Friday, November 6
Lewisburg, Pa.
7:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Bucknell
Lehigh set to open 2015-16 season Friday at Bucknell
11/5/2015 1:22:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Video | Audio
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 107th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night in Lewisburg, Pa., as the Mountain Hawks face EIWA rival Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion. The Mountain Hawks were 14-6 in duals last season, finished second at the EIWA Championships and 13th at the NCAA Championships with three All-Americans. Lehigh is ranked seventh in the initial USA Today/NWCA Coaches dual meet poll.
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Lehigh has four returning All-Americans on its roster in seniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown, junior Mitch Minotti and sophomore Darian Cruz. Beckman and Minotti are two-time All-Americans, while Brown was a NCAA finalist at 184.
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Following Friday's dual at Bucknell, Lehigh will conclude its first weekend of competition by sending a large contingent of wrestlers to the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open hosted by Binghamton, Sunday in Vestal, N.Y.
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Lehigh had three wrestlers compete at the 50th NWCA All-Star Classic, November 1 on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Seniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown and junior Mitch Minotti represented the Mountain Hawks in the season-opening exhibition. Beckman made his third consecutive All-Star Classic appearance but came up on the short end of a 4-1 sudden victory decision against Michigan's Rossi Bruno. As part of an experimental rule, all takedowns in the NWCA All-Star Classic were worth three points instead of the traditional two. Minotti also needed overtime but managed to post Lehigh's lone win on the evening as he pinned South Dakota State's Cody Pack from the neutral position at 7:45. Brown also found himself in overtime and fell victim to a counter takedown by Blake Stauffer of Arizona State, who won 4-1 in sudden victory. Lehigh's three All-Star Classic participants matched a school record set previously in 1980 and 1983. The Mountain Hawks have had at least one wrestler compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic in four straight years. Lehigh wrestlers now own a 17-15 career record in the NWCA All-Star Classic.
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The Mountain Hawks' lineup features a trio of fifth year seniors who earned their undergraduate degrees in May and are now enrolled in graduate school. All-Americans Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown capped successful seasons on the mat by earning degrees in supply chain management and behavioral neuroscience, respectively. John Bolich went 15-3 overall and 6-0 in duals and earned his degree in industrial and systems engineering. Beckman and Bolich are both enrolled in graduate programs, majoring in technical entrepreneurship, while Brown's graduate major is health care systems engineering.
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Two Lehigh freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts against Bucknell. Cortlandt Schuyler and Ryan Preisch both deferred their eligibility last season. Schuyler went 18-10 competing unattached at 141 while Preisch was an impressive 16-5 at 165. No true freshmen are listed among Lehigh's probable starters, marking the first time since 2009-10 that Lehigh will open its season without a true freshman in the lineup.
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Eight Mountain Hawks appear in the first InterMat in-season rankings. Senior Nathaniel Brown is Lehigh's highest-ranked wrestler across the board as he is ranked in the top four at 184. The Mountain Hawks have wrestlers ranked in all 10 weight classes by The Open Mat and FloWrestling. Nine Lehigh wrestlers appear in the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. Rankings from The Open Mat, InterMat and FloWrestling all incorporated results of last weekend's NWCA All-Star Classic, exhibition matches that do not count towards a wrestler's record.
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Lehigh's visit to Bucknell marks the first dual meet of Lehigh's 107th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 5-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is opening on the road for the first time under Pat Santoro and the first time since beginning the 2006-07 season with a 24-14 loss at Rider.
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The Bucknell Bison also open their season on Friday. Bucknell enjoyed a strong 15-4 dual meet season a year ago and battled to an impressive third place finish at the EIWA Championships. The Bison had four NCAA qualifiers last season and all four return for the 2015-16 season. Bucknell's top wrestler is senior heavyweight Joe Stolfi, who is ranked 11th in the latest InterMat rankings. Senior Paul Petrov is ranked 19th at 125 and has been a nemesis to Lehigh wrestlers over the last two seasons. The Bison's other two returning NCAA qualifiers are sophomores Tyler Smith (141) and Tom Sleigh (184). Dan Wirnsberger is in his 11th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 11th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh has won all three previous duals in Lewisburg.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell will offer streaming video of the dual via the Patriot League Network. Lehigh will offer audio coverage on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com beginning at 6:45.
