Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh working towards upcoming wrestle-offs
10/28/2008 4:30:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - As Lehigh gets set to begin its 100th season of wrestling with the annual wrestle-offs, scheduled for Sunday; the Mountain Hawks continue their hard work inside the Sheridan Wrestling Room in preparation for the 2008-09 season. With four weeks of official practice now in the books, first year head coach Pat Santoro continues to be pleased with the effort and energy he’s seen from his wrestlers as they get set to represent the Brown and White in this centennial season.
“We’ve had a solid preseason,” said Santoro. “Most of our focus has been on positioning and common situations in terms of wrestling. We’re trying to move now towards focusing on the individuals and determining what they need to on the mat to excel.
Santoro continued, “This team has responded very well to our workouts. The guys are now fully accepting of the new coaching staff. They’re working hard and buying into the goals we’ve set for this program.”
Much of the focus this week will be on matches, as the coaches look to determine who will compete in Sunday afternoon’s wrestle-offs inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Santoro expects the match-ups for the annual public first look at the team to be finalized by Thursday. At the same time, Santoro will also begin preparing his team for a challenging dual schedule that begins when the Mountain Hawks host Santoro’s former team, the No. 17 Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, November 9.
“We will face some very challenging competition in our early season duals,” said Santoro. “We’ll use this week’s practices and then the wrestle-offs to see where we are as a team and what we need to work on.”
Last week, InterMat released its preseason NWCA/NWMA individual rankings with four Mountain Hawks earning rankings to start the season. Sophomore Alex Caruso earned the highest ranking of any Lehigh wrestler, coming in at No. 13 at 174. Senior Trevor Chinn is ranked 15th at 149, while juniors Matt Fisk and Seth Ciasulli are both ranked No. 20 at 133 and 141 respectively. The Lehigh quartet is also ranked in W.I.N. Magazine’s rankings, which were released last month. The group is joined in those rankings by junior David Craig, who is ranked No. 14 at 184.
Fans can get their first look at the 2008-09 Mountain Hawks on Sunday, when Lehigh hosts the annual wrestle-offs at 1 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks will open the regular season at home against No. 17 Maryland on Sunday, November 9 at 1 p.m. Tickets to any Lehigh wrestling match, including wrestle-offs, can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME; by stopping by the Lehigh Athletics Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall, or by logging onto Lehighsports.com at anytime.
