Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks to welcome pair of in-state foes
11/11/2009 4:00:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 17 Lehigh will face two of its oldest in-state rivals this weekend as the Mountain Hawks welcome No. 15 Penn State to Stabler Arena on Friday and Pittsburgh to Grace Hall on Sunday. The Mountain Hawks won nine-of-ten bouts on their way to a convincing 31-3 win over Rider in the dual season opener on Sunday. On Friday, Lehigh welcomes Penn State and new head coach Cael Sanderson in the 98th all-time meeting between the rivals, while on Sunday, Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro will square off against his alma mater, and his mentor, Rande Stottlemyer.
Bolstered by bonus point victories at the first three weights, Lehigh rolled past Rider Sunday afternoon inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Senior Matt Fisk won by technical fall at 133 while sophomore John McDonald (125) and senior Seth Ciasulli (141) each won by major decision as Lehigh built a 13-0 lead and went on to win nine of ten bouts on the day as the Mountain Hawks won their second straight season opener. Rider picked up its lone win at 149 as Michael Kessler edged Brian Tanen, but from there Lehigh won the final six bouts by decision to coast to the victory.
In InterMat’s preseason rankings, Lehigh has wrestlers ranked in six of ten weight classes. Sophomore Zach Rey leads the way for the Mountain Hawks at No. 6 at 285. Fisk, and seniors Mike Galante (165) and David Craig (184) are ranked 12th in their respective weight classes, while Ciasulli and junior Alex Caruso come in at No. 18 at 141 and 174 respectively. A seventh Lehigh wrestler, sophomore Joe Kennedy, is not ranked by InterMat, but is ranked by both W.I.N. Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News.
Penn State opens its dual season with Friday night’s dual against the Mountain Hawks. American wrestling legend Cael Sanderson takes over a Penn State program that was 8-12-2 in duals last season before crowning two All-Americans en route to a 17th place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Nittany Lions feature five ranked wrestlers including four men ranked in the top ten. Cyler Sanderson followed his brother to Penn State and is the highest-ranked Nittany Lion at No. 5 at 157. Returning All-American Frank Molinaro is ranked sixth at 141, but will compete at 149 while he works his weight down. Returning All-American Quentin Wright is expected to defer his eligibility this season, along with a highly ranked Penn State true freshman class.
Pittsburgh opens its dual season on Friday with matches against Sacred Heart and Drexel in Philadelphia, before taking on the Mountain Hawks on Sunday. The Panthers unofficially opened their season on Nov. 1 by placing 14 wrestlers at the UB Open in Buffalo, N.Y. Dane Johnson (141), Matt Wilps (197) and Ryan Tomei (285) each picked up titles for Pittsburgh, which was 4-7-1 in duals last season. The Panthers feature a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers, in senior Jimmy Conroy, who is 14th at 133 and sophomore Tyler Nauman, who ranks 13th at 141. At heavyweight, Tomei steps into the starting lineup for graduated All-American Zach Sheaffer, who edged Lehigh’s Zach Rey in the tiebreakers in the Round of 12 at last year’s NCAA Championships.
This weekend, Lehigh will face its two most-often wrestled in-state rivals in Penn State and Pittsburgh. Lehigh has wrestled Penn State more often than any other school in history, with Friday’s dual marking the 98th meeting in the series. The Mountain Hawks snapped a four dual Penn State winning streak with their win last season. Lehigh and Pittsburgh meet for the 55th time on Sunday, with the Mountain Hawks winning 11 of the last 12 duals in the series.
Action begins Friday night when No. 15 Penn State visits Stabler Arena to take on the Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Stabler Arena box office on Friday evening. The Penn State dual is also being billed as White Night, and all Lehigh fans are encouraged to wear white to the match. Sunday’s Lehigh-Pittsburgh dual gets underway at 2 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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Date: |
November 13, 2009 |
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Opponent: |
No. 15 Penn State Nittany Lions |
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First match: |
7:05 p.m. |
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Arena: |
Stabler Arena |
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Location: |
Bethlehem, Pa. |
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Lehigh’s record: |
1-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
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Penn State’s record: |
0-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten |
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Series: |
Penn State leads 61-33-3 |
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Streak: |
Lehigh won last year’s meeting 17-16 (at Penn St.) |
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Television: |
None |
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Radio: |
WLVR-FM (91.3) with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 6:45 p.m. |
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Internet broadcast: |
Live video at Lehighsports.com |
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Behind enemy lines: |
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Date: |
November 15, 2009 |
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Opponent: |
Pittsburgh Panthers |
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First match: |
2:05 p.m. |
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Arena: |
Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall |
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Location: |
Bethlehem, Pa. |
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Lehigh’s record: |
1-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
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Pittsburgh’s record: |
0-0 overall, 0-0 EWL |
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Series: |
Lehigh leads 37-15-2 |
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Streak: |
Lehigh won last year’s meeting 27-9 (at Pittsburgh) |
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Television: |
Service Electric 2 Sports live with Doug Heater and Kyle Berger |
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Radio: |
None |
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Internet broadcast: |
Live video at Lehighsports.com |
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Behind enemy lines: |
