Friday, November 11
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
No. 12 Lehigh hosts Bucknell Friday before trip to Journeymen Collegiate Classic
11/9/2016 5:02:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Tickets | Video | Audio
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 108th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall as the 12th-ranked Mountain Hawks host EIWA rival Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks return three All-Americans and eight previous NCAA qualifiers from last year's team, which went 13-3 in duals before taking second place at the EIWA Tournament and 14th at the NCAA Championships.
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After the Mountain Hawks battle Bucknell on Friday night, Lehigh will head to Troy, N.Y. to take part in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, an event formerly known as the Northeast Duals that will feature a new tournament-style round-robin format.
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Seventeen Lehigh wrestlers took part in the Mountain Hawks' first competitive date of the season as 10 attached wrestlers and seven unattached wrestlers competed in the East Stroudsburg Open. Nine of Lehigh's 17 entrants placed in the top four of their respective weight classes, with the trio of freshman Ryan Pomrinca (141), sophomore Gordon Wolf (165) and freshman Jordan Wood (285) claiming titles.
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Six Lehigh wrestlers didn't have to venture far from home to wrestle collegiately for the Brown and White. Senior Randy Cruz, junior Darian Cruz and freshman Luke Karam all wrestled for nearby Bethlehem Catholic High School, the same program that produced Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. Add in seniors Mitch Minotti (Easton) and Matt Bonshak (Whitehall) and freshman Charlie Sell (Bangor) and the Mountain Hawks' roster features six grapplers from the wrestling-rich Lehigh Valley. Freshman Jake Jakobsen hails from Stroudsburg, which is part of District XI and sophomore Scott Parker and freshman Kyle Gentile wrestled for Pennridge High School, which is located just south of the Lehigh Valley.
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Senior Randy Cruz is the lone returnee among Lehigh's three All-Americans from the 2016 NCAA Championships. After coming up one win shy of All-America honors as a sophomore, Cruz went 26-10 last year and placed eighth at 141. In the All-American round, Cruz used a punishing ride and four point near fall to defeat Ohio State's Micah Jordan 6-2. Cruz is also a two-time EIWA Champion who in 2013 became Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. The Bethlehem native leads active Lehigh wrestlers with a 79-31 career mark that includes 17 wins by fall.
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Lehigh's lineup could feature as many as five fifth-year seniors, including two who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. Mitch Minotti earned his degree in finance and is pursuing his Master's in technical entrepreneurship. Doug Vollaro earned his degree in industrial and systems engineering and is now doing graduate work in management. Lehigh's other three fifth-year wrestlers are all enrolled in rigorous engineering programs: Randy Cruz (industrial and systems), Laike Gardner (mechanical) and Ben Haas (mechanical).
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As many as four freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts against Bucknell, led by deferred freshman Jordan Kutler, who is expected to start at 157. Deferred freshmen Ryan Pomrinca (141), Cole Walter (165) and Andrew Price (184) also could make their dual debuts against the Bison, while true freshman Kyle Gentile is also a possibility at 184. While true freshmen have been regular contributors for the Mountain Hawks in recent years, none of the 10 true freshmen on last year's roster saw varsity action.
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Seven Mountain Hawks appear in the first InterMat in-season rankings, led by senior Mitch Minotti and junior Darian Cruz, who are ranked sixth at 165 and 125, respectively. Returning All-American Randy Cruz also earned a top 10 preseason ranking. Seven Lehigh wrestlers also appear in FloWrestling's latest rankings, while six appear in both the Open Mat's latest poll and the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. In addition to Minotti and the Cruzes, seniors Laike Gardner and Doug Vollaro and sophomore Ryan Preisch are ranked across the board.
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Lehigh's dual with Bucknell marks the start of Lehigh's 108th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 6-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is also 6-2 in home openers under Santoro and is 2-1 in season openers against Bucknell (1998-99, 2013-14, 2015-16).
