Top 5 moments of Penn wrestling's 2012-2013 season

1. Penn’s decisive victory over No. 21 Lehigh

Of the 18 schools in Penn’s conference, Lehigh and Cornell are perennial rivals. The Quakers’ 24-12 takedown of the Mountain Hawks featured wins in seven of the 10 weightclasses. In the 149-pound weightclass, senior Andrew Lenzi defeated defending EIWA champion Shane Welch, then ranked 19th in the country. Penn’s victory was their first against Lehigh in five years and their first dual meet win on the road since 2009.

2. Historic sweep of Drexel

The Red and Blue earned their first and only sweep of the 2012-2013 season, beating Drexel, 37-0. Penn dominated the 33rd Street rival earning its first win against Drexel since 2007. This dual meet was particularly special for Coach Rob Eiter: with the victory over the Dragons, he became the fourth coach in the history of Penn wrestling to reach 50 dual meet wins. Eiter accomplished this feat in record fashion, meeting the mark in just 78 games.

3. Micah Burak’s stellar performance at EIWA

Senior Micah Burak became the second wrestler in Penn history to make the finals at EIWA’s four times with championship in the 197-pound weightclass. After earning second place at EIWA’s for the past three years, Burak was finally able to earn the crown, taking down James Fox of Harvard, 6-3. Burak’s finish helped the Quakers to a third-place team finish behind perennial powerhouses Navy and Cornell.

4. Second Place finish at Keystone Classics

In Penn’s first major competition of the year at home, the Quakers fought to their way to a second-place team finish, trailing only Northwestern. Junior Canaan Bethea and Sophomore C.J. Cobb won their weight classes, at 184 pounds and 141 pounds respectively. Cobb had a breakout performance at the Keystone Classics, beating the 13th-ranked wrestler in his weightclass, effectively throwing his name into consideration of 141-pound wrestlers to be reckoned with in the EIWA.

5. C.J. Cobb’s upset at Cornell dual

In the 141-pound weightclass, C.J. Cobb entered his match with Mike Nevinger ranked 11th in the nation. Nevinger came in with a sixth-place ranking and All-American honors, but Cobb didn’t let Nevinger’s laurels intimidate him. Instead, Cobb battled ferociously, winning, 7-3, and earning the one takedown in each period of the match. Though the Quakers went on to lose to Cornell, 9-24, Cobb’s performance sent a resounding message to the Big Red that they would be formidable opponents come the EIWA Conference meet.

SEE ALSO

Penn wrestling junior Cobb hoping to build last year’s success

Schedule remains difficult for Penn wrestling

Penn wrestling finally lands top recruit Caleb Richardson

For one final season, Penn’s wrestling Bethea brothers do battle

Canfora aims at Cobb’s starting spot for Penn wrestling

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