Friday, January 1
Chattanooga, Tenn.
9:00:00 AM
Lehigh University
at
Southern Scuffle
Lehigh wrestlers head to Southern Scuffle while Beckman, Brown lead contingent at Midlands
12/28/2015 3:49:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Southern Scuffle web site | Watch on FloWrestling | Live scoringÂ
Midlands Website | Midlands Live scoring | Watch Midlands on BTN2Go
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the second straight season, Lehigh will ring in the New Year in Chattanooga, Tenn. as the Mountain Hawks will compete in the Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send 13 wrestlers, plus freshman Ryan Pomrinca, who will compete unattached to the Southern Scuffle. Lehigh finished seventh at last year's Scuffle with four place winners. In its last competition, the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 30-7 win over Oklahoma in Norman to improve to 7-1 on the dual season. This is the 13th edition of the Southern Scuffle with 11 of the top 25 teams from last year's NCAA Championships in the 30-team field. While most of the Mountain Hawks will compete at the Southern Scuffle, five Lehigh wrestlers will compete in the Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill.
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The Mountain Hawks are making their fourth trip to the Southern Scuffle with previous appearances in 2005 and 2006 (December) and 2015. Lehigh has had a total of 14 place winners in three previous trips, with five each in 2005 and 2006 and four last year. Cory Cooperman owns Lehigh's lone Southern Scuffle title after beating Ron Tarquinio of Pittsburgh 3-1 in sudden victory to win the 141-pound title in 2005.
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Seven of Lehigh's 2015 Southern Scuffle entrants are expected back this year, but just one of the Mountain Hawks' place winners. Elliot Riddick took fourth at 197 in 2015 and is back down at 174. Others returning for a second straight Scuffle appearance are Darian and Randy Cruz, Drew Longo, Mitch Minotti, John Bolich and Doug Vollaro. Darian Cruz competed unattached last year while deferring his eligibility.
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Thirty Division I programs will take part in the Southern Scuffle, which features a loaded field of some of the nation's top teams and individuals. It has grown into one of the premier in-season tournaments in the nation. This year marks the 13th Southern Scuffle, and the fifth since the tournament moved from Greensboro, N.C. to Chattanooga, Tenn. Lehigh competed at the Southern Scuffle in 2005 and 2006 prior to returning to the event last year. Penn State has won the last four Southern Scuffle titles and shared the 2010 title with Cornell. Both teams are back this year as 11 of the top 25 team finishers from last year's NCAA Championship will be competing at the Southern Scuffle.
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Three of Lehigh's first eight dual opponents will compete at the Southern Scuffle. The Mountain Hawks defeated Minnesota, Pitt and Edinboro in November Duals. Four of Lehigh's future dual opponents will also be in Chattanooga: Navy, Penn, Cornell and Penn State. Lehigh will also see Army West Point and Drexel in addition to Navy, Penn and Cornell at the EIWA Championships.
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In its final dual competition of 2016, the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 30-7 win over then-No. 8 Oklahoma in Norman. Lehigh won eight of ten bouts against the Sooners, scoring bonus points in three, and knocking off four ranked wrestlers along the way. Four consecutive wins from 141 through 165 gave Lehigh a commanding 19-4 lead, highlighted by a Mitch Minotti third period pin and the first win over a ranked wrestler by freshman Ryan Preisch, who downed Clark Glass 5-2. A technical fall victory by Nathaniel Brown at 184 clinched the dual. Junior Ben Haas was victorious in his first dual appearance up at 197, while senior Max Wessell capped the successful outing for the Brown and White with his third victory of the season over a ranked wrestler as he downed Ross Larson 10-8.
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Lehigh has wrestlers ranked in eight of ten weight classes in the latest rankings by InterMat. Nine Mountain Hawks appear in rankings by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News, while seven Lehigh wrestlers are ranked by The Open Mat. Senior Nathaniel Brown is the top ranked Mountain Hawk across the board as he is ranked no lower than sixth. Lehigh wrestlers in each weight class are ranked in at least one of the four polls below. Brown, seniors John Bolich and Max Wessell, juniors Randy Cruz and Mitch Minotti, and sophomore Darian Cruz are ranked across the board.
