Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh does a split in Midwest
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Lehigh made a trip to tangle with the Midwest powerhouses of Iowa St. and Iowa last weekend for the first time in over eight years. The Mountain Hawks did something they had not done in over 35 years, while also accomplishing something they had never done in the 94 years of Lehigh wrestling. Lehigh did not have a win in either series since defeating the Cyclones at Grace Hall in 1967. Additionally, the Mountain Hawks were 0-23 against those two teams in duals on their home turf.
No. 7 Lehigh changed that Saturday night when it toppled the 11th ranked Iowa St. team in Ames, 20-12. The Mountain Hawks lost four of the first five bouts, before storming back to win. The comeback did not come easy, as freshmen Troy Letters (165) and Travis Frick (184) needed riding time to escape with victories. The Cyclones still stood a chance in the night’s last bout, but junior All-American Jon Trenge scored a major decision to propel Lehigh to the milestone win.
"I was really pleased with the effort by our guys tonight," head coach Greg Strobel said after the match. "It could have gone either way, but we were able to win the close matches. Our guys fought through some tough stretches and it really showed their mental toughness."
The Mountain Hawks went into Iowa City hoping for their first ever victory over the Hawkeyes and a first ever Midwest sweep. But No. 2 Iowa and its eight ranked starters were too much for Lehigh to handle, as the Hawkeyes defended the home mat with a 26-12 win. The match was not without its Lehigh highlights, however. At 133, freshman Cory Cooperman, ranked No. 12, upset the nation’s fourth ranked Cliff Moore. Letters kept his undefeated season alive with a major decision at 165, and Trenge put up 21 points in his victory at 197.
"There is nothing like wrestling in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, or beating a Hawkeye there," Strobel said. "With their ranking and having crushed No. 1 Minnesota, our goal was to go in and win some matches. We wanted to fight and see what we could do. We won four matches, to their six, and two of our losses were very close. We competed well. The match was a big challenge and our guys rose well to meet it."
Trenge, Letters, and freshman Derek Zinck, No. 15 at 157, were the only three Mountain Hawks to go a perfect 2-0 on the trip.
Lehigh gets a chance to defend its home mat when the grapplers host the Sheridan Duals on Saturday, December 7.
No. 7 Lehigh changed that Saturday night when it toppled the 11th ranked Iowa St. team in Ames, 20-12. The Mountain Hawks lost four of the first five bouts, before storming back to win. The comeback did not come easy, as freshmen Troy Letters (165) and Travis Frick (184) needed riding time to escape with victories. The Cyclones still stood a chance in the night’s last bout, but junior All-American Jon Trenge scored a major decision to propel Lehigh to the milestone win.
"I was really pleased with the effort by our guys tonight," head coach Greg Strobel said after the match. "It could have gone either way, but we were able to win the close matches. Our guys fought through some tough stretches and it really showed their mental toughness."
The Mountain Hawks went into Iowa City hoping for their first ever victory over the Hawkeyes and a first ever Midwest sweep. But No. 2 Iowa and its eight ranked starters were too much for Lehigh to handle, as the Hawkeyes defended the home mat with a 26-12 win. The match was not without its Lehigh highlights, however. At 133, freshman Cory Cooperman, ranked No. 12, upset the nation’s fourth ranked Cliff Moore. Letters kept his undefeated season alive with a major decision at 165, and Trenge put up 21 points in his victory at 197.
"There is nothing like wrestling in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, or beating a Hawkeye there," Strobel said. "With their ranking and having crushed No. 1 Minnesota, our goal was to go in and win some matches. We wanted to fight and see what we could do. We won four matches, to their six, and two of our losses were very close. We competed well. The match was a big challenge and our guys rose well to meet it."
Trenge, Letters, and freshman Derek Zinck, No. 15 at 157, were the only three Mountain Hawks to go a perfect 2-0 on the trip.
Lehigh gets a chance to defend its home mat when the grapplers host the Sheridan Duals on Saturday, December 7.
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