Santoro adds 15 in one of nation's top recruiting classes

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off back-to-back top ten finishes at the NCAA Championships, Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro has announced the addition of 15 student-athletes who will join the Mountain Hawks' wrestling program in the fall. Although large in number, this incoming class comes in with a lengthy list of accomplishments, which should complement the talent in Lehigh's room.

The incoming group represents seven states: California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Oregon Pennsylvania, and West Virginia; and the 15 wrestlers have combined to win 18 state championships, including two wrestlers who are four-time state champions.

“We're excited about the kids we have in the class,” said Santoro, who was voted EIWA Coach of the Year for the second time in March. “Not just athletically; they're good students and good people. They value education and they value winning. We're excited about that. They're hungry. They want to see the program go to the next level, and they want to be a part of it.”

Six members of the incoming class are ranked in the top 100 by InterMat Wrestling, led by heavyweight prospect Doug Vollaro from Florida. Vollaro placed third in Massachusetts as a freshman before moving to Florida, where he won a state title for Oviedo High School as a sophomore. Most recently, Vollaro won the NHSCA senior nationals in folkstyle, and competed for the USA team at the prestigious Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, picking up a sudden victory win. Vollaro, who graduated from high school a semester early, won Flonationals in folkstyle in 2011 and competed at junior nationals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman last year placing third in both.

Santoro has also brought in three highly-regarded Lehigh Valley products in Easton's Mitch Minotti and Bethlehem Catholic teammates Randy Cruz and Elliott Riddick.

Minotti comes in at No. 31 in the InterMat rankings after becoming a four-time Pennsylvania AAA place winner. A state champion at 140 as a junior, Minotti capped his high school career by placing third in the state with a 44-1 record. He also placed seventh and fifth in two previous state entries. Minotti captured a NHSCA title as a junior and also won a championship at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December, 2010. He projects at 149-157 for the Mountain Hawks.

Cruz is ranked 37th by InterMat after capturing a AA state title as a senior, and becoming a four-time place winner and three-time state finalist. His state title capped a season in which he won the Walsh Ironman tournament and placed second at the Beast of the East at 132. The three-time District XI Champion and three-time regional champion finished his high school career at 152-20 with his 152 wins the most in school history. Cruz placed third and first in his class in two appearances at the NHSCA nationals and also owns a fourth place finish at the Super 32 tournament.

Riddick blossomed in his senior season, capturing a AA state title at 170 to go along with his second straight district and regional titles. He placed fourth at 160 at states as a junior and amassed a 141-26 career record. As a senior, Riddick took second at both the Super 32 and Beast of the East tournaments and also finished third at the Walsh Ironman. Riddick is ranked 72nd overall by InterMat.

“Lehigh is known nationally for academics, so we attract kids from all over but we also want to target the local talent which we did this year,” Santoro explained. It was really nice. The kids are right in our backyard that's what we want to continue to do. We want to keep them home and have them wrestle for Lehigh.”

Four-time Oregon state champion Brandon Griffin is the second highest wrestler in the incoming class, coming in at No. 23 according to InterMat. Griffin captured state titles at four different weight classes (160, 171, 189, 182) and amassed a career record of 172-2. He is a two-time finalist at the Super 32, winning a title as a junior while finishing second in his senior season. Last spring Griffin finished third in folkstyle at Flonationals, while the year prior he captured a FILA Cadet national title in Greco-Roman.

The sixth member of the incoming class ranked in the InterMat top 100 is Brian Brill from Central Mountain High School, who is ranked 45th. Brill went 81-1 over his final two seasons, winning a state title at 145 following 44-0 junior campaign before coming in second at

160 as a senior. A fifth place finisher as a sophomore, Brill finished with a 156-12 career record. Brill competed (and won) for Pennsylvania in last month's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, while in freestyle he placed second at Cadet Nationals in 2009.

The second four-time state champion in the class is David Jeffrey from Parkersburg South High School in West Virginia. Jeffrey posted a 210-9 career record and holds school single-season records for wins (57) and falls (38). His fourth title came at 126 after previous championships at 112 and 119. Jeffery placed eighth at the 2009 Walsh Ironman, while academically, he was a four-time All-State selection and Principals List student.

Santoro has also brought in a pair of New York state champions in Ben Haas and Zach Diekel.

