Lehigh celebrates 2015-16 season at 93rd annual Lewis Wrestling Dinner
4/21/2016 12:32:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh wrestling team celebrated another successful season in 2015-16 with the 93rd annual Lewis Wrestling Dinner, which was held April 15 in the Wood Dining Room at Iacocca Hall. The event featured dinner, speeches from head coach Pat Santoro and Lehigh's nine seniors and the presentation of program awards as the Mountain Hawks reflected on a successful season that included a 13-3 dual meet record and a 14th place finish at the NCAA Championships as Lehigh crowned three All-Americans for the third year in a row.
Seniors Nathaniel Brown and Max Wessell earned All-America honors, along with junior Randy Cruz, while Wessell and sophomore Darian Cruz won individual EIWA titles.
Wessell earned the Outstanding Athlete award, which recognizes the wrestler who has made the most significant athletic contribution to the team. In his sixth year at Lehigh, Wessell enjoyed his best season in the brown and white, putting together a 27-7 record. He won an EIWA title at 285 and earned All-America honors with his eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships in New York.
The Scholar-Athlete award, which is awarded to the wrestler who in the eyes of his teammates best exemplifies the ideal of the scholar-athlete, went to deferred freshman Gordon Wolf. A second-year student in Lehigh's College of Business and Economics, Wolf carries a 3.49 cumulative grade point average. Wolf finished the season with a 14-10 record and moved up two weight classes to 174, where he qualified for the NCAA Championships and pulled a first round upset win over Iowa's No. 13 seed Alex Meyer.
Nathaniel Brown received the Coaches Award, given to the individual who made significant contributions to the well-being of his team in terms of attitude, improvement, or special leadership as evidenced by growth or presence of strong self-awareness, integrity, competitiveness, team-first mentality, and toughness. Brown capped his Lehigh career with his second straight All-America medal, finishing seventh at 184. One of Lehigh's key team leaders, Brown went 26-6 this past season and finished with a 93-25 career record.
For his prolonged display of enthusiasm, determination, character and heart throughout the season, junior Mitch Minotti was awarded the Gerald G. Leeman Award. The honor is intended to highlight the accomplishments of an athlete who has displayed strong perseverance through the year and not necessarily the highest level of skill or success on the mat. A two-time All-American coming into the season, Minotti went 11-3 this season but missed the second half of the season and was unable to compete in the postseason due to injury.
Sophomore Scott Parker was named the Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year, recognizes a student-athlete who either was not a starter on the team or who deferred eligibility for the year. A NCAA qualifier at 125 as a true freshman, Parker deferred his eligibility while moving up to 133. He went 20-6 competing unattached in open competition and placed in three tournaments, including a championship at the East Stroudsburg Open in November.
The dinner also featured reflections from Lehigh's nine-member senior class that included Brown, Wessell, Mason Beckman, John Bolich, Eric Hess, Cody Kievman, Dave Quackenbos, Mike Stepien and Will Sullivan.
Story by Derek Knott '16
Seniors Nathaniel Brown and Max Wessell earned All-America honors, along with junior Randy Cruz, while Wessell and sophomore Darian Cruz won individual EIWA titles.
Wessell earned the Outstanding Athlete award, which recognizes the wrestler who has made the most significant athletic contribution to the team. In his sixth year at Lehigh, Wessell enjoyed his best season in the brown and white, putting together a 27-7 record. He won an EIWA title at 285 and earned All-America honors with his eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships in New York.
The Scholar-Athlete award, which is awarded to the wrestler who in the eyes of his teammates best exemplifies the ideal of the scholar-athlete, went to deferred freshman Gordon Wolf. A second-year student in Lehigh's College of Business and Economics, Wolf carries a 3.49 cumulative grade point average. Wolf finished the season with a 14-10 record and moved up two weight classes to 174, where he qualified for the NCAA Championships and pulled a first round upset win over Iowa's No. 13 seed Alex Meyer.
Nathaniel Brown received the Coaches Award, given to the individual who made significant contributions to the well-being of his team in terms of attitude, improvement, or special leadership as evidenced by growth or presence of strong self-awareness, integrity, competitiveness, team-first mentality, and toughness. Brown capped his Lehigh career with his second straight All-America medal, finishing seventh at 184. One of Lehigh's key team leaders, Brown went 26-6 this past season and finished with a 93-25 career record.
For his prolonged display of enthusiasm, determination, character and heart throughout the season, junior Mitch Minotti was awarded the Gerald G. Leeman Award. The honor is intended to highlight the accomplishments of an athlete who has displayed strong perseverance through the year and not necessarily the highest level of skill or success on the mat. A two-time All-American coming into the season, Minotti went 11-3 this season but missed the second half of the season and was unable to compete in the postseason due to injury.
Sophomore Scott Parker was named the Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year, recognizes a student-athlete who either was not a starter on the team or who deferred eligibility for the year. A NCAA qualifier at 125 as a true freshman, Parker deferred his eligibility while moving up to 133. He went 20-6 competing unattached in open competition and placed in three tournaments, including a championship at the East Stroudsburg Open in November.
The dinner also featured reflections from Lehigh's nine-member senior class that included Brown, Wessell, Mason Beckman, John Bolich, Eric Hess, Cody Kievman, Dave Quackenbos, Mike Stepien and Will Sullivan.
Story by Derek Knott '16
Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
174
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