Everyone knows that Drexel University isn’t the only college in University City.
Often to the dismay of Dragon sports fans, we match up with our University City rival, the University of Pennsylvania. While it’s not a holy war, it’s a war of some type, duking it out in the neighborhood we both inhabit.
What we Drexel fans can champion is the fact that this weekend, Feb. 20, our wrestling team took home a win against Penn by a score of 23-16 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Drexel wrestling hasn’t beat the Quakers since 1989, falling in the last 13 matchups.
The win marks the sixth straight win for the Dragon wrestlers, who have made their way to a 10-7 record overall, and a 6-3 record in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association.
Top-notch performances on the night came from general standout Zack Fuentes, who set the Dragon team into motion to start the dual with a 6-0 advantage. Teammate David Pearce also pulled out an important win against Penn wrestler Caleb Richardson, who was ranked in the top 30 National Collegiate Athletic Association Coaches’ Poll going into the weekend.
The match had everyone on the edge of their seats; while Drexel jumped out to an early lead, with two matches remaining, Penn had closed the gap. The score was 17-16.
But Penn didn’t have enough steam to complete their staged comeback. Drexel took the last two matches to total the score to 23-16.
The win against the Quakers marked the end of the regular season for the Dragons.
Next on the calendar for Drexel is the EIWA Championships, which will be held March 5-6 in Princeton, New Jersey.