Lehigh University Athletics
Season's final dual pits No. 8 Lehigh vs. Penn
2/19/2009 4:15:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The final dual meet of the regular season pits No. 8 Lehigh against EIWA rival and 25th-ranked Penn, Sunday afternoon inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks ran their dual record to 22-1 with wins over conference foes Army and Franklin & Marshall last weekend, and Lehigh can set a new single-season record for dual wins with a victory over the Quakers. Penn has won five of its last six duals to move back into the national rankings. The Quakers finished second in the EIWA last year and boast three nationally-ranked wrestlers. Sunday’s dual also marks the final home appearance for Lehigh seniors Trevor Chinn, Jamie O’Dowd and Samir Soriano.
The lone senior in Lehigh’s starting lineup, Chinn has been making the most of his final season in the Brown and White. Chinn won his first 11 bouts to start the season and leads the team with a 24-7 record. The senior co-captain is currently ranked No. 15 at 149. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Chinn boasts a 85-44 career record, including a 50-24 mark in duals.
The Mountain Hawks 22 dual wins match the highest single-season total in school history. Lehigh is also tied with Iowa for the most dual wins in Division I this season.
Lehigh is 48-5 in dual meets against EIWA opponents since the start of the 2002-03 season. Penn is the only EIWA team to beat Lehigh twice during that span, with wins in each of the last two seasons.
Penn enters the weekend at 11-6 overall and 6-2 against EIWA opponents. Before visiting Bethlehem on Sunday, the Quakers will square off against Penn State on Friday in State College. Penn fell at Cornell 24-9 last Sunday in Ithaca, N.Y., a loss which snapped a five winning streak for the Quakers. Like Lehigh, Penn competed at the Las Vegas Invitational in December and the Virginia Duals in January.
Last year, the Quakers placed second in the EIWA, just half a point behind Cornell. Despite just three ranked wrestlers in its lineup, Penn brings a dangerous, veteran team into Sunday’s dual. The Quakers three ranked grapplers are junior Rollie Peterkin (No. 11 at 125), senior Cesar Grajales (No. 11 at 149) and senior Matt Dragon (No. 18 at 157).
The Lehigh-Penn series dates back to 1912, with the Mountain Hawks having won 36 of the 47 previous meetings. The Quakers have won the last two meetings in the series, including a 24-15 win last year in Philadelphia. These two schools have met in each of the last 13 seasons after not having wrestled between 1956 and 1996.
Sunday’s dual gets underway at 1 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. A limited number of tickets remain available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Lehigh Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall on Sunday.
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Date: |
February 22, 2009 |
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Opponent: |
No. 25 Penn Quakers |
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First match: |
1:05 p.m. |
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Arena: |
Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130) |
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Location: |
Bethlehem, Pa. |
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Lehigh’s record: |
22-1 overall, 8-0 EIWA |
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Penn’s record: |
11-6 overall, 6-2 EIWA |
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Series: |
Lehigh leads 36-9-2 |
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Streak: |
Penn has won the last two meetings |
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Television: |
Live on Service Electric 2 Sports, Fox College Sports Atlantic and DirecTV Channel 617 with Doug Heater and Kyle Berger |
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Internet broadcast: |
Live video at Lehighsports.com |
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Radio: |
WLVR-FM with Bob Matthews beginning at 12:45 |
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Behind enemy lines: |
Watch Senior Captain Trevor Chinn preview Penn
