Friday, December 1
Princeton, N.J.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Princeton
No. 5 Lehigh to visit Princeton Friday, host No. 1 Penn State Sunday at sold-out PPL Center
11/29/2017 5:22:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Princeton Video ($) | Penn State Video | Audio
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PPL Center Links: A-Z Guide | Bag & Purse Policy | Concourse Map | Parking Map
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Two longtime rivals await No. 5 Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks return from an off weekend to visit EIWA rival Princeton Friday in New Jersey before returning home to host No. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Penn State Sunday at a sold-out PPL Center in Allentown. The Mountain Hawks are off to a 3-0 start in dual competition and are coming off an impressive 27-8 win over then-No. 4 Michigan in their last action prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Lehigh won eight bouts from the Wolverines and knocked off three ranked wrestlers in the process.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
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With a capacity crowd expected for Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match, fans are encouraged to arrive early to PPL Center. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m., a half-hour earlier than normal.
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To help ensure visitor safety, PPL Center will now require all guests to pass through metal detectors upon entry to events. Guests will not be asked to remove jackets, shoes, belts, watches or coins; but cell phones, keys and cameras must be set in designated bins before passing through the metal detectors. To expedite the screening process, fans are encouraged to leave non-essential items at home or in their vehicles. Bags and purses larger than 12"x6"x12" are not permitted into PPL Center.
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Additional information for PPL Center visitors can be found at the top of this story.
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Lehigh capped its opening home weekend with a dominant 27-8 win over then-No. 4 Michigan Nov. 19 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won eight bouts against the Wolverines, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Junior Scott Parker earned his second pin of the season, while junior Ian Brown upset nationally-ranked Alec Pantaleo to help stake Lehigh to an 18-0 lead at intermission. Sophomore Jordan Kutler and junior Ryan Preisch added wins in battles of top 10 wrestlers at 174 and 184, respectively. The win over Michigan was Lehigh's third against a top-5 team in 10 seasons under Pat Santoro. The Mountain Hawks also topped No. 1 Cornell in 2010-11 and No. 3 Ohio State in 2014-15.
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A Lehigh dual meet-record 5,909 fans packed Stabler Arena for Penn State's last visit to the Lehigh Valley in February 2016 as the top-ranked Nittany Lions claimed a 28-9 win. Sunday's dual versus Penn State at PPL Center in Allentown is sold out. With more than 9,000 tickets sold the match will set a new attendance record for a Lehigh home dual. Following Sunday's dual, four of the top five home dual meet crowds in Lehigh history will have come against rival Penn State. 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 PPL Center on Sunday it will mark the fifth time in the last 25 years that Lehigh will host the No. 1-ranked 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 and February 2016. 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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Last year 165 was one of Lehigh's deepest weights, with four different wrestlers seeing action in duals and all four winning at least one dual match. With three of those four wrestlers returning, 165 is once again Lehigh's deepest weight. Junior Gordon Wolf is 2-0 in duals and has cracked InterMat's rankings, while sophomore Cole Walter, a NCAA qualifier a season ago, wrestled in the Michigan dual. The Mountain Hawks also have fifth-year senior Drew Longo, who represented Lehigh at 149 in the 2015 EIWA tournament and has seen a fair amount of action at 157 and 165 over the last two seasons.
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Princeton opens its dual meet schedule when Lehigh visits Jadwin Gym on Friday night. Thus far the Tigers have competed in two tournaments, and hosted the NWCA All-Star Classic. Four Tigers reached the finals in the Nov. 4 Princeton Tiger Open, led by freshman Patrick Brucki, who claimed the 197-pound title. Princeton's top two wrestlers, Matt Kolodzik (149) and Jonathan Schleifer (165) wrestled in the All-Star Classic the following day. Kolodzik is currently Princeton's lone ranked wrestler coming in at No. 4 at 149. Most recently, Princeton finished fifth at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18 with Kolodzik winning his weight class, leading the way for four Tiger place winners. Princeton was 9-8 in duals a season ago. Former Lehigh All-American and assistant coach Chris Ayres '99 is in his 12th season as Princeton's head coach.
