Friday, February 12
7:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Penn State
No. 6 Lehigh to close out home slate vs. No. 1 Penn State Friday, Bloomsburg Sunday
2/10/2016 4:28:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Mountain Hawk Rewards | Tickets (Bloomsburg only) | Video | Audio
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Winners of its last ten duals, No. 6 Lehigh will close out its home schedule with two weekend matches. On Friday, the Mountain Hawks welcome longtime rival and No. 1-ranked Penn State to a sold out Stabler Arena, while on Sunday, Lehigh will recognize its senior class prior to taking on Bloomsburg inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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Because of the crowd of more than 5,800 expected for the Penn State dual, fans with tickets to Friday's match are strongly encouraged to arrive at Stabler Arena early due to rush hour traffic and parking volume. With the large crowd expected, Stabler Arena's doors will open at 5:45 p.m. Friday, 15 minutes earlier than usual.
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Fans who have downloaded the Mountain Hawk Rewards app and check in to Friday's match will also be eligible to participate in an eight-person Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament at intermission. The winner of the tournament will then challenge a special guest contestant in a best-of-five championship round for a chance to win a $250 cash prize.
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Sunday's Bloomsburg match will be Lehigh's senior day. Nine members of the Lehigh program will be recognized prior to the match. The dual also features the return of Wrestling Bingo, which was introduced last season against George Mason. In addition, upper level tickets to the Bloomsburg dual are available for a special price of just $2.
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Lehigh returned from a weekend off from competition by posting its tenth straight dual win, with an impressive 32-8 triumph over American February 6 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won eight bouts with four bonus wins on the afternoon. Sophomore Darian Cruz set the tone with a come-from-behind 11-8 decision over eighth-ranked David Terao in the opening bout at 125 as the Mountain Hawks won the first four weight classes to open a 16-0 lead. Nathaniel Brown and John Bolich put the dual away with back-to-back wins by technical fall at 184 and 197. The win clinched Lehigh's first unbeaten EIWA dual season since 2009-10 and clinched a spot for the Mountain Hawks in the upcoming NWCA National Championship Dual Series.
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With more than 5,800 tickets sold, the Penn State match has sold out Stabler Arena for Lehigh wrestling for just the second time in its history. Lehigh's home dual meet attendance record will be challenged. The current record is 5,828 from No. 1 Oklahoma State's visit on February 13, 2005. The Grace Hall record attendance is 4,650 from a Lehigh-Navy dual on February 4, 1967.
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When Penn State visits Stabler Arena Friday night it will mark the fourth time in the last 25 years that Lehigh will host the No. 1 team in the nation. The Mountain Hawks hosted No. 1 Oklahoma State in February 2005 and since then have also hosted top-ranked Cornell in 2011 and the Nittany Lions in November 2013. Lehigh's win over Cornell in 2011 is Lehigh's first and only win in any sport against a team ranked No. 1 in the country.
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Top-ranked Penn State brings a 13-0 dual record into Friday night's dual. The Nittany Lions have won four of the last five NCAA team championships and are once again favorites to claim the team title in 2016. Penn State is coming off a 24-14 win over defending national champion Ohio State to move to 8-0 against Big Ten opponents. The Nittany Lions also captured the Southern Scuffle title in early January.
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A loaded Nittany Lion lineup features nine ranked wrestlers, including four men ranked No. 1 at their respective weight classes: Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197). Penn State's lineup features five returning All-Americans with Nico Megaludis (125), Jordan Conaway (133) and Jimmy Gulibon (141) joining Retherford and McIntosh. NCAA wrestling legend Cael Sanderson is in his seventh season as Penn State's head coach.
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Bloomsburg carries a 1-15 dual record into this weekend's action. The Huskies were a top-25 dual team as recent as two seasons ago but have struggled to a 1-27 dual mark over the last two years. Bloomsburg will host Sacred Heart on Saturday before making the trek to Bethlehem on Sunday. The Huskies have lost eight straight duals since defeating VMI 20-18 for their lone win of the season on January 3.
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Last weekend, Bloomsburg fell 38-4 at George Mason. Dominic Carfagno delivered the only points with a major decision win at 197. Carfagno leads Bloomsburg's probables with a 20-15 record. Andy Schutz is second with a 16-14 mark at 133. Jason Mester is in his third season as Bloomsburg's head coach.
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Lehigh has wrestled Penn State more than any other opponent in school history. Friday's dual marks the 104th meeting between the rivals. Penn State has won the last five duals. Lehigh and Penn State are meeting for the 83rd straight year. Sunday's Lehigh-Bloomsburg dual is just the sixth in the series.
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Friday's Penn State match is set for a 7 p.m. start from Stabler Arena. The match is sold out but streaming video will be available for free on the Patriot League Network. Audio coverage will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) beginning at 6:45.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Bloomsburg dual will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets for that dual are still available and can be  purchased at LehighTickets.com, by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours, or at Grace Hall on match day.
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Thanks to its 7-0 dual record against conference opponents, Lehigh will represent the EIWA at the NWCA National Championship Dual Series with a dual meet at a Big Ten opponent to be determined next weekend. The dual will likely be held on Sunday February 21 and will be Lehigh's final dual meet of the season. The Mountain Hawks will then shift focus to the EIWA Championships, March 5-6 at Princeton.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Winners of its last ten duals, No. 6 Lehigh will close out its home schedule with two weekend matches. On Friday, the Mountain Hawks welcome longtime rival and No. 1-ranked Penn State to a sold out Stabler Arena, while on Sunday, Lehigh will recognize its senior class prior to taking on Bloomsburg inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
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Because of the crowd of more than 5,800 expected for the Penn State dual, fans with tickets to Friday's match are strongly encouraged to arrive at Stabler Arena early due to rush hour traffic and parking volume. With the large crowd expected, Stabler Arena's doors will open at 5:45 p.m. Friday, 15 minutes earlier than usual.
