This weekend wrestling fans will finally get to see the varsity squad compete in Rec Hall again.

Because its scheduled Jan. 9 bout against Oklahoma was cancelled, the wrestling team has not competed at home since the Penn State Duals on Dec. 3.

The No. 9 Lions (7-4) will face Navy (9-2) at 2 tomorrow afternoon. On Sunday they will meet North Carolina State (6-4) at noon and Maryland (10-3) at 2.

"Penn State always draws a nice crowd and that makes it tough to wrestle there," Navy coach Reg Wicks said. The Lions have gone 27- 2-1 at Rec Hall the past four years.

"It will be nice to wrestle here again; hopefully we'll get a good turnout," 177-pound freshman Adam Mariano (12-4-1) said. Mariano, after a strong performance at the National Dual Meet Championships last weekend, was named the Eastern Wrestling League's Wrestler of the Week.

Penn State, returning from a sixth-place finish and an upset of No. 6 Oklahoma (26-17) at the Dual Meet Championships in Hampton, Va., has had a week of intense practices to prepare for the upcoming meet, Coach Rich Lorenzo said. Although the Lions met three of the top four teams in the nation and also crushed N.C. State (30-10) last weekend, Lorenzo said he doesn't think the level of intensity will go down against the Wolfpack, Navy or No. 22 Maryland.

"We instill a sense of pride and responsibility to give a 100 percent effort every match," Lorenzo said. "We expect our wrestlers to have full concentration and to focus on every match."

"After going up against teams like that you get to see what you need to do," Mariano agreed. "And it starts right here."

The Midshipmen boast top-ranked Scott Schleicher (15-1) at 158 and 12th-ranked Brett Bourne (14-2) at heavyweight. Bourne defeated the Lions' No. 7 Greg Haladay (17-2-1) with a last-second takedown on his way to winning the Sunshine Open in Tampa, Fla., last month.

The Navy-Penn State series began in 1910, the Lions' second season. Penn State leads the series, 40-29-7, with Navy's last Rec Hall win coming in 1976.

"It's always a hard-fought match and usually its pretty close," Lorenzo said. "They're well coached and the kids are intense and physical."

"Penn State is the powerhouse of the East," Wicks said. "I'm hoping to upset them. It's possible it can come down to the last heavyweight match. We'll wrestle you competitively; it'll be a great match."

The Wolfpack, rocked by a scandal in the beginning of the season when it lost eight wrestlers to assault charges, has struggled this year.

A close battle should be at 118, where John Bove (11-7) continues his grudge series against N.C. State's Ricky Strausbaugh (14-4-2). Bove defeated Strausbaugh twice at the Mat-Town USA tournament, but was pinned by Strausbaugh last weekend.

"I think we were able to see what (Penn State) had at the (Dual Meet) National Championships and now we'll be ready for them," N.C. State assistant coach Scott Turner said.

Maryland has a few notable wrestlers but none in the last four weight classes posts a winning record. The middle-weights are the team's strength, with Jason Shea (10-2-1) at 134, R.C. Papa (13-5-1) at 142 and Scott Buckiso (14-1-1) at 158.

Lorenzo said the lineup will change throughout the weekend, with Shawn Nelson (12-10) and Bove at 118, Jeff Prescott (5-2-1) at 126, Bob Truby (10-4-1) and Chad Dubin (8-9) at 134, Peter Horst (18-6-2) at 142, Mike Bevilacqua (21-3-2) at 150 and Tim Wittman (2-4) and Mark Verratti (11-7) at 158.

In the upperweights, No. 8 Jason Suter (15-4-1) will be at 167, Mariano (12-4-1) at 177, Frank Buchman (5-7) at 190 and Haladay (17-2-1) at heavyweight.