Lehigh University Athletics
Trenge and Vitale in the finals
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Las Vegas, Nevada- Lehigh’s wrestling squad is currently third with 115.5 points after completing the semifinal round of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The Brown and White have surpassed last year's record of five Las Vegas Invitational place winners, and have set a new mark with two finalists. All-American Chris Vitale (165) and Jon Trenge (197) will compete in the finals on Saturday evening.
Vitale, the number one seed at 165, will face eleventh seeded Tom McMath of West Virgina. Vitale was a 6-5 winner over fifth seeded Eugene Harris of Oregon in the semifinals. Vitale entered the tournament ranked fourth in the country while Harris is ranked 13th nationally.
Trenge has cruised through the 197-pound weight class recording a pin, a tech fall, and a major decision in three of his four bouts. The junior captain is set to take on Muhammad Lawal of Central Oklahoma in the finals. Lawal is the ranked #1 nationally in Division II while Trenge is ranked third in Division I. Trenge advanced to the finals with a 12-5 win over David Sandberg of Pittsburgh.
Lehigh’s last champion at the Cliff Keen was Matt Ruppel in December 1989, a season where he went undefeated and won a National Championship.
Wrestling action continues on Saturday night as Vitale and Trenge look to bring home championships. An in-depth review of the tournament including results of the Trenge and Vitale finals will be available on the Lehigh website Sunday afternoon.
Top 10 Teams out of 53
Place | Team | Points |
1 | Michigan | 153 |
2 | West Virginia | 122 |
3 | Lehigh | 115.5 |
4 | Pittsburgh | 96.5 |
5 | Arizona St | 96 |
6 | Edinboro | 94.5 |
7 | Nebraska | 83 |
8 | Air Force | 80 |
9 | Oregon St. | 73.5 |
10 | Cornell | 69.5 |
