Saturday, December 6
2:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Penn
Mountain Hawks return home to host Penn, Rider this weekend
12/4/2014 11:31:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Tickets | Video | Audio
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 10 Lehigh returns to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the first time in a month for a pair of duals versus regional foes. On Saturday, the Mountain Hawks host EIWA rival Penn, while on Sunday, No. 22 Rider visits from central New Jersey. The Mountain Hawks have won four straight duals including a pair of wins over ranked Big Ten opponents Illinois and Northwestern last weekend. Sophomore Randy Cruz led the charge with two wins by fall over ranked opponents, while juniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown and freshman Scott Parker all joined Cruz with 2-0 records on the weekend.
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Cruz enjoyed a breakout weekend in Illinois with a pair of wins by fall against Big Ten opponents who had been ranked nationally. Both of Cruz's falls came via the cradle, as he needed just 90 seconds to pin Illinois' Steven Rodriguez and then built an 8-0 lead before decking Jameson Oster of Northwestern in the third period. As a true freshman in 2012-13, Cruz won 31 bouts, with ten wins by fall. Cruz, who entered the national rankings with his two victories, now has 12 career pins.
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Brown has thrived in his move up to 184 with a 5-1 record and a top five national ranking in most polls. Brown qualified for the NCAA Championships at 174 in 2012 and 2013. He was unable to compete due to injury in 2012 and went 1-2 in his first trip to nationals the following year. Brown went 19-3 last season, with three open tournament titles, to earn Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year award. He is expected to face his second top-five foe of the season in Penn's Lorenzo Thomas. Brown beat Thomas 7-4 in the finals of last year's East Stroudsburg Open.
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Penn visits Lehigh Saturday with a 1-1 dual meet record. The Quakers opened their season by hosting the Keystone Classic at the Palestra where Penn finished tenth out of 14 teams. Last weekend, Penn opened its dual slate at Rider where the Quakers defeated Clarion before falling to the host Broncs. Senior Lorenzo Thomas is Penn's top wrestler, coming in at No. 3 at 184. Penn has three wrestlers ranked in the latest rankings by the Open Mat with Caleb Richardson and C.J. Cobb joining Thomas. At 165 Casey Kent is ranked by several outlets but has not yet competed this season. Alex Tirapelle, a two-time All-American at Illinois, is in his first season as Penn's head coach.
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Rider is off to a 5-1 start this season that includes a criteria win over then-No. 15 Wisconsin. The Broncs' lone loss came at No. 15 Illinois on November 9. On that day Rider defeated Northern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville to finish 2-1 at the season-opening Illini Quad. Rider recently finished second behind Northwestern at the 14-team Keystone Classic at Penn. Last weekend the Broncs hosted a tri-meet with Clarion and Penn and downed the Golden Eagles 38-3 before topping the Quakers 21-12. B.J. Clagon is Rider's lone wrestler ranked by the Open Mat as he comes in at No. 14 at 149. Rob Deutsch has also seen time in the top 20 at 133. Gary Taylor is in his 37th season at Rider. His 409 career dual victories rank second among active NCAA coaches.
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Penn is one of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with the teams having met 53 times dating back to 1912. Lehigh and Penn have met in each of the last 19 seasons after not having wrestled between 1956 and 1996. Pat Santoro is 5-1 versus the Quakers. Lehigh has won 14 of the previous 19 duals with Rider and is 8-3 versus the Broncs in Bethlehem. Rider's last win at Lehigh came in 1994.
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Both Saturday's Lehigh-Penn dual and Sunday's Lehigh-Rider match are set for 2 p.m. starts from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
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Lehigh will then take a break for final exams and the Mountain Hawks will close out 2014 when they head to Madison Square Garden in New York to take part in Grapple at the Garden on Sunday December 21. The Mountain Hawks will face EIWA rival Princeton and an Edinboro team that finished fifth at last year's NCAA Championships at the world's most famous arena beginning at 10 a.m.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 10 Lehigh returns to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the first time in a month for a pair of duals versus regional foes. On Saturday, the Mountain Hawks host EIWA rival Penn, while on Sunday, No. 22 Rider visits from central New Jersey. The Mountain Hawks have won four straight duals including a pair of wins over ranked Big Ten opponents Illinois and Northwestern last weekend. Sophomore Randy Cruz led the charge with two wins by fall over ranked opponents, while juniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown and freshman Scott Parker all joined Cruz with 2-0 records on the weekend.
