Thursday, October 30
7:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Wrestle-offs
Lehigh opens season with annual Wrestle-offs
10/30/2014 10:01:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fans enjoyed their first look at the Lehigh wrestling team Thursday night as the Mountain Hawks hosted the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Twelve bouts were contested on the evening with the Mountain Hawks showing positive signs heading into next Thursday's season-opener.
"Overall I was definitely pleased," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "One of the hardest things to do is wrestle your teammates. We have a really close group, but the guys went out and wrestled hard. They obviously know each other very well. We have a lot to work on, but I was pleased with the overall effort tonight."
Wrestlers with the last name of Brown delivered two of the more impressive performances. At 184 junior Nathaniel Brown showed off an aggressive style, racking up 11 takedowns in a 23-8 technical fall win over Garett Stehley. Had this been a dual meet, Brown would have earned four team points for a technical fall with no near fall points.
"Nate's one of those guys who loves Grace Hall," Santoro said. "He couldn't wait to get back here after having that year off. He's excited to start competing again."
True freshman Ian Brown also lit up the scoreboard with 15 points in a 15-0 technical fall win over fellow freshman Brandon Diaz in 4:07. Brown turned Diaz for near fall points four times in the first period and secured the technical fall early in the second.
Ian Brown was one of five Mountain Hawks who were victorious in their first appearance on the mat inside Leeman-Turner Arena.
"That was the thing I was most pleased with," Santoro noted. "The freshmen weren't in awe coming into Grace Hall. We've seen that in the past. They came out and tried to have fun and just wrestled. That was the fun part. Nobody was out there starry-eyed."
The wrestle-offs began with a pair of one-takedown matches. At 125 sophomore transfer Jonathan Mele scored an early takedown against sophomore Artem Timchenko to win 3-2. In the next bout second year wrestler Dean Somers scored the only takedown of his match to erase a 1-0 third period deficit and defeat freshman Camden Fischer 2-1. Fischer rode out the second period and escaped to take a 1-0 lead before Somers secured his takedown and erased the riding time advantage.
Junior Laike Gardner squared off against deferred freshman Drew Longo at 149. Gardner struck for two first period takedowns and added an escape and riding time to win 6-2.
Two fifth-year seniors in their first year at Lehigh met at 165 as Santiago Martinez battled Marshall Peppelman. In a match that featured zero takedowns, Martinez and Peppelman traded escapes but two penalty points against Peppelman for stalling gave Martinez a 3-1 victory.
Freshman Ryan Preisch had the next highest offensive output behind the Browns as he rolled up 14 points in a 14-1 major decision over sophomore Billy Ramsey at 174.
In one of the more highly anticipated matches of the night, junior John Bolich met sophomore Elliot Riddick in a matchup of NCAA qualifiers at 197. The match was tied 1-1 through regulation and right before the bout looked headed for tiebreakers, Riddick hit a quick shot on the edge of the mat for a takedown and a 3-1 sudden victory decision. That was followed by a second match at 197 where junior Dave Quackenbos utilized an early takedown and two point near fall to defeat freshman Thomas Murray 6-2.
Fans were treated to an exhibition bout at heavyweight as sophomore Doug Vollaro got some work in against former national champion Zach Rey '12. Rey scored takedowns in the first and third periods and showcased the defense that made him a three-time All-American in a 7-3 decision.
The second bout at 141 was moved to the end of the card. Sophomore Randy Cruz was impressive in his return from his deferral year. He scored takedowns in the first and third periods to defeat freshman Cortlandt Schuyler 5-1.
In the final bout of the night, freshman Scott Parker won a 6-0 decision over junior Cody Kievman. Parker scored takedowns in the first and third periods, and added an escape plus a boatload of riding time.
"Every time out we have to get a little bit better," Santoro said. "We did that last year. We need to re-create that and pick up where we left off last year and get better week-to-week."
The Mountain Hawks will officially open the 2014-15 next Thursday night when they host the Hofstra Pride. Match time is set for 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
Lehigh Wrestle-offs
125 – Jonathan Mele (White) dec. Artem Timchenko (Brown) 3-2
133 – Dean Somers (White) dec. Camden Fischer (Brown) 2-1
141 – Ian Brown (White) tech fall Brandon Diaz (Brown) 15-0, 4:07
149 – Laike Gardner (Brown) dec. Drew Longo (White) 6-2
165 – Santiago Martinez (White) dec. Marshall Peppelman (Brown) 3-1
174 – Ryan Preisch (White) major dec. Billy Ramsey (Brown) 14-1
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Brown) tech fall (no near fall) Garett Stehley (White) 23-8, 6:47
197 – Elliot Riddick (White) dec. John Bolich (Brown) 3-1, s.v.