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The Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open begins at 9 a.m. Sunday from Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. Streaming video, results and brackets will be available at TrackWrestling.com.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 107th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night in Lewisburg, Pa., as the Mountain Hawks face EIWA rival Bucknell at Sojka Pavilion. The Mountain Hawks were 14-6 in duals last season, finished second at the EIWA Championships and 13th at the NCAA Championships with three All-Americans. Lehigh is ranked seventh in the initial USA Today/NWCA Coaches dual meet poll.
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Lehigh has four returning All-Americans on its roster in seniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown, junior Mitch Minotti and sophomore Darian Cruz. Beckman and Minotti are two-time All-Americans, while Brown was a NCAA finalist at 184.
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Following Friday's dual at Bucknell, Lehigh will conclude its first weekend of competition by sending a large contingent of wrestlers to the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open hosted by Binghamton, Sunday in Vestal, N.Y.
Â
Lehigh had three wrestlers compete at the 50th NWCA All-Star Classic, November 1 on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Seniors Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown and junior Mitch Minotti represented the Mountain Hawks in the season-opening exhibition. Beckman made his third consecutive All-Star Classic appearance but came up on the short end of a 4-1 sudden victory decision against Michigan's Rossi Bruno. As part of an experimental rule, all takedowns in the NWCA All-Star Classic were worth three points instead of the traditional two. Minotti also needed overtime but managed to post Lehigh's lone win on the evening as he pinned South Dakota State's Cody Pack from the neutral position at 7:45. Brown also found himself in overtime and fell victim to a counter takedown by Blake Stauffer of Arizona State, who won 4-1 in sudden victory. Lehigh's three All-Star Classic participants matched a school record set previously in 1980 and 1983. The Mountain Hawks have had at least one wrestler compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic in four straight years. Lehigh wrestlers now own a 17-15 career record in the NWCA All-Star Classic.
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The Mountain Hawks' lineup features a trio of fifth year seniors who earned their undergraduate degrees in May and are now enrolled in graduate school. All-Americans Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown capped successful seasons on the mat by earning degrees in supply chain management and behavioral neuroscience, respectively. John Bolich went 15-3 overall and 6-0 in duals and earned his degree in industrial and systems engineering. Beckman and Bolich are both enrolled in graduate programs, majoring in technical entrepreneurship, while Brown's graduate major is health care systems engineering.
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Two Lehigh freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts against Bucknell. Cortlandt Schuyler and Ryan Preisch both deferred their eligibility last season. Schuyler went 18-10 competing unattached at 141 while Preisch was an impressive 16-5 at 165. No true freshmen are listed among Lehigh's probable starters, marking the first time since 2009-10 that Lehigh will open its season without a true freshman in the lineup.
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Eight Mountain Hawks appear in the first InterMat in-season rankings. Senior Nathaniel Brown is Lehigh's highest-ranked wrestler across the board as he is ranked in the top four at 184. The Mountain Hawks have wrestlers ranked in all 10 weight classes by The Open Mat and FloWrestling. Nine Lehigh wrestlers appear in the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. Rankings from The Open Mat, InterMat and FloWrestling all incorporated results of last weekend's NWCA All-Star Classic, exhibition matches that do not count towards a wrestler's record.
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Lehigh's visit to Bucknell marks the first dual meet of Lehigh's 107th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 5-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is opening on the road for the first time under Pat Santoro and the first time since beginning the 2006-07 season with a 24-14 loss at Rider.
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The Bucknell Bison also open their season on Friday. Bucknell enjoyed a strong 15-4 dual meet season a year ago and battled to an impressive third place finish at the EIWA Championships. The Bison had four NCAA qualifiers last season and all four return for the 2015-16 season. Bucknell's top wrestler is senior heavyweight Joe Stolfi, who is ranked 11th in the latest InterMat rankings. Senior Paul Petrov is ranked 19th at 125 and has been a nemesis to Lehigh wrestlers over the last two seasons. The Bison's other two returning NCAA qualifiers are sophomores Tyler Smith (141) and Tom Sleigh (184). Dan Wirnsberger is in his 11th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 11th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh has won all three previous duals in Lewisburg.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell will offer streaming video of the dual via the Patriot League Network. Lehigh will offer audio coverage on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com beginning at 6:45.
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The Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open begins at 9 a.m. Sunday from Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. Streaming video, results and brackets will be available at TrackWrestling.com.
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| Date: | November 6, 2015 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| First match: | 7:00 p.m. |
| Arena: | Sojka Pavilion (4,000) |
| Location: | Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Bucknell's Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 9-1 |
| Streak: | Bucknell won the most recent meeting |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 6:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.TV Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.bucknellbison.com/ |
Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
184
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157
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165
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141
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