Mountain Hawks to host Rutgers in EIWA opener

11/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh returns home for the first time since opening day as the Mountain Hawks host Rutgers Friday night in the first EIWA dual for both teams. The Mountain Hawks have spent much of the last two weeks on the road, traveling first to Nebraska for a dual and the Kaufman-Brand Open before wrestling four duals Thanksgiving weekend at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals outside Albany, N.Y. Lehigh picked up its first two dual wins last weekend, beating Binghamton 35-10 and then rallying past Clarion 21-15.

 

Only four of Lehigh’s projected starters for Friday’s match have junior or senior eligibility. Jeff Santo and Dave Nakasone are fifth-year seniors, while Kevin Vinh and Trevor Chinn are fourth-year juniors. The rest of Lehigh’s probable line-up consists of two third-year sophomores (Galante, Iacocca), two true sophomores (Craig, Allen) one deferred freshman (Caruso) and one true freshman (Aura). Already this season, five Mountain Hawks have made their first varsity dual appearance, with deferred freshman Nate Spangler and true freshmen Mitch Berger and Kyle Rosser seeing action in addition to Caruso and Aura.

 

The Rutgers program is rebuilding under head coach Scott Goodale, who took over when longtime coach John Sacchi retired over the summer. Rutgers dropped its dual opener to Ohio State on Monday night, losing all ten bouts in a 37-0 setback. The Scarlet Knights have already competed in two tournaments, placing seventh out of nine teams in the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold tournament, and fourth out of 12 at the Navy Classic.  Rutgers’ top grappler is sophomore Steve Adamcsik, who is ranked No. 19 at 141. Adamcsik was Rutgers’ lone NCAA qualifier in 2006 and redshirted last season. All 15 of Rutgers’ probable starters hail from the Garden State, with Phillipsburg native Chris Norrell (157) having the closest Lehigh Valley ties.

 

Lehigh has dominated the all-time series versus its EIWA rival, winning 36 of the 37 all-time meetings with the Scarlet Knights. The Mountain Hawks have won the last 33 duals against Rutgers, dating back to 1950, including a 26-10 win last year in Bethlehem. Greg Strobel is 6-0 versus Rutgers as Lehigh’s head coach.

 

Friday night’s match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall.

 

Date:

November 30, 2007

Opponent:

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

First match:

7:05 p.m.

Arena:

Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130)

Location:

Bethlehem, Pa.

Lehigh’s record:

2-4 overall, 0-0 EIWA

Rutgers’ record:

0-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA

Series:

Lehigh leads 36-1

Streak:

Lehigh has won the last 33 duals

Television:

Service Electric 2 Sports, Friday at 9:30 p.m. with Doug Heater and Scott Hovan.

Radio:

ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 6:45 pm.

Internet broadcast:

Live video at Lehighsports.com

Behind enemy lines:

http://www.scarletknights.com

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