100th season concludes with 86th Lewis Dinner
4/2/2009 9:15:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh wrestling program held the 86th Lewis Wrestling Dinner on Saturday, March 28, at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, to look back on the recently completed 100th season of Lehigh Wrestling. Over 150 wrestlers, parents, alumni, friends, coaches and support staff were on hand for the event hosted by Lehigh All-America Ryan Bernholz ‘01, which featured dinner, as well as comments from head coach Pat Santoro and graduating senior student-athletes Trevor Chinn, Jamie O’Dowd and Samir Soriano.
Several Lehigh program awards were handed out for individual accomplishments from the recently completed season.
The program’s highest honor, the Scholar-Athlete Award went to sophomore Manuel Schubert. Given to the student who best combines academics and athletics, Schubert, a biology major holds a 3.98 cumulative grade point average, and has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in six of his first seven semesters at Lehigh.
Freshman Zach Rey was named the team’s Outstanding Athlete, awarded to the team member who makes the most outstanding athletic contribution to the accomplishment of the team. Rey posted a 23-6 record in his first season as Lehigh’s starter at heavyweight, reaching the EIWA finals and reaching the All-America round of 12 at the NCAA tournament.
The Coaches Award went to senior Trevor Chinn. The award is given to the individual who made significant contributions to the well-being of the team in terms of attitude, improvement, or special leadership. Chinn led the Mountain Hawks with 30 victories in his senior campaign. A team co-captain, Chinn qualified for his third NCAA tournament and completes his Lehigh career with 91 wins.
Two new awards were also added to this year’s program.
The Gerald G. Leeman Award was established by Lehigh’s most decorated wrestler, Mike Caruso ’67 to honor annual a special wrestler whose enthusiasm, determination and character most emulates that of the Hall of Fame Coach. The focus of this award is about “heart” and perseverance and not necessarily about skill or won-loss record. The inaugural winner of the Gerald G. Leeman Award was junior Seth Ciasulli, who bumped up from 133 to 141 before the season and finished the year by winning an EIWA Championship, while posting a 27-10 mark and a team-best 10 falls.
A final, yet-to-be-named award was handed out, recognizing the accomplishments of a wrestler who is either a non-starter or who deferred his eligibility this season. Freshman Robert Hamlin was the first winner of this award. Hamlin posted an impressive 30-6 record in his deferred freshman season and placed in six open tournaments, including a victory at the Wilkes Open in late December.
The Lehigh wrestling banquet was made possible by the Lehigh Athletics Partnership program, whose mission it is to promote interest in Lehigh Athletics, to encourage and provide financial support to the program and to enhance relations with all former participants, fans, friends, and parents of Lehigh student-athletes. For more information about the Partnership Program, please call Travis Spencer at (610) 758-6855.
