Saturday, November 29
Champaign, Ill.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Illinois
No. 10 Lehigh heads to Illinois for two duals versus ranked Big Ten foes
11/26/2014 12:07:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Illinois Video | Illinois Audio | Northwestern Video | Northwestern Audio
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh heads to Illinois to close out Thanksgiving weekend with a pair of duals against nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents that are both undefeated on the dual season. The Mountain Hawks will face No. 13 Illinois on Saturday before visiting No. 17 Northwestern Sunday. Lehigh moved up to No. 10 in the NWCA Poll after hammering Columbia 34-3 Friday at the New York Athletic Club.
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Last time out Lehigh delivered its most impressive performance of the season thus winning nine bouts against the Lions, sparked by a first period pin by freshman Scott Parker at 125 in the first bout of the night. Junior John Bolich added a win by fall at 197, while sophomore Randy Cruz posted an impressive major decision at 141 as Lehigh improved to 3-1 all-time at the NYAC.
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Three Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest rankings by The Open Mat, with juniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown both ranked in the top ten at their respective weight classes. Sophomore Elliot Riddick joins Beckman and Brown in the rankings by The Open Mat, InterMat and W.I.N. Magazine, but has yet to crack FloWrestling's rankings.
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Illinois is off to a fast start this season with a sparkling 6-0 dual meet record. The Fighting Illini swept through Rider, SIU-Edwardsville and Northern Illinois to go 3-0 at the Illini Quad and then went out to California where they won duals against Appalachian State, CSU-Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. Illinois last competed on November 16 as the Illini crowned three champions at the Fresno/Roadrunner Open, the final stop on their California trip.
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The Fighting Illini boast seven men ranked by the Open Mat, including six who are listed as probable starters this weekend. Illinois is led by senior Jesse Delgado, a three-time All-American and two-time defending NCAA Champion at 125. Freshman Isaiah Martinez (157), senior Jackson Morse (165) and sophomore Zac Brunson (174) are all coming off titles at the Fresno/Roadrunner Open. Jim Heffernan is in his 23rd season at Illinois, including his sixth as head coach.
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Northwestern carries a perfect 4-0 dual mark into its home opener against Lehigh. The Wildcats own dual wins at Stanford and over Eastern Michigan, Clarion and Central Michigan at the EMU Duals. Last weekend, Northwestern won the Keystone Classic at Penn, coming out on top of a 14-team field. Sophomore Jason Tsirtsis (149) and senior Alex Polizzi (197) won individual titles to lead the Wildcats.
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Tsirtsis is the defending national champion at 149 and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. Heavyweight Mike McMullan is also ranked No. 1 at his weight class, but McMullan did not compete at the Keystone Classic. A total of five Wildcats are ranked by the Open Mat, while 141-pounder Jameson Oster appears in other rankings. Drew Pariano, a 2000 Northwestern graduate, is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater after five previous years as an assistant coach/associate head coach for the Wildcats.
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Lehigh has a limited history against both Illinois-based Big Ten programs. The Mountain Hawks are 1-2 versus Illinois and are visiting Champaign for the first time ever. Lehigh has never lost to Northwestern and is visiting Evanston for a dual meet for the first time since 1992. The Mountain Hawks have competed at Northwestern in the Midlands Championships in each of the last five seasons.
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Saturday's Lehigh-Illinois dual begins at 11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET) from Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. Sunday's Lehigh-Northwestern match will begin at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) from Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Streaming video of both duals will be available through the subscription-based services at Illinois and Northwestern, respectively. The Illinois match will also be broadcast for free on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com, while the Northwestern dual will air on WLVR-FM and WLVR.org.
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Following this weekend's action, Lehigh will return home to host Penn (Saturday Dec. 6) and Rider (Sunday Dec. 7) next weekend inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh heads to Illinois to close out Thanksgiving weekend with a pair of duals against nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents that are both undefeated on the dual season. The Mountain Hawks will face No. 13 Illinois on Saturday before visiting No. 17 Northwestern Sunday. Lehigh moved up to No. 10 in the NWCA Poll after hammering Columbia 34-3 Friday at the New York Athletic Club.
