Philadelphia became the epicenter of the collegiate wrestling world this past weekend as Penn, Drexel, and PHL Sports co-hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship at the Wells Fargo Center. Penn wrestling sent seven competitors to the competition. The event carried added significance for Penn as it marked the final championship appearance for coach Roger Reina who is retiring after this season. The atmosphere reached another level of anticipation with the arrival of President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump at the championship matches on Saturday night — marking his first visit to the city during his second term in office.

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Over three days of competition, seven Penn wrestlers took to the mats at the NCAA Division I Championships, battling through a challenging double-elimination bracket in pursuit of national titles. The following is a look at how the tournament unfolded in photos.

Entering the tournament as an unseeded team, Penn faced a tough road ahead, with matchups against Ivy League rival Cornell and dynastic powerhouse Penn State, who tested Penn at every turn.

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As the NCAA championships began, all of Penn’s wrestlers took to the mats in session one, which started on Thursday morning. Junior CJ Composto (141), sophomore Jude Swisher (157), senior Ryan Miller (133), and freshman Cross Wasilewski (149) all won their first matches and advanced in the championship bracket, while sophomore Max Gallagher (125), senior Nick Incontrera (174), and senior Maximus Hale (184) lost and dropped into the consolation bracket.

In session two later that evening, Composto earned a key victory to move into the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Swisher, Miller, and Wasilewski were defeated — sending them to the consolation bracket. Gallagher, Incontrera, and Hale each won their opening consolation matches, extending their tournament runs.

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Day two proved challenging for Penn. In session three on Friday morning, Hale, Miller, and Gallagher were eliminated after suffering losses. However, Swisher, Incontrera, and Wasilewski each picked up two consecutive wins to stay alive in the consolation bracket. The biggest setback of the session came when Composto lost 5-0 to Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, ending his bid for a championship title.

Session four Friday Night saw Swisher, Incontrera, and Wasilewski all fall, concluding their tournament runs. Composto, however, rebounded from his earlier loss with two consolation wins — earning him All-American honors and advancing him to within two matches of a third-place finish.

In session five Saturday morning, Composto started strong with another win but was ultimately defeated again by Bartlett, securing a fourth-place finish in his weight class.

Penn finished the tournament in 16th place — its highest placement since 2006 — capping off a strong performance and a memorable conclusion to Reina’s coaching career as he moves to head coach emeritus for his final year of coaching. Two-time NCAA wrestling champion and current associate head coach Matt Valenti will succeed Reina on April 1.