2013-14 Lehigh wrestling season outlook
10/31/2013 11:41:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
The goals remain the same for the Lehigh wrestling program as the Mountain Hawks embark on the 2013-14 season. The Mountain Hawks still have their eyes set on March where the goal is to produce national champions and All-Americans, but with a smaller and younger squad, the road to get there may be slightly different.
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As Lehigh prepares to begin the season, half the weight classes feature an ongoing competition for the starting spot. At any given time the Mountain Hawks' lineup could feature eight or nine freshmen or sophomores forcing sixth-year mentor Pat Santoro to alter his approach.
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"We're not going to focus on wins and losses a whole lot," Santoro said. "Obviously, we want to win every chance we get but it's going to be a process. We have to learn to compete at the highest level and that's going to be a process for some of these young guys. Some of these guys can really do it, but we're going to have some ups and downs. That's a part of competition.
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Santoro continued, "Sometimes in the season you can get caught up on the week-to-week instead of the process. It's that journey that really helps you become a better wrestler. If you set goals to just get a little better every day and understand that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves."
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The Mountain Hawks do return all three of their individual champions from last March senior Joey Napoli, junior Nathaniel Brown and sophomore Randy Cruz, the latter two of whom are expected to move up a weight class. Lehigh's lineup will also be bolstered by the return of sophomore Mason Beckman from a strong year in which he deferred eligibility. Lehigh's 2012 recruiting class was one of the nation's best and several key wrestlers from that group will come off deferred eligibility years to try and prove themselves at the varsity level.
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Santoro will test his young squad with a challenging schedule that includes three of the top five finishers from last year's NCAA Championships and home duals against national powers Penn State and Iowa as well as EIWA rivals Bucknell, Navy and Rutgers, among others.
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"We're always going to have a challenging schedule," said Santoro. "We want to wrestle the best. We're fortunate this year to have some great teams coming in and we're looking forward to having some big crowds for these home matches. We have a young team that's going to be fun to watch. They're going to be tested a lot this year and they're going to get a lot better from this experience."
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Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2013-14:
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125 – Lehigh has four wrestlers certified at this weight class, including three true freshmen. Two-time Pennsylvania state champion and Bethlehem Catholic product Darian Cruz and three-time Ohio place winner Artem Timchenko will likely battle for the starting spot with the other likely to defer eligibility. Also in the mix are sophomore Cody Kievman, who saw time in two duals at 133 last season, and freshman Dean Somers from Michigan.
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133 – Mason Beckman returns from his deferred season to man this weight class. Beckman enjoyed a brilliant deferred campaign going 39-4 with eight falls en route to being named Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year. In seven open tournament appearances, Beckman won five individual titles to go along with a second and third place finish. He also finished fourth at the Midlands Championships in late December while competing unattached. Beckman was 27-11 as a true freshman, finishing fourth in the EIWA and going 1-2 at NCAAs.
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141 – One of Lehigh's deeper weights with five wrestlers in the mix: sophomores Randy Cruz and Laike Gardner, junior Jim Carucci, deferred freshman Will Switzer and true freshman Drew Longo. Cruz went 31-12 at 133 becoming Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980 as he moves up to 141 with Beckman's return at 133. Gardner also moves up to 141 permanently after going 6-6 last season. Don't count out Carucci and Switzer, who have been competitive in the wrestling room.
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149 – The graduation of 2012 EIWA champion Shane Welsh opens the door for deferred freshman Mitch Minotti. The Easton native posted an impressive 38-10 record in open tournaments last season with late season titles at the Edinboro Open and the National Collegiate Open. Junior Michael Stepien is behind Minotti on the depth chart.
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157 – EIWA champion Joey Napoli returns for his senior season in search of his first All-America medal. Napoli won 18 of his first 20 bouts last season to claim his first EIWA title and earn a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Championships. A two-time NCAA qualifier with 57 career victories to his credit, Napoli looks to bounce back from an 0-2 showing at nationals last year with a strong senior campaign. Behind Napoli are juniors Cal Stack and Dillon Smith and newcomer Billy Ramsey.
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165 – A pair of second-year wrestlers, Brian Brill and Ben Haas will compete for time here. Brill went 10-4 as a freshman placing third at a pair of open tournaments before suffering a season-ending injury at the Midlands. He should receive a medical redshirt. When Brill went down, Haas stepped into the lineup, where he represented the Mountain Hawks at 165 at the EIWA Championships. With a full off-season of training under his belt Haas will look to improve upon his 2013 performance. Junior Will Sullivan also certified here.