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Bucknell opened its dual season with a 36-3 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma State Sunday in Miami, Okla. Victor Lopez was the lone winner for the Bison as he debuted at 157 with a victory over David Dolan. Bucknell's two ranked wrestlers, Tyler Smith (141) and Tom Sleigh (197) were upended by higher-ranked Oklahoma State opponents.
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The Bison's probable lineup features four freshmen as Bucknell is looking to replace four starters including former Lehigh nemeses Paul Petrov and Joe Stolfi. Bucknell went 12-6 in dual competition last season and finished third at the EIWA Championships. The Bison qualified six wrestlers for last year's NCAA Championships, with Smith, Lopez and Sleigh returning, the latter two up a weight class from last year. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 12th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 12th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh is 5-1 versus the Bison in Bethlehem and 5-1 against Bucknell under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are available and can be purchased online anytime at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
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Previously known as the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals, Journeymen Wrestling has changed the format in 2016. Instead of duals, the Journeymen/ASICS Collegiate Classic features 16 teams, including 13 Division I squads, competing in independent modified round robin brackets. Division I programs can enter up to 14 wrestlers to compete in 6-8 man round robin brackets that will be followed by crossover matches.
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Competing teams include: Arizona State, Buffalo, the Citadel, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rider, West Virginia and Wisconsin plus Division II LIU-Post and Division III Cortland and Ithaca.
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Lehigh will be competing in Troy, N.Y. for the eighth time in the last 10 years. The Mountain Hawks went 17-5 in duals in their seven previous trips to the Northeast Duals, highlighted by their first-ever win over Oklahoma State in 2008. Last year, Lehigh defeated Minnesota 22-12 but suffered one of its three dual losses on the season 24-6 at the hands of Nebraska.
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Action from the Journeymen Collegiate Classic is expected to begin around 9:30 a.m. Sunday from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. Streaming video of the Journeymen Collegiate Classic will be provided by FloWrestling as part of its FloPro subscription service.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 108th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall as the 12th-ranked Mountain Hawks host EIWA rival Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks return three All-Americans and eight previous NCAA qualifiers from last year's team, which went 13-3 in duals before taking second place at the EIWA Tournament and 14th at the NCAA Championships.
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After the Mountain Hawks battle Bucknell on Friday night, Lehigh will head to Troy, N.Y. to take part in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, an event formerly known as the Northeast Duals that will feature a new tournament-style round-robin format.
Â
Seventeen Lehigh wrestlers took part in the Mountain Hawks' first competitive date of the season as 10 attached wrestlers and seven unattached wrestlers competed in the East Stroudsburg Open. Nine of Lehigh's 17 entrants placed in the top four of their respective weight classes, with the trio of freshman Ryan Pomrinca (141), sophomore Gordon Wolf (165) and freshman Jordan Wood (285) claiming titles.
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Six Lehigh wrestlers didn't have to venture far from home to wrestle collegiately for the Brown and White. Senior Randy Cruz, junior Darian Cruz and freshman Luke Karam all wrestled for nearby Bethlehem Catholic High School, the same program that produced Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. Add in seniors Mitch Minotti (Easton) and Matt Bonshak (Whitehall) and freshman Charlie Sell (Bangor) and the Mountain Hawks' roster features six grapplers from the wrestling-rich Lehigh Valley. Freshman Jake Jakobsen hails from Stroudsburg, which is part of District XI and sophomore Scott Parker and freshman Kyle Gentile wrestled for Pennridge High School, which is located just south of the Lehigh Valley.
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Senior Randy Cruz is the lone returnee among Lehigh's three All-Americans from the 2016 NCAA Championships. After coming up one win shy of All-America honors as a sophomore, Cruz went 26-10 last year and placed eighth at 141. In the All-American round, Cruz used a punishing ride and four point near fall to defeat Ohio State's Micah Jordan 6-2. Cruz is also a two-time EIWA Champion who in 2013 became Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. The Bethlehem native leads active Lehigh wrestlers with a 79-31 career mark that includes 17 wins by fall.