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Cruz enjoyed a breakout weekend in Illinois with a pair of wins by fall against Big Ten opponents who had been ranked nationally. Both of Cruz's falls came via the cradle, as he needed just 90 seconds to pin Illinois' Steven Rodriguez and then built an 8-0 lead before decking Jameson Oster of Northwestern in the third period. As a true freshman in 2012-13, Cruz won 31 bouts, with ten wins by fall. Cruz, who entered the national rankings with his two victories, now has 12 career pins.
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Brown has thrived in his move up to 184 with a 5-1 record and a top five national ranking in most polls. Brown qualified for the NCAA Championships at 174 in 2012 and 2013. He was unable to compete due to injury in 2012 and went 1-2 in his first trip to nationals the following year. Brown went 19-3 last season, with three open tournament titles, to earn Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year award. He is expected to face his second top-five foe of the season in Penn's Lorenzo Thomas. Brown beat Thomas 7-4 in the finals of last year's East Stroudsburg Open.
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Penn visits Lehigh Saturday with a 1-1 dual meet record. The Quakers opened their season by hosting the Keystone Classic at the Palestra where Penn finished tenth out of 14 teams. Last weekend, Penn opened its dual slate at Rider where the Quakers defeated Clarion before falling to the host Broncs. Senior Lorenzo Thomas is Penn's top wrestler, coming in at No. 3 at 184. Penn has three wrestlers ranked in the latest rankings by the Open Mat with Caleb Richardson and C.J. Cobb joining Thomas. At 165 Casey Kent is ranked by several outlets but has not yet competed this season. Alex Tirapelle, a two-time All-American at Illinois, is in his first season as Penn's head coach.
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Rider is off to a 5-1 start this season that includes a criteria win over then-No. 15 Wisconsin. The Broncs' lone loss came at No. 15 Illinois on November 9. On that day Rider defeated Northern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville to finish 2-1 at the season-opening Illini Quad. Rider recently finished second behind Northwestern at the 14-team Keystone Classic at Penn. Last weekend the Broncs hosted a tri-meet with Clarion and Penn and downed the Golden Eagles 38-3 before topping the Quakers 21-12. B.J. Clagon is Rider's lone wrestler ranked by the Open Mat as he comes in at No. 14 at 149. Rob Deutsch has also seen time in the top 20 at 133. Gary Taylor is in his 37th season at Rider. His 409 career dual victories rank second among active NCAA coaches.
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Penn is one of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with the teams having met 53 times dating back to 1912. Lehigh and Penn have met in each of the last 19 seasons after not having wrestled between 1956 and 1996. Pat Santoro is 5-1 versus the Quakers. Lehigh has won 14 of the previous 19 duals with Rider and is 8-3 versus the Broncs in Bethlehem. Rider's last win at Lehigh came in 1994.
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Both Saturday's Lehigh-Penn dual and Sunday's Lehigh-Rider match are set for 2 p.m. starts from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
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Lehigh will then take a break for final exams and the Mountain Hawks will close out 2014 when they head to Madison Square Garden in New York to take part in Grapple at the Garden on Sunday December 21. The Mountain Hawks will face EIWA rival Princeton and an Edinboro team that finished fifth at last year's NCAA Championships at the world's most famous arena beginning at 10 a.m.
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| Date: | December 6, 2014 |
| Opponent: | Penn Quakers |
| First match: | 2:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 5-1 overall, 2-0 EIWA |
| Penn's record: | 1-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 42-10-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh won the most recent meeting in December 2013 |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | WLVR-FM (91.3) beginning at 1:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Live video on the Patriot League Network Audio at WLVR.org |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.pennathletics.com |
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| Date: | December 7, 2014 |
| Opponent: | No. 22 Rider Broncs |
| First match: | 2:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 5-1 overall, 2-0 EIWA |
| Rider's record: | 5-1 overall, 1-0 EWL |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 14-5 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won the last four duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | WLVR-FM (91.3) beginning at 1:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at btn2go.com Audio at WLVR.org |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.gobroncs.com |
Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
125
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