285 (EX) – Zach Rey dec. Doug Vollaro 7-3
141 – Randy Cruz (Brown) dec. Cortlandt Schuyler (White) 5-1
125 – Scott Parker (Brown) dec. Cody Kievman (White) 6-0
Attendance – 1,085
Referees – Gary Kessel, Craig Salvator
"Overall I was definitely pleased," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "One of the hardest things to do is wrestle your teammates. We have a really close group, but the guys went out and wrestled hard. They obviously know each other very well. We have a lot to work on, but I was pleased with the overall effort tonight."
Wrestlers with the last name of Brown delivered two of the more impressive performances. At 184 junior Nathaniel Brown showed off an aggressive style, racking up 11 takedowns in a 23-8 technical fall win over Garett Stehley. Had this been a dual meet, Brown would have earned four team points for a technical fall with no near fall points.
"Nate's one of those guys who loves Grace Hall," Santoro said. "He couldn't wait to get back here after having that year off. He's excited to start competing again."
True freshman Ian Brown also lit up the scoreboard with 15 points in a 15-0 technical fall win over fellow freshman Brandon Diaz in 4:07. Brown turned Diaz for near fall points four times in the first period and secured the technical fall early in the second.
Ian Brown was one of five Mountain Hawks who were victorious in their first appearance on the mat inside Leeman-Turner Arena.
"That was the thing I was most pleased with," Santoro noted. "The freshmen weren't in awe coming into Grace Hall. We've seen that in the past. They came out and tried to have fun and just wrestled. That was the fun part. Nobody was out there starry-eyed."
The wrestle-offs began with a pair of one-takedown matches. At 125 sophomore transfer Jonathan Mele scored an early takedown against sophomore Artem Timchenko to win 3-2. In the next bout second year wrestler Dean Somers scored the only takedown of his match to erase a 1-0 third period deficit and defeat freshman Camden Fischer 2-1. Fischer rode out the second period and escaped to take a 1-0 lead before Somers secured his takedown and erased the riding time advantage.
Junior Laike Gardner squared off against deferred freshman Drew Longo at 149. Gardner struck for two first period takedowns and added an escape and riding time to win 6-2.
Two fifth-year seniors in their first year at Lehigh met at 165 as Santiago Martinez battled Marshall Peppelman. In a match that featured zero takedowns, Martinez and Peppelman traded escapes but two penalty points against Peppelman for stalling gave Martinez a 3-1 victory.
Freshman Ryan Preisch had the next highest offensive output behind the Browns as he rolled up 14 points in a 14-1 major decision over sophomore Billy Ramsey at 174.
In one of the more highly anticipated matches of the night, junior John Bolich met sophomore Elliot Riddick in a matchup of NCAA qualifiers at 197. The match was tied 1-1 through regulation and right before the bout looked headed for tiebreakers, Riddick hit a quick shot on the edge of the mat for a takedown and a 3-1 sudden victory decision. That was followed by a second match at 197 where junior Dave Quackenbos utilized an early takedown and two point near fall to defeat freshman Thomas Murray 6-2.
Fans were treated to an exhibition bout at heavyweight as sophomore Doug Vollaro got some work in against former national champion Zach Rey '12. Rey scored takedowns in the first and third periods and showcased the defense that made him a three-time All-American in a 7-3 decision.
The second bout at 141 was moved to the end of the card. Sophomore Randy Cruz was impressive in his return from his deferral year. He scored takedowns in the first and third periods to defeat freshman Cortlandt Schuyler 5-1.
In the final bout of the night, freshman Scott Parker won a 6-0 decision over junior Cody Kievman. Parker scored takedowns in the first and third periods, and added an escape plus a boatload of riding time.
"Every time out we have to get a little bit better," Santoro said. "We did that last year. We need to re-create that and pick up where we left off last year and get better week-to-week."
The Mountain Hawks will officially open the 2014-15 next Thursday night when they host the Hofstra Pride. Match time is set for 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
Lehigh Wrestle-offs
125 – Jonathan Mele (White) dec. Artem Timchenko (Brown) 3-2
133 – Dean Somers (White) dec. Camden Fischer (Brown) 2-1
141 – Ian Brown (White) tech fall Brandon Diaz (Brown) 15-0, 4:07
149 – Laike Gardner (Brown) dec. Drew Longo (White) 6-2
165 – Santiago Martinez (White) dec. Marshall Peppelman (Brown) 3-1
174 – Ryan Preisch (White) major dec. Billy Ramsey (Brown) 14-1
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Brown) tech fall (no near fall) Garett Stehley (White) 23-8, 6:47
197 – Elliot Riddick (White) dec. John Bolich (Brown) 3-1, s.v.
285 (EX) – Zach Rey dec. Doug Vollaro 7-3
141 – Randy Cruz (Brown) dec. Cortlandt Schuyler (White) 5-1
125 – Scott Parker (Brown) dec. Cody Kievman (White) 6-0
Attendance – 1,085
Referees – Gary Kessel, Craig Salvator
Players Mentioned
197
/ Men's Wrestling
141/149
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
141/149
/ Men's Wrestling
133/141
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
141/149
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
174/184
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's WrestlingLehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
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