Deep, talented Lehigh squad officially begins preseason practice
10/13/2015 5:14:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Lehigh Wrestling Tickets
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Saturday marked the first official day of practice for Division I wrestling programs across the country and the Lehigh wrestling team has ratcheted up preparations for the rapidly-approaching 2015-16 season.
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The October 10 start date marked just under three weeks until the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs and four weeks to the November 6 dual meet opener at Bucknell.
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For the first time in a long time, Lehigh enters the season with a veteran-laden squad and with a 42-man roster, the Mountain Hawks should have one of their deeper teams in recent memory. Still, the focus is on improving on a daily basis with the ultimate focus being on the NCAA Championships, March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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"We've have a good mix and some good senior and junior leadership on this team this year," said head coach Pat Santoro, who is entering his eighth season. "Expectations are high, but we have a lot of work to do. That's one thing that's evident. We don't have a whole lot of time to get where we need to be as far as our first dual, but we have time to get ready for March and that will always be our focus."
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Lehigh's roster features four returning All-Americans and 11 wrestlers who have previously qualified for the NCAA Championships. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans in each of the last two seasons. Senior Nathaniel Brown returns after reaching the NCAA finals at 184 last season, while senior Mason Beckman (133) and junior Mitch Minotti (157) have reached the podium in each of the last two seasons. Sophomore Darian Cruz returns from a deferred year at 125 after becoming Lehigh's first true freshman All-American since 1980 in 2014.
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Randy Cruz enters his junior season as a two-time EIWA Champion, who fell one match short of being Lehigh's fourth All-American last season. Classmate Elliot Riddick is expected to drop back down to 174 after competing at 197 last season. Riddick reached the round of 12 as a deferred freshman at 174 in 2014.
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Other previous NCAA qualifiers who return for the Mountain Hawks include senior heavyweight Max Wessell, who missed all of last season due to injury, senior John Bolich, who could step in at 197, junior Doug Vollaro, who qualified for nationals at heavyweight but was unable to compete after suffering an injury in the third place match at EIWAs, junior Laike Gardner, who returns after deferring his eligibility to move up to 149 a season ago, and sophomore Scott Parker.
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"We have a lot of really good wrestlers on our team," Santoro said. "The trick is to see how they manage that and how they manage each other and hold each other accountable. When you have a big squad you have to hold each other accountable and that's going to be the biggest thing this year with this team. If we do that, it could be a fun year."
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Lehigh's roster will also be bolstered with the addition of 11 freshmen, including National Prep champion Jordan Kutler and Pennsylvania state champions Cole Walter and Kent Lane.
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"Our leadership is setting the standard that has to be met," Santoro said. "It can't be something they figure out as they go along. The leaders know it has to be met and they'll bring along the younger guys."
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The Mountain Hawks are already receiving positive recognition as media outlets begin to unveil their preseason rankings. Lehigh has ten wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and nine Amateur Wrestling News. At 125, Darian Cruz is ranked 11th in both polls. Beckman is ranked second at 133 by AWN and sixth by Flo. Randy Cruz is ranked 14/15 at 141, while Gardner is 17th in both polls at 149. Minotti is ranked fifth at 157 by AWN and tenth by Flo. Freshman Ryan Preisch is ranked 14th by FloWrestling, but 165 is the one weight class where AWN does not rank a Mountain Hawk. Riddick is ranked 14th in both polls at 174, Nathaniel Brown is second in both at 184 and Vollaro is 16th in both at heavyweight. Bolich comes in ranked 13th by AWN and 17th by Flo at 197.
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"The focus will always be on getting better every day," Santoro said. "That's never going to change. Most years the lineup that starts the season isn't the one that finishes the season. Something always changes. There's a process that needs to happen with each individual and if that happens, some great things can happen."
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The 2015-16 season begins with annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs, set for Thursday October 29, inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The dual meet opener is set for the following Friday, November 6, when Lehigh visits Bucknell. Lehigh will be on the road for the first two weekends of competition and will open its home schedule against Pitt on Friday November 20 at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets for all home duals are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Saturday marked the first official day of practice for Division I wrestling programs across the country and the Lehigh wrestling team has ratcheted up preparations for the rapidly-approaching 2015-16 season.
