Great expectations for wrestling team

If this summer's Win-Magazine rankings are any indicator, Quaker wrestling fans can expect some great things over the next few years.

The leading amateur wrestling magazine recently deemed Penn's recruiting class of 2006 the best in the nation.

"It's a healthy sign for our program," said head coach Roger Reina. "We're now proven in our ability to recruit against all top programs nationwide."

The class is geographically diverse -- the 17 recruits hail from 10 different states -- and can claim, altogether, a gaudy 12 state championships.

The gem of the class is blue-chipper Matt Herrington, the National Wrestling Coaches Association's choice for high school wrestler of the year in 2002.

As a 160-pounder for LaSalle Institute in Cambridge, N.Y., Herrington compiled a formidable 243-9 record over six varsity seasons, establishing a national high school record for career wins and ranking as high as second in the Intermat rankings.

This summer, Herrington steamrolled his way through the Junior National Greco-Roman Championships in Fargo, N.D., recording 10 wins in as many matches en route to his second consecutive title.

Herrington is expected to compete at 174 pounds for the Quakers. He chose Penn over the U.S. Military Academy, Harvard and Michigan.

Another headliner is 125-pounder Matt Valenti of Kittantiny High School in Newton, who capped off an illustrious high school campaign (128-7) with his second New Jersey State championship and a second-place finish at the high school national in Cleveland.

Christian Franco (140) of Pennsylvania's Whitehall High School notched 147 wins in a career that ended with a state championship. In addition, both Valenti and Franco were named to Wrestling USA Magazine's Academic Team.

Chesapeake High School product Matt Eveleth will likely wrestle at 125 and was ranked second in the state as early as his freshman year. He went on to earn three Maryland State championships and All-American honors from Wrestling USA Magazine while amassing a 132-4 mark and climbing to 11th in Intermat's national rankings.

Other key recruits fill out the class. Farmington product Dustin Wiles, a 160-pounder, clinched a pair of Missouri state titles and garnered honorable mention All-America, and Hilltop Baptist's Matt Silengo was a two-time Colorado state titlist.

Geoffrey Miller, like Herrington, also competed in the Junior National Greco-Roman tournament, advancing to the sixth round of competition before being eliminated in a close 8-5 decision.

The class of 2006 boasts accolades as numerous as they are considerable, and Reina is convinced that its members will make an immediate impact on the program.

"Several of these guys are going to have great opportunities to step right in," Reina said. "We determine the team through wrestle-offs in late October and early November. There are no speculations that go into the process. Actual competition determines a place on the team."

The new recruits join six returning lettermen, including three NCAA Qualifiers, and the team looks to build on one of the best seasons in the program's history. The team won the Ivy League and went 10-4, with the four losses coming against teams ranked in the top five nationally -- including a defeat at the hands of eventual NCAA champion Minnesota. The Quakers finished with a dual meet ranking of 8th in the nation before placing 11th at the NCAA championships.

Perennial powerhouses Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Michigan and Penn State rounded out the magazine's top five, which published the list in its June issue.

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