Lehigh seeks return to top of the EIWA
11/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
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Head coach Greg Strobel knew the 2006-07 season would be one of transition for the Lehigh wrestling program. The Mountain Hawks entered the year as five-time defending EIWA champions, but had just lost one of the most accomplished senior classes in school history to graduation. Despite having just one returning EIWA Champion, and no returning All-American’s for the first time in 10 years, Lehigh managed a 14-9 dual season, its eleventh straight winning season, and eighth straight year with double-digit dual wins. At the EIWA championships, Lehigh qualified seven wrestlers for Nationals, but was denied a sixth straight team title. At the NCAA Championships, Lehigh failed to bring home an All-American for the first time since 1996.
There is optimism around the Lehigh program. The Mountain Hawks return four NCAA qualifiers, including David Craig, who led the team in victories and reached the round of 12 at NCAAs as a true freshman. Matt Fisk and Seth Ciasulli have experienced early career success and return with another year of seasoning, while senior Jeff Santo and junior Trevor Chinn are at full strength after missing time with injuries. For the second straight year, Strobel and his coaching staff have brought in a recruiting class ranked as one of the nation’s best, and with a stockpile of young talent the future of Lehigh wrestling remains bright.
“I see this year as a building year,” says Strobel, now entering his 13th season as head coach. “We’ve had back to back excellent recruiting classes. The talent is certainly there, it’s just a matter of gaining the experience and maturity necessary to be successful.”
Despite having a relatively young team, Strobel is not backing down in his scheduling. The Mountain Hawks will wrestle a pair of top-ten finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships, and a total of eight top 20 finishers. In-state rival
In addition, Lehigh will take part in the Journeyman Duals in
“Overall this is a very aggressive schedule that will be a good test for our young but talented team,” said Strobel. “We’re excited about going to the Virginia Duals, and we’re excited to compete in some new events against some new teams.”
Here’s a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2007-08:
125 – For the second time in three years a true freshman could be the starter here as team captain Matt Fisk, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is expected to bump up to 133 and could defer his eligibility. Strobel has brought in a pair of highly touted freshmen to compete for the job in three-time
133 – Fisk is expected to bump here, but he will have to contend with sophomore Seth Ciasulli. One of the Mountain Hawks most pleasant surprises, Ciasulli was the only Lehigh wrestler to exceed his seed at EIWAs, placing fourth and earning a trip to the NCAA tournament. The presence of Fisk along with junior Kevin Vinh and promising freshman Kyle Rosser make this one of Lehigh’s deepest weight classes.
141 – With the graduation of EIWA Champion Matt Ciasulli, senior Jeff Santo will finally get an opportunity to start full-time at a weight class that fits him well. Santo was forced to bump up to 149 in the second half of the season, and the high-scoring crowd pleasing performer should be over the injuries that slowed him down last season. Deferred freshmen Nate Spangler and Matt Croshal will back him up.
149 – Junior Trevor Chinn will look to find the form that made him an EIWA runner-up and NCAA qualifier as a freshman. Injuries prematurely ended his sophomore season, but Chinn had a strong summer, winning a National Beach Wrestling Championship, and appears healthy and ready to re-establish himself. Deferred freshman Greg Hilbert and true freshman Ben Marich could also figure in here.
157 – He made the coaching staff wait until late in the spring, but Dave Nakasone eventually decided to return for his final year of eligibility. Nakasone won 18 bouts a year ago and qualified for his first NCAA tournament. Incoming freshman Sean Bilodeau, a 2007 National Prep Champion from
165 – Sophomore Mike Galante returns to the lineup after missing the second half of last season because of academics. Galante had an outstanding spring on the freestyle circuit, winning a University National freestyle title and placing fourth at the Canada Cup. Most importantly, Galante’s grades are back on track as he looks to build on last year’s 7-5 campaign. Freshman Brandon Hatchett, a three-time state champion from
174 – With Dave Helfrich having graduated, Strobel has several options at this weight class. Sophomore Manuel Schubert struggled at times filling in at 165 last season, but has the ability to succeed a weight class up where he is more comfortable. Schubert will battle deferred freshman Alex Caruso, one of the recruiting gems from the class of 2006, who went 9-4 in unattached competition last year. Sophomores Alex Iacocca and Andy Knerr both saw varsity action last year and should provide depth.
184 – As a true freshman, David Craig was arguably the Mountain Hawks’ top performer on the mats. The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2006 won a team-best 31 bouts, and was the only Lehigh wrestler to reach the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships, where he fell just shy of earning All-American honors. Backing up Craig will be senior Eddy Silverman, junior Samir Soriano and sophomore Alex Iacocca, who did see action in one dual at this weight class last season.
197 – The graduation of EIWA Champion Matt Cassidy leaves this weight class wide open. Freshman Kadeem Samuels from the
285 – The always-exciting Paul Weibel has graduated, but the Mountain Hawks have two young talented heavyweights in sophomore Justin Allen and freshman Zach Rey. A legitimate heavyweight at 260 lbs., Allen did not defer as a freshman, and went 10-6 backing up Paul Weibel. Rey is another member of a highly ranked recruiting class. The
The Mountain Hawks will open the dual season on Sunday afternoon when they welcome the No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The match gets underway at 1 p.m., and tickets are available by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh Athletics Ticket Office or by logging onto Lehighsports.com at anytime.