Â
The October 10 start date marked just under three weeks until the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs and four weeks to the November 6 dual meet opener at Bucknell.
Â
For the first time in a long time, Lehigh enters the season with a veteran-laden squad and with a 42-man roster, the Mountain Hawks should have one of their deeper teams in recent memory. Still, the focus is on improving on a daily basis with the ultimate focus being on the NCAA Championships, March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Â
"We've have a good mix and some good senior and junior leadership on this team this year," said head coach Pat Santoro, who is entering his eighth season. "Expectations are high, but we have a lot of work to do. That's one thing that's evident. We don't have a whole lot of time to get where we need to be as far as our first dual, but we have time to get ready for March and that will always be our focus."
Â
Lehigh's roster features four returning All-Americans and 11 wrestlers who have previously qualified for the NCAA Championships. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans in each of the last two seasons. Senior Nathaniel Brown returns after reaching the NCAA finals at 184 last season, while senior Mason Beckman (133) and junior Mitch Minotti (157) have reached the podium in each of the last two seasons. Sophomore Darian Cruz returns from a deferred year at 125 after becoming Lehigh's first true freshman All-American since 1980 in 2014.
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Randy Cruz enters his junior season as a two-time EIWA Champion, who fell one match short of being Lehigh's fourth All-American last season. Classmate Elliot Riddick is expected to drop back down to 174 after competing at 197 last season. Riddick reached the round of 12 as a deferred freshman at 174 in 2014.
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Other previous NCAA qualifiers who return for the Mountain Hawks include senior heavyweight Max Wessell, who missed all of last season due to injury, senior John Bolich, who could step in at 197, junior Doug Vollaro, who qualified for nationals at heavyweight but was unable to compete after suffering an injury in the third place match at EIWAs, junior Laike Gardner, who returns after deferring his eligibility to move up to 149 a season ago, and sophomore Scott Parker.
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"We have a lot of really good wrestlers on our team," Santoro said. "The trick is to see how they manage that and how they manage each other and hold each other accountable. When you have a big squad you have to hold each other accountable and that's going to be the biggest thing this year with this team. If we do that, it could be a fun year."
Â
Lehigh's roster will also be bolstered with the addition of 11 freshmen, including National Prep champion Jordan Kutler and Pennsylvania state champions Cole Walter and Kent Lane.
Â
"Our leadership is setting the standard that has to be met," Santoro said. "It can't be something they figure out as they go along. The leaders know it has to be met and they'll bring along the younger guys."
Â
The Mountain Hawks are already receiving positive recognition as media outlets begin to unveil their preseason rankings. Lehigh has ten wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and nine Amateur Wrestling News. At 125, Darian Cruz is ranked 11th in both polls. Beckman is ranked second at 133 by AWN and sixth by Flo. Randy Cruz is ranked 14/15 at 141, while Gardner is 17th in both polls at 149. Minotti is ranked fifth at 157 by AWN and tenth by Flo. Freshman Ryan Preisch is ranked 14th by FloWrestling, but 165 is the one weight class where AWN does not rank a Mountain Hawk. Riddick is ranked 14th in both polls at 174, Nathaniel Brown is second in both at 184 and Vollaro is 16th in both at heavyweight. Bolich comes in ranked 13th by AWN and 17th by Flo at 197.
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"The focus will always be on getting better every day," Santoro said. "That's never going to change. Most years the lineup that starts the season isn't the one that finishes the season. Something always changes. There's a process that needs to happen with each individual and if that happens, some great things can happen."
Â
The 2015-16 season begins with annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs, set for Thursday October 29, inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The dual meet opener is set for the following Friday, November 6, when Lehigh visits Bucknell. Lehigh will be on the road for the first two weekends of competition and will open its home schedule against Pitt on Friday November 20 at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets for all home duals are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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