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Last time out Lehigh delivered its most impressive performance of the season thus winning nine bouts against the Lions, sparked by a first period pin by freshman Scott Parker at 125 in the first bout of the night. Junior John Bolich added a win by fall at 197, while sophomore Randy Cruz posted an impressive major decision at 141 as Lehigh improved to 3-1 all-time at the NYAC.
Â
Three Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest rankings by The Open Mat, with juniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown both ranked in the top ten at their respective weight classes. Sophomore Elliot Riddick joins Beckman and Brown in the rankings by The Open Mat, InterMat and W.I.N. Magazine, but has yet to crack FloWrestling's rankings.
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Illinois is off to a fast start this season with a sparkling 6-0 dual meet record. The Fighting Illini swept through Rider, SIU-Edwardsville and Northern Illinois to go 3-0 at the Illini Quad and then went out to California where they won duals against Appalachian State, CSU-Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. Illinois last competed on November 16 as the Illini crowned three champions at the Fresno/Roadrunner Open, the final stop on their California trip.
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The Fighting Illini boast seven men ranked by the Open Mat, including six who are listed as probable starters this weekend. Illinois is led by senior Jesse Delgado, a three-time All-American and two-time defending NCAA Champion at 125. Freshman Isaiah Martinez (157), senior Jackson Morse (165) and sophomore Zac Brunson (174) are all coming off titles at the Fresno/Roadrunner Open. Jim Heffernan is in his 23rd season at Illinois, including his sixth as head coach.
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Northwestern carries a perfect 4-0 dual mark into its home opener against Lehigh. The Wildcats own dual wins at Stanford and over Eastern Michigan, Clarion and Central Michigan at the EMU Duals. Last weekend, Northwestern won the Keystone Classic at Penn, coming out on top of a 14-team field. Sophomore Jason Tsirtsis (149) and senior Alex Polizzi (197) won individual titles to lead the Wildcats.
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Tsirtsis is the defending national champion at 149 and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. Heavyweight Mike McMullan is also ranked No. 1 at his weight class, but McMullan did not compete at the Keystone Classic. A total of five Wildcats are ranked by the Open Mat, while 141-pounder Jameson Oster appears in other rankings. Drew Pariano, a 2000 Northwestern graduate, is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater after five previous years as an assistant coach/associate head coach for the Wildcats.
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Lehigh has a limited history against both Illinois-based Big Ten programs. The Mountain Hawks are 1-2 versus Illinois and are visiting Champaign for the first time ever. Lehigh has never lost to Northwestern and is visiting Evanston for a dual meet for the first time since 1992. The Mountain Hawks have competed at Northwestern in the Midlands Championships in each of the last five seasons.
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Saturday's Lehigh-Illinois dual begins at 11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET) from Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. Sunday's Lehigh-Northwestern match will begin at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) from Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Streaming video of both duals will be available through the subscription-based services at Illinois and Northwestern, respectively. The Illinois match will also be broadcast for free on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com, while the Northwestern dual will air on WLVR-FM and WLVR.org.
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Following this weekend's action, Lehigh will return home to host Penn (Saturday Dec. 6) and Rider (Sunday Dec. 7) next weekend inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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| Date: | November 29, 2014 |
| Opponent: | No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini |
| First match: | 11:00 a.m. (CT) |
| Arena: | Huff Hall (4,500) |
| Location: | Champaign, Ill. |
| Lehigh's record: | 3-1 overall, 2-0 EIWA |
| Illinois' record: | 6-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten |
| Series: | Illinois leads 2-1 |
| Streak: | Illinois has won the last two duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 10:45 (CT) with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at FightingIllini.com (subscription) Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.fightingillini.com |
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| Date: | November 30, 2014 |
| Opponent: | No. 17 Northwestern Wildcats |
| First match: | 1:00 p.m. (CT) |
| Arena: | Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) |
| Location: | Evanston, Ill. |
| Lehigh's record: | 3-1 overall, 2-0 EIWA |
| Northwestern's record: | 4-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 4-0 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won all four previous duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | WLVR (91.3 FM) beginning at 12:45 (CT) with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at BTN2go.com (subscription) Audio at WLVR.org |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.nusports.com |
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Players Mentioned
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184
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141
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125
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197
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