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While Lehigh sends a full contingent to the Southern Scuffle, five Mountain Hawks are expected to compete at the presigious 53rd Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30 at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Midlands was Lehigh's holiday tournament of choice from 2009 to 2013 before the Mountain Hawks decided to switch over to the Southern Scuffle last season. The most notable of Lehigh's Midlands entries are senior returning All-Americans Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown. Both wrestlers are two-time Midlands place winners who will have the opportunity to wrestle opponents who they would not otherwise meet in January or February duals. In addition, three Mountain Hawks are expected to compete unattached: sophomore Scott Parker and freshmen Jordan Kutler and Cole Walter.
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Lehigh has sent a contingent of wrestlers to three different open tournaments so far this season: the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open, the East Stroudsburg Open, and most recently the Nittany Lion Open. In addition, freshman Jordan Kutler made his Lehigh debut, winning the title at 157 competing unattached at the Cleveland State Open on December 12. Five different Lehigh wrestlers have captured open tournament titles: Darian and Randy Cruz at Binghamton and Scott Parker and Christian Colucci at East Stroudsburg, in addition to Kutler. In three open tournaments 21 of 50 entrants have placed in the top six or eight of their respective weight classes. Lehigh had six place winners at the Nittany Lion Open, led by Drew Longo's runner-up finish at 157. In addition to the Midlands and Southern Scuffle, 11 Mountain Hawks are expected to compete at the Franklin & Marshall Open, Dec. 30 in Lancaster, Pa.
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Competition at the Southern Scuffle begins Friday at 9 a.m. from Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena. Action continues all day Friday and Saturday with the championship matches and medal rounds set for Friday at 7 p.m. Streaming video for every bout at the Southern Scuffle will be available through Flowrestling.org through their subscription-based FloPro package. Live scoring for all bouts will be available via Trackwrestling.com. Comprehensive updates of all Lehigh bouts will be available on Twitter @LehighWrestling.
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Midlands Website | Midlands Live scoring | Watch Midlands on BTN2Go
Â
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the second straight season, Lehigh will ring in the New Year in Chattanooga, Tenn. as the Mountain Hawks will compete in the Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send 13 wrestlers, plus freshman Ryan Pomrinca, who will compete unattached to the Southern Scuffle. Lehigh finished seventh at last year's Scuffle with four place winners. In its last competition, the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 30-7 win over Oklahoma in Norman to improve to 7-1 on the dual season. This is the 13th edition of the Southern Scuffle with 11 of the top 25 teams from last year's NCAA Championships in the 30-team field. While most of the Mountain Hawks will compete at the Southern Scuffle, five Lehigh wrestlers will compete in the Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill.
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The Mountain Hawks are making their fourth trip to the Southern Scuffle with previous appearances in 2005 and 2006 (December) and 2015. Lehigh has had a total of 14 place winners in three previous trips, with five each in 2005 and 2006 and four last year. Cory Cooperman owns Lehigh's lone Southern Scuffle title after beating Ron Tarquinio of Pittsburgh 3-1 in sudden victory to win the 141-pound title in 2005.
Â
Seven of Lehigh's 2015 Southern Scuffle entrants are expected back this year, but just one of the Mountain Hawks' place winners. Elliot Riddick took fourth at 197 in 2015 and is back down at 174. Others returning for a second straight Scuffle appearance are Darian and Randy Cruz, Drew Longo, Mitch Minotti, John Bolich and Doug Vollaro. Darian Cruz competed unattached last year while deferring his eligibility.
