Friday, November 22
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Pittsburgh
Mountain Hawks close out homestand Friday vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh
11/21/2013 11:16:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Watch on PLN | Tickets
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will close out its four-match season-opening homestand against its third consecutive ranked opponent as the Mountain Hawks host No. 13 Pittsburgh Friday at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks knocked-off No. 15 Bloomsburg last Friday night and hung tough with top-ranked Penn State, leading 9-8 at intermission before the Nittany Lions rallied to claim a 22-12 win at Stabler Arena. Nationally-ranked wrestlers Mason Beckman and Joey Napoli both improved to 3-0 on the season while freshman Zach Diekel made his varsity dual debut with a pair of victories against the Huskies and Nittany Lions.
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Three Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll, with sophomore Laike Gardner joining Beckman and Napoli in the rankings with wins in two of his first three duals plus a title at the Clarion Knight Point Open. Beckman and Napoli are also ranked by W.I.N. Magazine, while two others (freshman Mitch Minotti and junior Nathaniel Brown) join the Lehigh duo in the latest rankings from InterMat.
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Pittsburgh takes to the road for the first time this season to face the Mountain Hawks Friday night. The Panthers opened their dual meet season with a 27-14 win over Lock Haven last weekend. Pittsburgh went 9-6 in duals last season and captured the EWL title in its final season in the conference as the Panthers have joined the ACC. The Panthers' probable lineup features five nationally-ranked wrestlers, led by junior Max Thomusseit, who is ranked fifth at 184. Also ranked for Pittsburgh are Anthony Zannetta (No. 7 at 125), Shelton Mack (No. 17 at 133), Tyler Wilps (No. 8 at 174), and Nick Bonaccorsi (No. 17 at 197). Thomusseit and Tasser captured titles at the Clarion Knight Point Open, where Lehigh also competed earlier this month.
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Two members of the Lehigh coaching staff have a great deal of familiarity with the Pittsburgh program. Head coach Pat Santoro wrestled for the Panthers from 1985-1989, under the guidance of recently retired head coach Rande Stottlemyer. Pittsburgh's only four-time All-American, Santoro amassed a 167-13 record in four seasons for the Panthers, and won national championships at 142 in 1988 and 1989. A three-time EWL Champion, Santoro is also the Panthers' career leader with 43 falls and posted an incredible 97-3 record over his final two seasons. Volunteer assistant Drew Headley, a 2008 Pitt graduate, was a three-year captain for the Panthers, where he won two EWL titles and earned All-America honors at 133 in 2005.
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Lehigh and Pittsburgh will meet for the 59th time with the Mountain Hawks holding a 40-16-2 advantage. The Mountain Hawks have won 14 of the last 16 duals against the Panthers but have won just one of the last three duals in Bethlehem. Pat Santoro is 4-1 versus his alma mater.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by logging on to LehighTickets.com, or by visiting the Grace Hall ticket office on match night.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will close out its four-match season-opening homestand against its third consecutive ranked opponent as the Mountain Hawks host No. 13 Pittsburgh Friday at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks knocked-off No. 15 Bloomsburg last Friday night and hung tough with top-ranked Penn State, leading 9-8 at intermission before the Nittany Lions rallied to claim a 22-12 win at Stabler Arena. Nationally-ranked wrestlers Mason Beckman and Joey Napoli both improved to 3-0 on the season while freshman Zach Diekel made his varsity dual debut with a pair of victories against the Huskies and Nittany Lions.
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Three Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll, with sophomore Laike Gardner joining Beckman and Napoli in the rankings with wins in two of his first three duals plus a title at the Clarion Knight Point Open. Beckman and Napoli are also ranked by W.I.N. Magazine, while two others (freshman Mitch Minotti and junior Nathaniel Brown) join the Lehigh duo in the latest rankings from InterMat.
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Pittsburgh takes to the road for the first time this season to face the Mountain Hawks Friday night. The Panthers opened their dual meet season with a 27-14 win over Lock Haven last weekend. Pittsburgh went 9-6 in duals last season and captured the EWL title in its final season in the conference as the Panthers have joined the ACC. The Panthers' probable lineup features five nationally-ranked wrestlers, led by junior Max Thomusseit, who is ranked fifth at 184. Also ranked for Pittsburgh are Anthony Zannetta (No. 7 at 125), Shelton Mack (No. 17 at 133), Tyler Wilps (No. 8 at 174), and Nick Bonaccorsi (No. 17 at 197). Thomusseit and Tasser captured titles at the Clarion Knight Point Open, where Lehigh also competed earlier this month.
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Two members of the Lehigh coaching staff have a great deal of familiarity with the Pittsburgh program. Head coach Pat Santoro wrestled for the Panthers from 1985-1989, under the guidance of recently retired head coach Rande Stottlemyer. Pittsburgh's only four-time All-American, Santoro amassed a 167-13 record in four seasons for the Panthers, and won national championships at 142 in 1988 and 1989. A three-time EWL Champion, Santoro is also the Panthers' career leader with 43 falls and posted an incredible 97-3 record over his final two seasons. Volunteer assistant Drew Headley, a 2008 Pitt graduate, was a three-year captain for the Panthers, where he won two EWL titles and earned All-America honors at 133 in 2005.
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Lehigh and Pittsburgh will meet for the 59th time with the Mountain Hawks holding a 40-16-2 advantage. The Mountain Hawks have won 14 of the last 16 duals against the Panthers but have won just one of the last three duals in Bethlehem. Pat Santoro is 4-1 versus his alma mater.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by logging on to LehighTickets.com, or by visiting the Grace Hall ticket office on match night.
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| Date: | November 22, 2013 |
| Opponent: | No. 13 Pittsburgh Panthers |
| First match: | 7:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-2 overall, 0-1 EIWA |
| Pittsburgh's Record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 ACC |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 40-16-2 |
| Streak: | Lehigh won the most recent meeting |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 6:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell |
| Internet broadcast: |
Video via the Patriot League Network Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/ |
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