Â
Fans who have downloaded the Mountain Hawk Rewards app and check in to Friday's match will also be eligible to participate in an eight-person Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament at intermission. The winner of the tournament will then challenge a special guest contestant in a best-of-five championship round for a chance to win a $250 cash prize.
Â
Sunday's Bloomsburg match will be Lehigh's senior day. Nine members of the Lehigh program will be recognized prior to the match. The dual also features the return of Wrestling Bingo, which was introduced last season against George Mason. In addition, upper level tickets to the Bloomsburg dual are available for a special price of just $2.
Â
Lehigh returned from a weekend off from competition by posting its tenth straight dual win, with an impressive 32-8 triumph over American February 6 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won eight bouts with four bonus wins on the afternoon. Sophomore Darian Cruz set the tone with a come-from-behind 11-8 decision over eighth-ranked David Terao in the opening bout at 125 as the Mountain Hawks won the first four weight classes to open a 16-0 lead. Nathaniel Brown and John Bolich put the dual away with back-to-back wins by technical fall at 184 and 197. The win clinched Lehigh's first unbeaten EIWA dual season since 2009-10 and clinched a spot for the Mountain Hawks in the upcoming NWCA National Championship Dual Series.
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With more than 5,800 tickets sold, the Penn State match has sold out Stabler Arena for Lehigh wrestling for just the second time in its history. Lehigh's home dual meet attendance record will be challenged. The current record is 5,828 from No. 1 Oklahoma State's visit on February 13, 2005. The Grace Hall record attendance is 4,650 from a Lehigh-Navy dual on February 4, 1967.
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When Penn State visits Stabler Arena Friday night it will mark the fourth time in the last 25 years that Lehigh will host the No. 1 team in the nation. The Mountain Hawks hosted No. 1 Oklahoma State in February 2005 and since then have also hosted top-ranked Cornell in 2011 and the Nittany Lions in November 2013. Lehigh's win over Cornell in 2011 is Lehigh's first and only win in any sport against a team ranked No. 1 in the country.
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Top-ranked Penn State brings a 13-0 dual record into Friday night's dual. The Nittany Lions have won four of the last five NCAA team championships and are once again favorites to claim the team title in 2016. Penn State is coming off a 24-14 win over defending national champion Ohio State to move to 8-0 against Big Ten opponents. The Nittany Lions also captured the Southern Scuffle title in early January.
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A loaded Nittany Lion lineup features nine ranked wrestlers, including four men ranked No. 1 at their respective weight classes: Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197). Penn State's lineup features five returning All-Americans with Nico Megaludis (125), Jordan Conaway (133) and Jimmy Gulibon (141) joining Retherford and McIntosh. NCAA wrestling legend Cael Sanderson is in his seventh season as Penn State's head coach.
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Bloomsburg carries a 1-15 dual record into this weekend's action. The Huskies were a top-25 dual team as recent as two seasons ago but have struggled to a 1-27 dual mark over the last two years. Bloomsburg will host Sacred Heart on Saturday before making the trek to Bethlehem on Sunday. The Huskies have lost eight straight duals since defeating VMI 20-18 for their lone win of the season on January 3.
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Last weekend, Bloomsburg fell 38-4 at George Mason. Dominic Carfagno delivered the only points with a major decision win at 197. Carfagno leads Bloomsburg's probables with a 20-15 record. Andy Schutz is second with a 16-14 mark at 133. Jason Mester is in his third season as Bloomsburg's head coach.
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Lehigh has wrestled Penn State more than any other opponent in school history. Friday's dual marks the 104th meeting between the rivals. Penn State has won the last five duals. Lehigh and Penn State are meeting for the 83rd straight year. Sunday's Lehigh-Bloomsburg dual is just the sixth in the series.
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Friday's Penn State match is set for a 7 p.m. start from Stabler Arena. The match is sold out but streaming video will be available for free on the Patriot League Network. Audio coverage will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) beginning at 6:45.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Bloomsburg dual will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets for that dual are still available and can be  purchased at LehighTickets.com, by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours, or at Grace Hall on match day.
Â
Thanks to its 7-0 dual record against conference opponents, Lehigh will represent the EIWA at the NWCA National Championship Dual Series with a dual meet at a Big Ten opponent to be determined next weekend. The dual will likely be held on Sunday February 21 and will be Lehigh's final dual meet of the season. The Mountain Hawks will then shift focus to the EIWA Championships, March 5-6 at Princeton.
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| Date: | February 12, 2016 |
| Opponent: | No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions |
| First match: | 7:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Stabler Arena (5,600) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 12-1 overall, 7-0 EIWA |
| Penn State's record: | 13-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten |
| Series: | Penn State leads 66-34-3 |
| Streak: | Penn State has won the last five duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160 AM) beginning at 6:45 p.m. |
| Internet broadcast: | Live Video on the Patriot League Network Live Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.gopsusports.com |
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| Date: | February 14, 2016 |
| Opponent: | Bloomsburg Huskies |
| First match: | 2:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall (2,130) |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 12-1 overall, 7-0 EIWA |
| Bloomsburg's record: | 1-15 overall, 0-5 EWL |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 3-1-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won the last two duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160 AM) beginning at 1:45 p.m. |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on the Patriot League Network Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.buhuskies.com |
Players Mentioned
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, March 12
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Thursday, February 20
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, December 04
Season Preview: Wrestling
Wednesday, October 30
