Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh picked seventh, Trenge first
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Bethlehem, PA – The Lehigh wrestling team is ranked seventh in the nation according to the preseason poll released by The Wrestling Mall. Additionally, a quartet of Mountain Hawks is ranked in the top-25 of their weight classes, including Jon Trenge, the top ranked athlete at 197..
The ranking comes after a 2001-2002 campaign that saw the Brown & White win the EIWA Championship and finish seventh at the NCAA Championships, with the graduated Rob Rohn winning the individual title at 184. Plus, the Mountain Hawks add an incoming class that was rated by Amateur Wrestling News as the number 10 class in the nation.
Lehigh, at number seven, received the highest ranking of any team outside the Big 10 or Big 12 conferences. Seven ranked teams are scheduled to grapple with the Mountain Hawks including Iowa (#4), Iowa State (#5), Michigan (#9), Penn (#12), Cornell (#17), Lock Haven (#20) and Harvard (#22).
"We had hoped to be ranked in the top 10, but didn’t expect to be," head coach Greg Strobel said. "We thought we would have to prove our worth in the preseason and move up from there. Being ranked this highly in the preseason is really indicative of our depth and that we are reloading rather than rebuilding."
Minnesota takes home the top ranking in the poll, followed by Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The Big 10 has the most ranked schools with seven of the top-25. The EIWA ties with the Big 12 for second with five teams each.
Trenge heads the list of Lehigh wrestlers ranked in their respective weight class. The junior is the number one ranked wrestler at 197 after the graduation of the legendary Cael Sanderson of Iowa St. The All-American went 31-4 last season, with three of the losses (including the NCAA Final) coming against Sanderson.
Troy Letters is the next highest rated Mountain Hawk. A freshman, Letters is ranked sixth at 165 after deferring his eligibility last season. Mario Stuart is ranked 14th at 125. The junior placed fifth at the NCAA’s in 2000-2001, the highest finish amongst unseeded wrestlers. Mike Pirozzola, a junior, is the 18th rated competitor at 149 after a season that ended prematurely with a rib cartilage tear.
The newcomers, the 10th rated class in the country by Amateur Wrestling News, will be led by transfer Cory Cooperman and freshman Matt Ciasulli. Cooperman, 133/141, was a first team All-American in high school before deferring his freshman season at Minnesota and then transferring to Lehigh. Ciasulli, 125, is a three time Pennsylvania State Champion. The publication also hails Matt Cassidy, Max Gladisch, and Fred Farmer as potential standouts.
"I’m not surprised at all at being ranked this highly due the depth and quality of the wrestlers we’re bringing in," said Strobel. "In my opinion, we may even be slightly underrated at number 10."
Lehigh will open its season on Friday, November 22 when it hosts ninth-ranked Michigan. The 7:00 match will be held in Grace Hall and will mark the last event in the facility before renovations begin.
The Wrestling Mall’s Preseason Top-25 Poll
Rank | Team |
1. | Minnesota |
2. | Oklahoma State |
3. | Oklahoma |
4. | Iowa |
5. | Iowa State |
6. | Ohio State |
7. | Lehigh |
8. | Nebraska |
9. | Michigan |
10. | Illinois |
11. | Arizona State |
12. | Pennsylvania |
13 | West Virginia |
14. | Edinboro |
15. | Purdue |
16. | Northern Iowa |
17. | Cornell |
18. | Missouri |
19. | Boise State |
20. | Lock Haven |
21. | Air Force |
22. | Harvard |
23. | Oregon |
24. | Wisconsin |
25. | Northern Illinois |
Weight Classes
125
Rank | Wrestler | School |
1. | Luke Eustice | Iowa |
2. | Chris Fleeger | Purdue |
3. | Ben Vombaur | Boise State |
4. | Jason Powell | Nebraska |
5. | Skyler Holman | Oklahoma State |
14. | Mario Stuart | Lehigh |
149
Rank | Wrestler | School |
1. | Jared Lawrence | Minnesota |
2. | Jesse Jantzen | Harvard |
3. | Jake Percival | Ohio |
4. | Michael Kulczycki | Michigan |
5. | Collin Robertson | Boise State |
18. | Mike Pirozzola | Lehigh |
165
Rank | Wrestler | School |
1. | Matt Lackey | Illinois |
2. | Tyrone Lewis | Oklahoma State |
3. | Mark Fee | Appalachian State |
4. | Doc Vecchio | Pennsylvania |
5. | Jacob Volkman | Minnesota |
6. | Troy Letters | Lehigh |
197
Rank | Wrestler | School |
1. | Jon Trenge | Lehigh |
2. | Justin Ruiz | Nebraska |
3. | Scott Barker | Missouri |
4. | Kyle Smith | Michigan |
5. | Brent Miller | West Virginia |