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174 – Junior Nathaniel Brown, the defending EIWA Champion, is expected to move up to 184 opening the door for freshman Elliot Riddick. The heaviest of the three Bethlehem Catholic products on the Lehigh roster, Riddick went 18-9 in his deferred season last year, capped with a first place finish at the National Collegiate Open in late February.
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184 – Lehigh must replace one of its all-time greats in three-time All-American Robert Hamlin, who graduated last May. Brown will likely move up from 174 but could defer his eligibility this season to grow into the new weight class. That leaves deferred freshman Zach Diekel and senior Austin Meys, who has been cleared to return to competition after missing the last two seasons battling Guillain-Barre syndrome. Meys went 21-10 with 11 falls in 2010-11, his only official season of competition, but was afflicted with the disease late in that campaign.
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197 – Sophomore John Bolich fell one win shy of qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a freshman, as he finished fifth at the EIWA tournament. Bolich went 15-14 in his freshman campaign and will look to qualify for his first NCAA tournament. Backup David Quackenbos will be sidelined for the season with an injury suffered in preseason practice.
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285 – Sophomore Max Wessell and deferred freshman Doug Vollaro are both expected to see time here as the season unfolds. Wessell moved up from 197 to heavyweight in late January and finished with a 15-8 record, including six wins by fall. He finished seventh at the EIWA Championships. Vollaro came to Lehigh as one of the nation's top recruits and went 18-6 in his deferred year before suffering a season-ending injury at the Midlands. Sophomore Jack Delia will also vie for time here.
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Lehigh will open its 2013-14 season this weekend when the Mountain Hawks send a contingent of wrestlers to the Knight Point Clarion Open, Sunday in Clarion, Pa. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send more than 20 wrestlers to Clarion including starters and wrestlers still competing for starting spots. Mason Beckman will not wrestle in the Clarion Open because he will be competing against A.J. Schopp of Edinboro in the NWCA All-Star Classic Saturday in Fairfax, Va.
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The Mountain Hawks will open the dual meet season against Bucknell, Saturday November 9 at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets for Lehigh wrestling can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting Lehighsports.com.
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As Lehigh prepares to begin the season, half the weight classes feature an ongoing competition for the starting spot. At any given time the Mountain Hawks' lineup could feature eight or nine freshmen or sophomores forcing sixth-year mentor Pat Santoro to alter his approach.
Â
"We're not going to focus on wins and losses a whole lot," Santoro said. "Obviously, we want to win every chance we get but it's going to be a process. We have to learn to compete at the highest level and that's going to be a process for some of these young guys. Some of these guys can really do it, but we're going to have some ups and downs. That's a part of competition.
Â
Santoro continued, "Sometimes in the season you can get caught up on the week-to-week instead of the process. It's that journey that really helps you become a better wrestler. If you set goals to just get a little better every day and understand that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves."
Â
The Mountain Hawks do return all three of their individual champions from last March senior Joey Napoli, junior Nathaniel Brown and sophomore Randy Cruz, the latter two of whom are expected to move up a weight class. Lehigh's lineup will also be bolstered by the return of sophomore Mason Beckman from a strong year in which he deferred eligibility. Lehigh's 2012 recruiting class was one of the nation's best and several key wrestlers from that group will come off deferred eligibility years to try and prove themselves at the varsity level.
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Santoro will test his young squad with a challenging schedule that includes three of the top five finishers from last year's NCAA Championships and home duals against national powers Penn State and Iowa as well as EIWA rivals Bucknell, Navy and Rutgers, among others.
Â
"We're always going to have a challenging schedule," said Santoro. "We want to wrestle the best. We're fortunate this year to have some great teams coming in and we're looking forward to having some big crowds for these home matches. We have a young team that's going to be fun to watch. They're going to be tested a lot this year and they're going to get a lot better from this experience."
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Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2013-14:
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125 – Lehigh has four wrestlers certified at this weight class, including three true freshmen. Two-time Pennsylvania state champion and Bethlehem Catholic product Darian Cruz and three-time Ohio place winner Artem Timchenko will likely battle for the starting spot with the other likely to defer eligibility. Also in the mix are sophomore Cody Kievman, who saw time in two duals at 133 last season, and freshman Dean Somers from Michigan.
