After a week off, the Penn wrestling team will use this weekend's matches as a final tuneup before entering the EIWA and NCAA Championships. For senior co-captain Jody Giuricich, the week off was the best thing possible. After not participating in any matches since the Columbia meet on Feb. 2 due to a pulled hamstring, Giuricich will be back in action this weekend. He missed four dual meets with the injury. "The week off really helps," Giuricich said. "It gives us more time to train for our next opponent. When we play every weekend, we only get three or four days to practice. The week off gives us more time to recover and more time to prepare." No. 19 Penn (7-2, 3-1 Ivy) looks to close out its dual meet season in style when it takes on Princeton at the Palestra before traveling to third-ranked Lehigh this weekend. A much improved Princeton team could provide the Quakers with a challenge. After finishing last season winless in the Ivy League and having only four wins overall, the Tigers have already surpassed last season's win total en route to compiling a 5-11 record, including an Ivy League win over Harvard. For the Quakers, this match will bring an end to the first Ivy League season in eight years that won't find their name atop the standings. Cornell took control of the top spot in the league with a 22-10 win over Penn on Jan. 31 and finished their Ancient Eight season undefeated. "We aren't really concerned [about finishing second]," Giuricich said. "We are looking past that loss and focusing on the rest of the season." Nevertheless, the Tigers should be a mere warmup for Sunday's big showdown, when Penn travels to Bethlehem, Pa., for a marquee match-up with the Engineers. Lehigh has already picked up a win against the Big Red -- whose win over Penn was the Quakers' only Ivy League defeat in the past two years -- by a 27-10 margin. Lehigh has seven players boasting top-20 rankings as they begin Sunday's match. "Lots of matches will be key [this weekend]," Giuricich said. "There are three or four [matches] that could go either way, but everyone needs to step up. Guys expected to win need to perform and the underdogs need to step up their level of play and try to earn bonus points and help in the team points." One of those pivotal matches may be at the 285-pound weight class. Sophomore Matt Feast, who is currently ranked sixth in the nation, will be facing Lehigh's Joe Sahl, ranked No. 17. Feast is tied for second in wins on the Red and Blue, but leads all his fellow teammates in winning percentage this year -- compiling a 25-4 record this season. Feast also won his match at the NWCA All-Star Classic earlier this month. The event is frequently thought of as a preview to the NCAA championships. Another key match that will showcase two ranked opponents will be freshman standout and national No. 12 Matt Herrington against Lehigh's Travis Frick who is ranked ninth. Penn currently trails in the all-time series with Lehigh, 32-7-2, but did win last year's match at the Palestra.
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