Lehigh hits the road for battles with No. 2 Penn State, Bloomsburg
11/14/2012 7:57:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh wrestling team takes to the road for the first time this season with a pair of weekend duals against in-state foes. The 21st-ranked Mountain Hawks will first visit two-time defending national champion Penn State Friday in the 101st dual meet between the longtime Eastern rivals. Then, Lehigh will stop in Bloomsburg to face the Huskies Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks opened their season with a 23-16 win over Binghamton on November 8. Freshman Eric Hess won by fall at 165 as Lehigh won six of ten bouts against the Bearcats. The Mountain Hawks also got major decision wins from junior Joey Napoli and senior Robert Hamlin.
Junior Joey Napoli won by major decision against Binghamton in his return to the Mountain Hawks lineup after deferring his eligibility last season while bumping up to 157. Napoli made the most of his deferred year, posting a 31-6 record competing unattached in open competition. He won titles at the TCNJ Open, Mat Town Invitational and Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic en route to being named Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year. Napoli was a two-year starter at 149. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2011, going 1-2. A Mechanical Engineering major, Napoli was named to the NWCA All-Academic Team following the 2010-11 season.
Penn State opens its dual meet season on Friday night. The Nittany Lions were 13-1 in duals a year ago and went on to capture both the Big Ten and NCAA team championships. Penn State's lineup features five All-Americans, three NCAA Champions and seven men currently ranked in the top ten by Amateur Wrestling News. Four of Penn State's projected starters wrestled in the NCAA finals a year ago, with David Taylor and Ed Ruth winning national titles. Ruth has moved up from 174 to 184 while Taylor competes at 165 where he defeated Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh in the finals a year ago. Both men are ranked No. 2 at their respective weight classes along with sophomores Nico Megaludis (125) and Dylan Alton (157). Quentin Wright, the 2011 national champion at 184, has moved up to 197. Cael Sanderson begins his fourth season at Penn State after three seasons at his alma mater, Iowa State.
Lehigh will wrestle a tough Bloomsburg squad on Saturday in the first meeting between the schools since 1993. The Huskies opened their season with a 3-0 showing last weekend at the Campbell Duals in Buies Creek, N.C. Bloomsburg posted wins over Arizona State (18-16), Utah Valley State (25-10) and the host Camels (29-9). The Huskies, who are receiving votes in the NWCA/USA Today/A.W.N. Coaches Poll, feature four nationally-ranked wrestlers within their projected starters, led by Frank Hickman, who is ranked sixth at 157 by Amateur Wrestling News. In addition, Nick Wilcox is ranked 17th at 133. Bloomsburg is also strong in the upper weights where Richard Perry (197) and Justin Grant (285) are both ranked 19th at their respective weight classes. John Stutzman is in his eighth season as the head coach at Bloomsburg.
Lehigh has wrestled Penn State more often than any other opponent in school history as Friday's dual marks the 101st meeting in the series, which dates back to 1911. Penn State has won the last two meetings while the Mountain Hawks won the previous two meetings in the series. Lehigh and Bloomsburg will meet on Saturday for the first time since 1993. The series is even at 1-1-1.
Action begins Friday night when Lehigh meets Penn State at 7 p.m. inside Rec Hall. The match will air live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com, with pre-match coverage beginning at 6:45. Saturday's Lehigh-Bloomsburg match will begin at 2 p.m. from Nelson Field House. There will be no broadcast coverage, but fans can follow along with all the action through Twitter by following @LehighSports or @LehighWrestling.
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Date:
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November 16, 2012
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Opponent:
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No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions
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First match:
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7:00 p.m.
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Arena:
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Rec Hall (6,846)
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Location:
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University Park, Pa.
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Lehigh's record:
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1-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA
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Penn State's record:
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0-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten
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Series:
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Penn State leads 63-34-3
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Streak:
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Penn State has won the last two meetings
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Television:
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None
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Radio:
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ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with Steve Lomangino beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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Internet broadcast:
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Live audio at Lehighsports.com
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Behind enemy lines:
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Date:
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November 17, 2012
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Opponent:
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Bloomsburg Huskies
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First match:
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2:00 p.m.
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Arena:
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Nelson Field House (2,000)
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Location:
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Bloomsburg, Pa.
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Lehigh's record:
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1-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA
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Bloomsburg's record
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3-0 overall, 0-0 EWL
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Series:
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Tied 1-1-1
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Streak:
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Bloomsburg won the most recent meeting
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Television:
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None
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Radio:
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None
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Internet broadcast:
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None
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Behind enemy lines:
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Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, March 12
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Thursday, February 20
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, December 04
Season Preview: Wrestling
Wednesday, October 30