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133 – Mason Beckman returns from his deferred season to man this weight class. Beckman enjoyed a brilliant deferred campaign going 39-4 with eight falls en route to being named Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year. In seven open tournament appearances, Beckman won five individual titles to go along with a second and third place finish. He also finished fourth at the Midlands Championships in late December while competing unattached. Beckman was 27-11 as a true freshman, finishing fourth in the EIWA and going 1-2 at NCAAs.
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141 – One of Lehigh's deeper weights with five wrestlers in the mix: sophomores Randy Cruz and Laike Gardner, junior Jim Carucci, deferred freshman Will Switzer and true freshman Drew Longo. Cruz went 31-12 at 133 becoming Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980 as he moves up to 141 with Beckman's return at 133. Gardner also moves up to 141 permanently after going 6-6 last season. Don't count out Carucci and Switzer, who have been competitive in the wrestling room.
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149 – The graduation of 2012 EIWA champion Shane Welsh opens the door for deferred freshman Mitch Minotti. The Easton native posted an impressive 38-10 record in open tournaments last season with late season titles at the Edinboro Open and the National Collegiate Open. Junior Michael Stepien is behind Minotti on the depth chart.
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157 – EIWA champion Joey Napoli returns for his senior season in search of his first All-America medal. Napoli won 18 of his first 20 bouts last season to claim his first EIWA title and earn a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Championships. A two-time NCAA qualifier with 57 career victories to his credit, Napoli looks to bounce back from an 0-2 showing at nationals last year with a strong senior campaign. Behind Napoli are juniors Cal Stack and Dillon Smith and newcomer Billy Ramsey.
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165 – A pair of second-year wrestlers, Brian Brill and Ben Haas will compete for time here. Brill went 10-4 as a freshman placing third at a pair of open tournaments before suffering a season-ending injury at the Midlands. He should receive a medical redshirt. When Brill went down, Haas stepped into the lineup, where he represented the Mountain Hawks at 165 at the EIWA Championships. With a full off-season of training under his belt Haas will look to improve upon his 2013 performance. Junior Will Sullivan also certified here.
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174 – Junior Nathaniel Brown, the defending EIWA Champion, is expected to move up to 184 opening the door for freshman Elliot Riddick. The heaviest of the three Bethlehem Catholic products on the Lehigh roster, Riddick went 18-9 in his deferred season last year, capped with a first place finish at the National Collegiate Open in late February.
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184 – Lehigh must replace one of its all-time greats in three-time All-American Robert Hamlin, who graduated last May. Brown will likely move up from 174 but could defer his eligibility this season to grow into the new weight class. That leaves deferred freshman Zach Diekel and senior Austin Meys, who has been cleared to return to competition after missing the last two seasons battling Guillain-Barre syndrome. Meys went 21-10 with 11 falls in 2010-11, his only official season of competition, but was afflicted with the disease late in that campaign.
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197 – Sophomore John Bolich fell one win shy of qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a freshman, as he finished fifth at the EIWA tournament. Bolich went 15-14 in his freshman campaign and will look to qualify for his first NCAA tournament. Backup David Quackenbos will be sidelined for the season with an injury suffered in preseason practice.
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285 – Sophomore Max Wessell and deferred freshman Doug Vollaro are both expected to see time here as the season unfolds. Wessell moved up from 197 to heavyweight in late January and finished with a 15-8 record, including six wins by fall. He finished seventh at the EIWA Championships. Vollaro came to Lehigh as one of the nation's top recruits and went 18-6 in his deferred year before suffering a season-ending injury at the Midlands. Sophomore Jack Delia will also vie for time here.
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Lehigh will open its 2013-14 season this weekend when the Mountain Hawks send a contingent of wrestlers to the Knight Point Clarion Open, Sunday in Clarion, Pa. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send more than 20 wrestlers to Clarion including starters and wrestlers still competing for starting spots. Mason Beckman will not wrestle in the Clarion Open because he will be competing against A.J. Schopp of Edinboro in the NWCA All-Star Classic Saturday in Fairfax, Va.
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The Mountain Hawks will open the dual meet season against Bucknell, Saturday November 9 at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets for Lehigh wrestling can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting Lehighsports.com.
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Wednesday, October 30
