Mountain Hawks host No. 20 Pitt in dual opener

11/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling

The 99th season of Lehigh wrestling officially gets underway on Sunday afternoon as the Mountain Hawks host No. 20 Pittsburgh. The Mountain Hawks posted another successful dual season last year, with a 14-9 mark, but saw their string of five straight EIWA team titles come to an end. Lehigh will be looking to bounce back from a 38th place NCAA finish last year, which saw the Brown and White fail to crown an All-American for the first time in eleven years. This young Mountain Hawk team should face a tough challenge in a veteran Pittsburgh squad that features three nationally ranked grapplers, led by top-ranked senior Keith Gavin at 174.

 

Lehigh has posted eleven straight winning dual seasons and has won at least 13 duals in each of the last eight seasons.

 

It’s likely that two Mountain Hawks will make their varsity dual debuts on Sunday. True freshman Mitch Berger won his wrestle-off over Kellen Aura and is expected to start at 125, while deferred freshman Alex Caruso, a former New Jersey state champion, could get the starting nod at 174 or 184. Also of note for Lehigh, projected starters Alex Iacocca (184) and Justin Allen (285) each have just one varsity dual appearance between them.

 

Pittsburgh brings a veteran team to Bethlehem, with three seniors, four juniors and three sophomores among the Panthers’ projected starters. Pittsburgh finished the dual season at 7-7 last year, then went on to place fourth in the EWL. Led by national finalist Keith Gavin (174) and All-American Matt Kocher (5th at 157), the Panthers placed 20th at the NCAA Tournament. Both wrestlers enter this season ranked in the top five, and are joined in the rankings by senior Drew Headlee, the 2007 EWL Champion at 133 who has bumped to 141 this season. The Panthers also have several local connections, as three of their projected starters for Sunday’s dual hail from the Lehigh Valley.

 

The Lehigh-Pittsburgh series dates back to 1916, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 36-14-2 edge in the series. These two schools have met every season since 1991, and Lehigh has won the last ten duals in the series. Greg Strobel is 11-1 all-time versus the Panthers.

 

Lehigh dropped last season’s opener at Rider 24-14 and will look to avoid losing back-to-back openers since losing to Michigan in 2002 and to Iowa State in 2003. Lehigh is 9-3 in openers under Greg Strobel. The Mountain Hawks last opened up against Pittsburgh in November, 2001; a match won by Lehigh 29-6.

 

Sunday’s match gets underway at 1 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the link above or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall.

 

Date:

November 11, 2007

Opponent:

No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers

First match:

1:05 p.m.

Arena:

Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall

Location:

Bethlehem, Pa.

Lehigh’s 2006-07 record:

14-9 overall, 7-2 EIWA

Pittsburgh’s 2006-07 record:

7-7 overall, 2-4 EWL

Series:

Lehigh leads 36-14-2

Streak:

Lehigh has won the last ten duals

Television:

None

Radio:

WLVR-FM (91.3) with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 12:45 pm.

Internet broadcast:

Live video at Lehighsports.com

Behind enemy lines:

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com

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