Season Preview: Mix of experience and young talent lead to high expectations for Mountain Hawks

11/4/2016 10:30:00 AM | Men's Wrestling

The Lehigh wrestling program enjoyed another strong season in 2015-16 as the Mountain Hawks went 13-3 in duals and represented the EIWA in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. Come March Lehigh challenged Cornell in the EIWA, finishing second with a pair of individual champions, and then two weeks later at Madison Square Garden, finished 14th at the NCAA Championships, crowning at least three All-Americans for the fifth time in six seasons.

As the Mountain Hawks ready for the 2016-17 campaign, it is evident that the Lehigh wrestling program has an interesting mix of experience and young talent. Lehigh's roster features three returning All-Americans and a total of eight wrestlers who have previously qualified for the NCAA Championships. On the other end, several strong recruiting classes have yielded talent in the deferred freshmen and true freshmen classes. Expectations will once again be high for the Mountain Hawks as they try to blend the youth and experience to get back to the top of the EIWA and back into the top 10 nationally. The Mountain Hawks wouldn't want it any other way.

"The only expectation I have is to get better every week," said ninth-year head coach Pat Santoro. "We're going to have some new faces. Our young guys are pushing our older guys, which is good to see. We're starting to see a transition in the program and it's going in the right direction.

"This is the type of team with so many question marks, but we're excited about that," Santoro continued. "We know the team's commitment and work ethic. The expectation has to be high. I think it is with this group. It needs to be about a commitment to excellence."

Leading the way for Lehigh will be the three returning All-Americans in seniors Randy Cruz and Mitch Minotti and junior Darian Cruz. Randy Cruz reached the podium for the first time in 2016 while Minotti is a two-time All-American who is working his way back from an injury that cost him the second half of last season. Darian Cruz reached the round of 12 last year in his a bid to become a two-time All-American, and also won his first EIWA title in 2016. The other wrestlers who have competed on college wrestling's biggest stage include seniors Laike Gardner and Doug Vollaro and sophomores Scott Parker, Ryan Preisch and Gordon Wolf. Minotti and Gardner will serve as captains for the 2016-17 campaign along with junior Drew Longo.

"They've been doing the same thing consistently now for four or five years," Santoro said of his three captains. "They've grown every year. They're good people with good work ethics and the team responds to them. They pay attention to detail in everything they do. The young guys can look to them to see that this is how you lead your life."

As much leadership as the upperclassmen have provided, Santoro has also been impressed with the way Lehigh's 11-man true freshman class has come in and adapted to the college wrestling scene.

"This freshman class has been amazing in terms of the level of commitment they have at such a young age and the maturity they have," Santoro explained. "That's pushed the whole team in a way. They've come in and they're doing the extra work and doing all the little things. It has made the rest of the team aware of what this should be about."

To prepare for March, Santoro has lined up another challenging schedule that includes eight home duals and matchups with five of the top 11 finishers at last year's NCAA Championships.

"There are a lot of new teams on our schedule," Santoro said. "It will be exciting for our fans to see some high caliber wrestling and some different teams along the way. We always want to give our guys the most competitive schedule that we can find and we're going to expect them to compete at the highest level with those teams."

Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2016-17:

125 – Junior Darian Cruz has emerged as one of the leaders of this Lehigh team. An All-American as a true freshman in 2014, Cruz returned to action last season and won an EIWA title at 125 while leading the Mountain Hawks with 31 victories. Cruz finished one win shy of his second All-American medal in 2016. Freshmen Aaron Burkett and Nick Farro will back up Cruz.

133 – Lehigh loses an EIWA Champion and two-time All-American in Mason Beckman. Sophomore Scott Parker qualified for NCAAs at 125 as a true freshman in 2015 and moves up a weight class after deferring his eligibility last season. Junior Dean Somers is behind Parker along with freshmen Nick Farro and Joe Lobeck. Highly-touted newcomer Luke Karam will likely defer and could compete here or at 141.

141 – Randy Cruz fell short of a third EIWA title but bounced back at the NCAA Championships earning his first career All-America honor with an eighth place finish. Cruz will be challenged by deferred freshman Ryan Pomrinca, who moves up after competing at 133 as a true freshman. Karam could eventually end up here as well.

149 – The Mountain Hawks have two solid options here plus solid depth in reserves. Senior captain Laike Gardner went 22-11 last season and qualified for the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler went 17-5 filling in between 141 and 149 last season and will challenge Gardner at this weight class this season. Junior Jon Mele, sophomores Camden Fischer and Brandon Diaz and deferred freshman David Pipa also figure in at this weight.

157 – This was arguably Lehigh's deepest weight in 2015-16 with three wrestlers: Mitch Minotti, Ian Brown and Drew Longo all placing at the Southern Scuffle. All three are back this year but the emergence of deferred freshman Jordan Kutler may force last year's top trio up to 165. Kutler was limited by injury in his true freshman season but still went 10-3 competing unattached in open tournaments and had a strong summer on the freestyle scene. Minotti, Brown and Longo all certified at 157 and can fill in as needed. Deferred freshmen Kent Lane and Tyler Casamenti and true freshman Trey Cornish will provide depth here.

165 – The logjam at 157 will likely force some of the top contenders to move up here. A second semester injury derailed Minotti's chances at a third straight All-America medal and if he suits up here would bid to become a three-time All-American at three different weight classes. Longo and Walter should also be in the mix here along with sophomore Gordon Wolf, who began last season at 157 before earning the starting spot, and qualifying for NCAAs at 174. Deferred freshmen Chase Gallik and Charlie Sell could also figure in here along with senior Billy Ramsey and junior Matt Bonshak.

174 – With the wealth of talent at 157 and 165, sophomore Ryan Preisch is expected to bump up here after qualifying for NCAAs at 165 last season. Preisch battled through a nagging second semester injury to go 1-2 at Nationals. There's some flexibility behind Preisch with Wolf capable of moving up plus deferred freshmen Charlie Sell and Paul Dunn and true freshman Dylan Ammerman.

184 – Perhaps the most wide open position in Lehigh's lineup, following the graduation of two-time All-American Nathaniel Brown. A freshman is likely here with deferred freshmen Paul Dunn and Andrew Price in the mix along with highly-regarded newcomers Kyle Gentile and Chris Weiler. Sophomore Garett Stehley will vie for time here as well.

197 – Senior Ben Haas bumped up two weight classes from 174 early last season and performed well, going 12-4 in a reserve role. Haas figures to have the first opportunity here. Behind Haas are sophomore Thomas Murray and promising freshman Jake Jakobsen, who could be a candidate for a deferral year.

285 – Coming off an injury that left him unable to compete at the 2015 NCAA Championships, Doug Vollaro went 11-2 as a junior and watched teammate Max Wessell earn All-America honors with an eighth place finish. Vollaro appears to have the upper hand at this weight in this his senior season. Deferred freshman Christian Colucci will likely back up Vollaro while top recruit and Junior World Team member Jordan Wood will likely defer his eligibility. Freshman Andrew McDonald is the fourth heavyweight on the roster.

The Mountain Hawks, ranked No. 11 in the initial USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, will send a contingent of wrestlers to Sunday's East Stroudsburg Open and will open the dual meet season on Friday, Nov. 11 when they welcome the Bucknell Bison to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start. Tickets are available and can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.