Haas is a five-time state qualifier and two-time champion from Salamanca High School in Little Valley, N.Y. The owner of a 243-40 career record, Haas won state titles at 145 and 152 in his final two seasons, going 48-3 as a junior and 49-1 as a senior. Haas was named the most outstanding wrestler in section 6 as a senior, and was twice named Wrestler of the Year by the Post Journal and the Olean Times Herald. He is also the Salutatorian in his graduating class.

Diekel comes to Lehigh from Whitehall High School in upstate New York. The son of three-time Lehigh All-American Paul Diekel '86, Zach is a four-time state place winner, finishing fourth, fifth, third and first in the last four seasons. He captured a state title at 195, capping a 40-2 senior season. Diekel set a school record with 234 career victories and was a five-time section champion.

Arty Walsh is a state champion and three-time Pennsylvania AA place winner from Schuylkill Valley High School, who should provide depth at the lighter weights. Walsh won a state title at 103 as a freshman for Wyomissing High School, and added fifth (at 130) and third (at 126) place finishes in his final two years wrestling for Schuylkill Valley. A two-time district champion and three-time regional champion, Walsh was 161-15 over his high school career with 75 falls and was a junior national All-American in Greco in 2011.

A state champion and National Prep place winner, Will Switzer comes to Lehigh from Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland. Switzer won titles at the MIAA and MIS tournaments as a junior and placed fourth and seventh in the 2011 and 2010 National Prep Championships at Stabler Arena. An injury cut Switzer's senior season short, but he still finished with a 159-21 career record. He also won a NHSCA sophomore national title in 2010.

Another incoming recruit who should provide depth at the lightweights is Laike Gardner, a three-time Pennsylvania place winner from Biglerville. Gardner is ranked in the top 20 nationally by The Open Mat and placed seventh, second and third in his last three seasons. He compiled a 165-26 career record. A two-time district and regional champ, Gardner placed fifth at the Super 32 tournament and fourth at the King of the Mountain in late 2011 and laced summer placed fifth in Greco-Roman at junior nationals in Fargo, N.D.

Cody Kievman is another Pennsylvania lightweight who will be joining the Mountain Hawks this fall. Kievman saw time at Minersville and Tri-Valley High Schools before settling in at Blue Mountain. The owner of 120 career wins, Kievman is a three-time district place winner and a two-time regional place winner.

The eighth and final Pennsylvania native in the class is Sam Scheib from Tri-Valley High School. A three-time state qualifier, Scheib took seventh as a senior at 160 and is a three-time regional place winner and four-time district place winner. Scheib posted an 81-9 record over his last two seasons, including a district title as a senior.

Rounding out the incoming class is heavyweight Tim Glauninger from Hillsborough, California. Glauninger competed at 215 his first three seasons before moving up to 285, where he qualified for the state tournament, capping a 31-10 season with 18 falls. He won WCAL and Central Coast Sectional titles as well.

''This class covers just about every weight class,” Santoro said about the incoming class, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation by InterMat. “Kids will be fighting for positions but it's going to make the room better. Iron sharpens Iron. We have a competitive room. We're always going to try to have a competitive room. That's what helps people become national champions and All-Americans. It's a very focused group. They're hungry, and they want to win national championships.”

The Mountain Hawks will lose seven seniors to graduation, but return five NCAA qualifiers, including EIWA Champion Shane Welsh and two-time All-American Robert Hamlin for the 2012-13 season.

Lehigh Wrestling Class of 2016

Name	Hometown/High School	Proj. Wt.	College
Brian Brill	Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain	157/165	Business
Randy Cruz	Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic	133/141	Arts and Sciences
Zach Diekel	Whitehall, N.Y./Whitehall	197	Engineering
Laike Gardner	Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville	133/141	Engineering
Tim Glauninger	Hillsborough, Calif./Junipero Serra	285	Engineering
Brandon Griffin	Salem, Ore./Sprague	184	Arts and Sciences
Ben Haas	Little Valley, N.Y./Salamanca	157	Engineering
David Jeffrey	Mineral Wells, W. Va./Parkersburg South	125	Arts and Sciences
Cody Kievman	Minersville, Pa./Blue Mountain	125/133	Arts and Sciences
Mitch Minotti	Easton, Pa./Easton	149/157	Business
Elliott Riddick	Whitehall, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic	174/184	Engineering
Sam Scheib	Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley	165	Business
Will Switzer	Severna Park, Md./Archbishop Spalding	149	Arts and Sciences
Doug Vollaro	Oviedo, Fla./Pine Castle Christian	285	Engineering
Arty Walsh	Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley	125/133	Arts and Sciences

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Santoro adds 15 in one of nation's top recruiting classes

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