OMAHA, Neb. – Lehigh wrapped up its weekend of action in the Cornhusker state as ten Mountain Hawks took part in the UNO-Kaufman Brand Open Saturday at Sapp Fieldhouse. Freshman Alex Caruso led the charge for the Brown and White going 4-0 and capturing the 174 pound title in the amateur (under-20) division. A total of three Mountain Hawks placed in the tournament, with Trevor Chinn placing fifth at 149 in the elite division and Justin Allen placing sixth at heavyweight in the amateur division.
Following a first round bye, Caruso racked up four straight wins to earn the title. In the finals, Caruso defeated Minnesota’s Kaleb Young 4-2, and the New Jersey native did not allow a takedown in four matches on Saturday.
Chinn went 5-2 in seven bouts to place fifth at 149. His two losses were to Iowa sophomore Brent Metcalf 15-3 in the third round, and a 5-2 setback to Oklahoma’s Will Rowe in the consolation semifinals. Chinn earned two wins over Oklahoma’s Seth Vernon, winning 3-1 in the second round and 10-4 in the fifth place match.
Allen was the third Lehigh wrestler to place, finishing sixth with a 4-3 record. Allen won his first two bouts, including a fall over Skyler Morrison of North Iowa Area CC. He earned a 10-5 decision over Allyn Plattner of Division III Luther to place, before losing his final two bouts of the day.
Every Lehigh wrestler won at least one bout on the afternoon. Senior Dave Nakasone (157) and sophomore Manuel Schubert (174) each finished one win shy of placing in the elite division. Nakasone won his opening bout 7-1 over Ryan Freeman of Oklahoma State before losing to Minnesota’s C.P. Schlatter. He then won two matches in the wrestlebacks, including a medical forfeit over Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar. Nakasone was eliminated by Iowa’s Brooks Kopsa, losing a 4-3 decision.
Schubert, the only Mountain Hawk who did not wrestle in Friday night’s dual at Nebraska, rebounded from a second round loss to win three bouts, including a 3-1 sudden victory win over highly touted Minnesota redshirt freshman Brandon Stich. He was eventually denied placement when he lost an 8-3 decision to Tyler French of Air Force.
Also competing in the elite devision were junior Kevin Vinh at 133 and sophomore Mike Galante at 165. Vinh went 1-2 winning his first wrestleback over Josh Baldridge of Northern Iowa 13-7. Galante was knocked out in the second round by Minnesota’s Scott Glasser 5-1, then was caught and pinned in the consolations by Mikey Morgan of Labette.
In the amateur division, true freshmen Mitch Berger (125) and Kyle Rosser (141) and sophomore Alex Iacocca (197) all went 1-2, with Berger and Rosser each posting wins in the championship bracket.
The Mountain Hawks will return to dual meet action on Saturday, November 24 when they head to Troy, N.Y. to take part in the Journeymen/Brute Duals. Lehigh will wrestle four duals on the afternoon, beginning with a showdown against Virginia at 10 a.m.