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Lehigh's lineup could feature as many as five fifth-year seniors, including two who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. Mitch Minotti earned his degree in finance and is pursuing his Master's in technical entrepreneurship. Doug Vollaro earned his degree in industrial and systems engineering and is now doing graduate work in management. Lehigh's other three fifth-year wrestlers are all enrolled in rigorous engineering programs: Randy Cruz (industrial and systems), Laike Gardner (mechanical) and Ben Haas (mechanical).
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As many as four freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts against Bucknell, led by deferred freshman Jordan Kutler, who is expected to start at 157. Deferred freshmen Ryan Pomrinca (141), Cole Walter (165) and Andrew Price (184) also could make their dual debuts against the Bison, while true freshman Kyle Gentile is also a possibility at 184. While true freshmen have been regular contributors for the Mountain Hawks in recent years, none of the 10 true freshmen on last year's roster saw varsity action.
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Seven Mountain Hawks appear in the first InterMat in-season rankings, led by senior Mitch Minotti and junior Darian Cruz, who are ranked sixth at 165 and 125, respectively. Returning All-American Randy Cruz also earned a top 10 preseason ranking. Seven Lehigh wrestlers also appear in FloWrestling's latest rankings, while six appear in both the Open Mat's latest poll and the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. In addition to Minotti and the Cruzes, seniors Laike Gardner and Doug Vollaro and sophomore Ryan Preisch are ranked across the board.
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Lehigh's dual with Bucknell marks the start of Lehigh's 108th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 6-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is also 6-2 in home openers under Santoro and is 2-1 in season openers against Bucknell (1998-99, 2013-14, 2015-16).
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Bucknell opened its dual season with a 36-3 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma State Sunday in Miami, Okla. Victor Lopez was the lone winner for the Bison as he debuted at 157 with a victory over David Dolan. Bucknell's two ranked wrestlers, Tyler Smith (141) and Tom Sleigh (197) were upended by higher-ranked Oklahoma State opponents.
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The Bison's probable lineup features four freshmen as Bucknell is looking to replace four starters including former Lehigh nemeses Paul Petrov and Joe Stolfi. Bucknell went 12-6 in dual competition last season and finished third at the EIWA Championships. The Bison qualified six wrestlers for last year's NCAA Championships, with Smith, Lopez and Sleigh returning, the latter two up a weight class from last year. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 12th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 12th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh is 5-1 versus the Bison in Bethlehem and 5-1 against Bucknell under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are available and can be purchased online anytime at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
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Previously known as the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals, Journeymen Wrestling has changed the format in 2016. Instead of duals, the Journeymen/ASICS Collegiate Classic features 16 teams, including 13 Division I squads, competing in independent modified round robin brackets. Division I programs can enter up to 14 wrestlers to compete in 6-8 man round robin brackets that will be followed by crossover matches.
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Competing teams include: Arizona State, Buffalo, the Citadel, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rider, West Virginia and Wisconsin plus Division II LIU-Post and Division III Cortland and Ithaca.
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Lehigh will be competing in Troy, N.Y. for the eighth time in the last 10 years. The Mountain Hawks went 17-5 in duals in their seven previous trips to the Northeast Duals, highlighted by their first-ever win over Oklahoma State in 2008. Last year, Lehigh defeated Minnesota 22-12 but suffered one of its three dual losses on the season 24-6 at the hands of Nebraska.
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Action from the Journeymen Collegiate Classic is expected to begin around 9:30 a.m. Sunday from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. Streaming video of the Journeymen Collegiate Classic will be provided by FloWrestling as part of its FloPro subscription service.
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| Date: | November 11, 2016 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| First match: | 7:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Bucknell's Record: | 0-1 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 10-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh won the most recent meeting |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | WLVR-FM (91.3) beginning at 6:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.TV Audio at WLVR.org |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.bucknellbison.com/ |
Players Mentioned
157
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
133/141
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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