Quaker118

Suffice it to say I am very connected to Penn wrestling and wouldn’t post something that specific without being privy to those details.

He would have paid $9000/year to get a Wharton degree. Time will tell if he made a good decision.

Luke Simcox pulled his Penn commitment and is headed to UNC. All about the $$. He had great financial aid to go to Wharton.

The level of success former Penn wrestling standouts have achieved far outweigh the pittance they would have received from scholarships or NIL money. Especially those that were admitted to Wharton which many Penn wrestlers were and continue to be. Parents and kids need to look at the long game when choosing a program. It is amusing to read people speculate about the inner workings of Penn wrestling and decisions that have been made leading up to now. I can say as someone closely connected to the program which started when I competed there from 1970-1975 we are all onboard and thrilled that Matt is taking over. He had extensive coaching previously and his wrestling credentials cannot be questioned. Some of the silly posts about his style aren’t worth discussing. I watched him for 4 years and if he can instill some of what drove him to succeed our program will thrive. I believe Voice of the Quakers addressed some timeline issues but for much of the rest most of you don’t know what had gone on behind the scenes that led to many decisions being made. Looking forward to moving forward next season.

You should google his sophomore year 2004. 3rd seeded lost first round on few seconds riding time differential. Rattled off 5 wins including a pin and 10-7 ot win. Beat Luke Eustice in the blood round who was returning runner up and big 10 champ. Came in 5th going 6-2. One of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen.

Valenti in the 2006 NCAA tournament: fall,fall,7-2,7-3,3-2 against super tough 2x runner up Fleeger. 2007 NCAA tournament. 6-2,9-3,4-0,4-2,4-2 against future champ Scott. I would expect total ignorance from a Scarlet Night on anything related to Penn wrestling. I was at virtually every home match, NCAA tournament, and EIWA tournament that Matt participated in. Somehow he managed to score some points occasionally. But if he can develop national champs that win on riding time, I’ll be OK with that.

Matt was very involved in many aspects of the Penn athletics administration for several years. It was definitely not a made up position. He has continued to be a part of Penn wrestling since he returned from Columbia as a coach. It’s a great hire. I just think Matt’s heart ultimately was back in the room full time.

As a former Penn wrestler and avid supporter of the program, I could not be happier to see Matt taking over the program. His wrestling credentials are impeccable, and I think he is going to elevate the Penn program to where all of us Quaker fans would like to see it again. He is smart, will be a great recruiter and his love for the program will translate well going forward.

My group of 3 flew direct from Philly round trip. Where were you looking for flights?

Hard to believe Colliacco had Shawver beat until a td at the buzzer. Took a 2 minute review to make sure time wasn’t up. No idea what has happened to him.

Why didn’t Chittum take neutral in ot after he rode Downey out. He could have won on rt.

Cannot believe the woman doing the interview asked him how it felt to pin a guy he lost to twice. Did I miss something after the tech? Did they change a call. Don’t make a mistake like that.

8-7. Swisher coming on strong at the end. 125 should be very entertaining. 5 spots qualified and Gallagher missed by 1 win. 8 competitive guys anything can happen. I think 125 is one of the most entertaining weights ever in the NCAA. We are all looking forward to lots of upsets.

I’ll throw Max Gallagher from Penn in as a true freshman. Started the year as a back up, then beat Ventresca and Ryan Miller his teammate in the finals at the Keystone to take over the starting spot. He also beat Provo in the dual meet and has been coming on strong. He lost a very close match to Ayala in the duel as well.

A team loses 5 points if they don’t have a starter at a weight.