By Kyle Klingman, W.I.N. Staff Writer

The University of Pennsylvania is undeniably one of the greatest and most prestigious universities in the world. Founded by Benjamin Franklin in the 1740s, Penn has -an academic and athletic family that includes nine men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 11 men who signed the U.S. Constitution, and a former football coach — John Heisman — whose name is placed on college football’s most celebrated trophy.

So when junior Matt Valenti stepped on the mat to wrestle Purdue’s Chris Fleeger for the 133-pound individual title he faced something larger than a single opponent. The Newton, N.J., product looked to become a champion at an institution that carried over 260 years of tradition.

In terms of wrestling though, Valenti looked to become part of a select group that was two members strong. Only Richard DiBattista in 1941 and ‘42 and Brett Matter in 2000 had won NCAA titles for the Quakers and Valenti hoped to add his name to that prestigious list.

“I’m very aware of who these guys are,” said Valenti. “I’ve spoken to all of them. Brett Matter and Brandon Slay (Penn’s two-time NCAA runner-up and 2000 Olympic champion) both contacted me before the tournament and talked to me about what it takes to be in the finals and be a national champ. They talked about what they felt and what they went through, all the feelings and how to prepare, everything from beginning to end.”

Their advice must have helped. When the sixth-seeded Valenti faced the fifth-seeded Fleeger in the finals, Valenti brought with him a string of convincing victories over highly-ranked opponents, including wins over wrestlers seeded No. 11, 3 and 2 at his weight class.

In the finals, Valenti proved that necessity is the mother of invention. The Quaker junior excited fans with a wild scramble after a takedown attempt by Fleeger in the first period. In the second period, Valenti took a more methodical approach as he accumulated two minutes of riding time to keep the score knotted at zero heading into the final period.

Taking the bottom position, Valenti earned a reversal to score the first official points of the match. Fleeger scored a reversal of his own late in the period and tried desperately to score back points, but to no avail. Winning the match 3-2, thanks to a riding-time point, Valenti became his school’s third NCAA champion.

“Sometimes I wish I knew what I’m doing out on that mat,” said Valenti. “My approach is more of an intellectual approach which kind of fits in with the schooling. But I go out on the mat and kind of adjust to what my opponent is doing and adjust my style according to his. Going into the season one of the things coach stressed with us is that big match are won on top and bottom. If we really wanted to excel at the national tournament, we really had to do well on top and bottom.”