Penn wrestling welcomes elite competition in Keystone Classic
Not all sports save their biggest events for the end of the year. This Sunday, Penn wrestling will welcome 12 teams and 20 ranked wrestlers in the annual Keystone Classic, including No. 1 Penn State.
Roger Reina makes killer (second) first impression as Penn wrestling dominates in season opener
New head coach, no problem. In Roger Reina’s first competition in charge of the Quakers since 2005, Penn wrestling put up a strong showing in the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open at Binghamton University this past Sunday, with eight of its fourteen wrestlers placing in their respective weight classes.
Hall of Famer Roger Reina to return as Penn wrestling coach
After graduating from Penn and coaching the wrestling team from 1986-2005, Penn Athletic Director Grace Calhoun announced Wednesday that Reina would be returning to his position as head coach. The news comes two weeks after Calhoun announced that former head coach Alex Tirapelle had resigned.
Penn wrestling coach Alex Tirapelle announces resignation
Penn wrestling coach Alex Tirapelle has tendered his resignation, Penn Athletics announced Wednesday morning. No motivation was given for the sudden resignation, and an immediate successor was no announced.
Penn wrestling finishes season with strong showing at NCAA Championships
Penn wrestling officially finished their 2016-2017 season this past St. Patrick’s day weekend, with five of the team’s top wrestlers taking on the nation’s best at the Scottrade Center in St.
These five Penn wrestlers will compete for national glory this weekend at the NCAA Championships
It all comes down to this. For Penn wrestling, the entire season culminates in St. Louis when five Quakers will travel to the Scottrade Center for the NCAA Tournament. The Quakers are hoping for a third all-American in the last four years.