Â
Thirty Division I programs will take part in the Southern Scuffle, which features a loaded field of some of the nation's top teams and individuals. It has grown into one of the premier in-season tournaments in the nation. This year marks the 13th Southern Scuffle, and the fifth since the tournament moved from Greensboro, N.C. to Chattanooga, Tenn. Lehigh competed at the Southern Scuffle in 2005 and 2006 prior to returning to the event last year. Penn State has won the last four Southern Scuffle titles and shared the 2010 title with Cornell. Both teams are back this year as 11 of the top 25 team finishers from last year's NCAA Championship will be competing at the Southern Scuffle.
Â
Three of Lehigh's first eight dual opponents will compete at the Southern Scuffle. The Mountain Hawks defeated Minnesota, Pitt and Edinboro in November Duals. Four of Lehigh's future dual opponents will also be in Chattanooga: Navy, Penn, Cornell and Penn State. Lehigh will also see Army West Point and Drexel in addition to Navy, Penn and Cornell at the EIWA Championships.
Â
In its final dual competition of 2016, the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 30-7 win over then-No. 8 Oklahoma in Norman. Lehigh won eight of ten bouts against the Sooners, scoring bonus points in three, and knocking off four ranked wrestlers along the way. Four consecutive wins from 141 through 165 gave Lehigh a commanding 19-4 lead, highlighted by a Mitch Minotti third period pin and the first win over a ranked wrestler by freshman Ryan Preisch, who downed Clark Glass 5-2. A technical fall victory by Nathaniel Brown at 184 clinched the dual. Junior Ben Haas was victorious in his first dual appearance up at 197, while senior Max Wessell capped the successful outing for the Brown and White with his third victory of the season over a ranked wrestler as he downed Ross Larson 10-8.
Â
Lehigh has wrestlers ranked in eight of ten weight classes in the latest rankings by InterMat. Nine Mountain Hawks appear in rankings by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News, while seven Lehigh wrestlers are ranked by The Open Mat. Senior Nathaniel Brown is the top ranked Mountain Hawk across the board as he is ranked no lower than sixth. Lehigh wrestlers in each weight class are ranked in at least one of the four polls below. Brown, seniors John Bolich and Max Wessell, juniors Randy Cruz and Mitch Minotti, and sophomore Darian Cruz are ranked across the board.
Â
While Lehigh sends a full contingent to the Southern Scuffle, five Mountain Hawks are expected to compete at the presigious 53rd Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30 at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Midlands was Lehigh's holiday tournament of choice from 2009 to 2013 before the Mountain Hawks decided to switch over to the Southern Scuffle last season. The most notable of Lehigh's Midlands entries are senior returning All-Americans Mason Beckman and Nathaniel Brown. Both wrestlers are two-time Midlands place winners who will have the opportunity to wrestle opponents who they would not otherwise meet in January or February duals. In addition, three Mountain Hawks are expected to compete unattached: sophomore Scott Parker and freshmen Jordan Kutler and Cole Walter.
Â
Lehigh has sent a contingent of wrestlers to three different open tournaments so far this season: the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open, the East Stroudsburg Open, and most recently the Nittany Lion Open. In addition, freshman Jordan Kutler made his Lehigh debut, winning the title at 157 competing unattached at the Cleveland State Open on December 12. Five different Lehigh wrestlers have captured open tournament titles: Darian and Randy Cruz at Binghamton and Scott Parker and Christian Colucci at East Stroudsburg, in addition to Kutler. In three open tournaments 21 of 50 entrants have placed in the top six or eight of their respective weight classes. Lehigh had six place winners at the Nittany Lion Open, led by Drew Longo's runner-up finish at 157. In addition to the Midlands and Southern Scuffle, 11 Mountain Hawks are expected to compete at the Franklin & Marshall Open, Dec. 30 in Lancaster, Pa.
Â
Competition at the Southern Scuffle begins Friday at 9 a.m. from Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena. Action continues all day Friday and Saturday with the championship matches and medal rounds set for Friday at 7 p.m. Streaming video for every bout at the Southern Scuffle will be available through Flowrestling.org through their subscription-based FloPro package. Live scoring for all bouts will be available via Trackwrestling.com. Comprehensive updates of all Lehigh bouts will be available on Twitter @LehighWrestling.
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Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
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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