Lehigh wrestlers making progress towards start of 2011-12 season
10/20/2011 10:42:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With a week and a half of preseason practice under its belt the Lehigh wrestling team is making steady progress in preparation for the upcoming 2011-12 season. The season-opening Brown and White Wrestle-offs are just a one week away, and while Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro is pleased with what he's seen from the Mountain Hawks so far, he knows there is plenty of work to be done before the season opener.
Lehighsports.com caught up with Santoro prior to Thursday's workout. His thoughts on the progress of the team through the opening week and a half of camp can be seen below.
With the season rapidly approaching, a number of media outlets have begun to release preseason polls. Lehigh has six individuals ranked by Amateur Wrestling News, in preseason polls released last week. Returning national champion Zach Rey maintains his No. 1 ranking at heavyweight, while finalist Robert Hamlin is ranked second at 184. All-American Brandon Hatchett is ranked fourth at 165. Lehigh's two round of 12 wrestlers from last season, senior Joe Kennedy and sophomore Steve Dutton are both ranked in the top ten, with Kennedy coming in at No. 8 at 197 and Dutton at No. 9 at 141. Freshman Mason Beckman is the sixth Mountain Hawk rated in the NCAA Poll, coming in at No. 18 at 125.
The Mountain Hawks also have six wrestlers ranked by InterMat, with Rey, Hamlin, Hatchett and Kennedy maintaining the same spots as in the AWN poll. Dutton is rated one spot higher at 141, while deferred freshman Anthony Salupo is ranked 18th at 149. In the team tournament strength rankings, Lehigh is tied with EIWA rival Cornell for fifth, trailing just Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma State and Minnesota.
Lehigh's annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs are set for Thursday, October 27 at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks' season begins November 6 at the Buffalo Open, while the first dual meet is set for November 12 when Lehigh welcomes Pittsburgh to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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