After weekend off, No. 21 Lehigh set to host Hofstra and Penn
11/28/2012 7:05:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a rare Thanksgiving weekend away from competition, No. 21 Lehigh returns home for a pair of duals against regional foes. The Mountain Hawks will host Hofstra Friday night before welcoming EIWA rival Penn Saturday afternoon in the conference opener for both teams. Lehigh went 1-1 on its first road trip of the season, falling 29-6 at Penn State on November 16 before bouncing back with an 18-12 win at Bloomsburg the following day.
Junior Joey Napoli has impressed in his first three matches this season, going 3-0 with a pair of wins over wrestlers ranked in the top six nationally. Two weeks ago, Napoli defeated No. 2 Dylan Alton of Penn State 4-2 and the next day won a 6-0 decision over Frank Hickman of Bloomsburg. The wins propelled Napoli to EIWA Co-Wrestler of the Week honors and vaulted him to No. 5 in the Amateur W
restling News poll. A 2011 NCAA Qualifier and NWCA All-Academic Team honoree, Napoli posted a 31-6 record while deferring his eligibility last season. He won three open tournament titles and was named Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year.
restling News poll. A 2011 NCAA Qualifier and NWCA All-Academic Team honoree, Napoli posted a 31-6 record while deferring his eligibility last season. He won three open tournament titles and was named Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year.The Hofstra Pride come to Bethlehem Friday night searching for their first dual meet win of the season. The Pride have been busy, competing in six duals and two tournaments in the early season. Hofstra opened its season with road losses to Big Ten members Minnesota and Wisconsin. Last weekend, the Pride competed at the Northeast Duals, where they suffered losses to Bloomsburg, Oklahoma, Central Michigan and Purdue. Hofstra's lineup features a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers in senior Steve Bonanno (125) and junior Luke Vaith (141).
The Penn Quakers come to Leeman-Turner Arena Saturday in the EIWA dual opener for both teams. Penn opened its dual season with a 35-10 setback at Oklahoma State last Sunday. The Quakers started well, with wins in three of the first four bouts courtesy of Mark Rappo (125), C.J. Cobb (141) and Andrew Lenzi (149). Rappo is one of two ranked Quakers along with Micah Burak at 197, but Burak did not compete at Oklahoma State last weekend. Penn opened its season by taking second place at the Keystone Classic, which it hosted at the Palestra on November 18. Cobb and Canaan Bethea (184) won titles to pace the Quakers.
Saturday's Lehigh-Penn dual marks the ninth consecutive season that Lehigh's legendary former coach, Billy Sheridan, is honored with a single dual meet against a high profile opponent. This year marks the third year in a row that the single Sheridan Dual pits Lehigh against an EIWA rival. From 2000-2003 Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Duals, a series of duals in which the Mountain Hawks faced three opponents on the first or second Saturday in December at Stabler Arena. Before that, Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Tournament, which began in 1979.
Saturday's Lehigh-Penn dual marks the ninth consecutive season that Lehigh's legendary former coach, Billy Sheridan, is honored with a single dual meet against a high profile opponent. This year marks the third year in a row that the single Sheridan Dual pits Lehigh against an EIWA rival. From 2000-2003 Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Duals, a series of duals in which the Mountain Hawks faced three opponents on the first or second Saturday in December at Stabler Arena. Before that, Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Tournament, which began in 1979.
Lehigh and Hofstra will meet Friday for the 14th time overall and the first time since 2008. The Pride have won three of the last four duals after Lehigh won eight of the first nine. Pat Santoro will face Hofstra for the first time as Lehigh's head coach. Lehigh and Penn meet for the 52nd time Saturday in a series that dates back to 1912. The Mountain Hawks have won 41 of the 51 meetings including four straight. These two schools have met in each of the last 17 seasons after not having wrestled between 1956 and 1996.
Action begins Friday when Lehigh hosts Hofstra at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Saturday's Lehigh-Penn dual will begin at 1 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to Lehighsports.com at any time, or by 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
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Date:
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November 30, 2012
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Opponent:
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Hofstra Pride
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First match:
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7:05 p.m.
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Arena:
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Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130)
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's record:
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2-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA
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Hofstra's record:
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0-6 overall, 0-0 CAA
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Series:
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Lehigh leads 9-4
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Streak:
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Hofstra won the most recent meeting and three of last four
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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 and Gary Brownell beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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Internet broadcast:
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Lehighsports.com
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Behind enemy lines:
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Date:
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December 1, 2012
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Opponent:
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Penn Quakers
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First match:
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1:05 p.m.
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Arena:
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Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130)
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's record:
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2-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA
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Penn's record:
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0-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA
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Series:
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Lehigh leads 41-9-1
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Streak:
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Lehigh has won the last four 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 and Gary Brownell beginning at 12:45 p.m.
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Internet broadcast:
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Lehighsports.com
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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
