Lehigh University Athletics
Eight Lehigh wreslters ranked by InterMat
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Bethlethem, PA – Eight of Lehigh’s 10 starting wrestlers are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes, according to the Preseason InterMat Wrestling Poll. Additionally, the Mountain Hawks are picked as the ninth best team in the country by InterMat.
Junior Jon Trenge is the preseason favorite at 197, after a sophomore season in which he went 31-4, with three losses coming to the legendary Cael Sanderson of Iowa State, including the NCAA final. Trenge and freshman Troy Letters are the only two Lehigh grapplers rated in the top ten at their weights. Letters ranks ninth at 165 entering his initial campaign for the Mountain Hawks.
Letters is just one of four ranked freshmen on the Lehigh squad, joining Cory Cooperman, Derek Zinck and Travis Frick. Cooperman is the 12th ranked wrestler at 133 after transferring from Minnesota. Zinck is No. 16 at 157, while Frick rates 20th at 184.
Trenge’s co-captain, junior Brad Dillon is the 13th ranked contender in the 174 lb class, making him the fourth highest rated Mountain Hawk. Senior Tristan Boyd and former All-American junior Mario Stuart are the final two rated Lehigh wrestlers. At 141, Boyd is ranked 18th, while Stuart is No. 20 at 125.
"I think having eight of our 10 projected starters ranked says a lot about the depth of our program," head coach Greg Strobel said. "To have that many guys ranked after graduating seven wrestlers who competed at Easterns last season is great. Our goal is to try and get all of starters ranked, and as many in the top eight as possible."
Minnesota has the honor of the top ranking in the poll, although the Mountain Hawks are InterMat’s highest ranked team that is not a member of either the Big 10 or Big 12 conferences. Lehigh will get a chance to prove itself against several of those teams, with matches against third ranked Iowa, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 8 Michigan. The Michigan match, scheduled for November 22, will be the final match in Grace Hall before the venue undergoes renovations.
"Being ranked ninth puts us in a good position," Strobel commented. "It is always good to be in the top ten in the preseason, especially with the amount of youth we have in the lineup."
The Mountain Hawks will hold Wrestle-Offs on Tuesday at Grace Hall. The first two wrestlers hit the mats at 7:00.
Lehigh’s Ranked Wrestlers
Rank | Wrestler | Weight |
1 | Jon Trenge | 197 |
9 | Troy Letters | 165 |
12 | Cory Cooperman | 133 |
13 | 174 | |
16 | Derek Zinck | 157 |
18 | Tristan Boyd | 141 |
20 | Travis Frick | 184 |
20 | Mario Stuart | 125 |
InterMat Top 10
Rank | School |
1 | Minnesota |
2 | Oklahoma St. |
3 | Iowa |
4 | Oklahoma |
5 | Iowa St. |
6 | Missouri |
7 | Ohio St. |
8 | Michigan |
9 | Lehigh |
10 | West Virginia |