Two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Penn State opened its dual season with convincing wins over Army West Point, Bucknell and Binghamton. The Nittany Lions dominated the field, claiming seven champions and racking up 190.5 points to win the Keystone Classic, Nov. 19 at Penn. Penn State's lineup boasts five returning NCAA Champions at five consecutive weights from 149 through 184, led by 2017 Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford at 149. Other retuning champions include Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (184). Retherford, Nolf, Joseph and Nickal are all ranked first at their respective weights, while Hall is ranked second. NCAA wrestling legend Cael Sanderson is in his ninth season as Penn State's head coach. Penn State has won six NCAA team titles in the last seven seasons.
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Princeton and Penn State are two of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with the Nittany Lions serving as Lehigh's most-often wrestled opponent. Sunday's dual marks the 106th meeting and the 85th consecutive season that Lehigh will wrestle Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won the last seven duals. Lehigh and Princeton meet for the 60th time overall but just the eighth time in the last 40 years. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 straight against the Tigers and are 5-0 against Princeton under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's dual at Princeton begins at 7 p.m. from Jadwin Gym in New Jersey. It will be streamed on the subscription-based Ivy League Digital Network.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match begins at 2 p.m. from PPL Center in Allentown. For those without tickets to the sold-out event, the match will be televised locally on Service Electric 2 Sports and streamed on the Patriot League Network.
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Audio coverage for both duals will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com.
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Lehigh will close out the fall semester with a pair of EIWA duals in Philadelphia on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Mountain Hawks will face Penn at 1 p.m. at the Palestra before heading across the street to take on Drexel at 4 p.m. at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Lehigh posted home wins over both teams last season. After a break for final exams and the holidays, Lehigh will compete at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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PPL Center Links: A-Z Guide | Bag & Purse Policy | Concourse Map | Parking Map
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Two longtime rivals await No. 5 Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks return from an off weekend to visit EIWA rival Princeton Friday in New Jersey before returning home to host No. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Penn State Sunday at a sold-out PPL Center in Allentown. The Mountain Hawks are off to a 3-0 start in dual competition and are coming off an impressive 27-8 win over then-No. 4 Michigan in their last action prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Lehigh won eight bouts from the Wolverines and knocked off three ranked wrestlers in the process.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Â
With a capacity crowd expected for Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match, fans are encouraged to arrive early to PPL Center. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m., a half-hour earlier than normal.
Â
To help ensure visitor safety, PPL Center will now require all guests to pass through metal detectors upon entry to events. Guests will not be asked to remove jackets, shoes, belts, watches or coins; but cell phones, keys and cameras must be set in designated bins before passing through the metal detectors. To expedite the screening process, fans are encouraged to leave non-essential items at home or in their vehicles. Bags and purses larger than 12"x6"x12" are not permitted into PPL Center.
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Additional information for PPL Center visitors can be found at the top of this story.
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Lehigh capped its opening home weekend with a dominant 27-8 win over then-No. 4 Michigan Nov. 19 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won eight bouts against the Wolverines, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Junior Scott Parker earned his second pin of the season, while junior Ian Brown upset nationally-ranked Alec Pantaleo to help stake Lehigh to an 18-0 lead at intermission. Sophomore Jordan Kutler and junior Ryan Preisch added wins in battles of top 10 wrestlers at 174 and 184, respectively. The win over Michigan was Lehigh's third against a top-5 team in 10 seasons under Pat Santoro. The Mountain Hawks also topped No. 1 Cornell in 2010-11 and No. 3 Ohio State in 2014-15.
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A Lehigh dual meet-record 5,909 fans packed Stabler Arena for Penn State's last visit to the Lehigh Valley in February 2016 as the top-ranked Nittany Lions claimed a 28-9 win. Sunday's dual versus Penn State at PPL Center in Allentown is sold out. With more than 9,000 tickets sold the match will set a new attendance record for a Lehigh home dual. Following Sunday's dual, four of the top five home dual meet crowds in Lehigh history will have come against rival Penn State. 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 PPL Center on Sunday it will mark the fifth time in the last 25 years that Lehigh will host the No. 1-ranked 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 and February 2016. 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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Last year 165 was one of Lehigh's deepest weights, with four different wrestlers seeing action in duals and all four winning at least one dual match. With three of those four wrestlers returning, 165 is once again Lehigh's deepest weight. Junior Gordon Wolf is 2-0 in duals and has cracked InterMat's rankings, while sophomore Cole Walter, a NCAA qualifier a season ago, wrestled in the Michigan dual. The Mountain Hawks also have fifth-year senior Drew Longo, who represented Lehigh at 149 in the 2015 EIWA tournament and has seen a fair amount of action at 157 and 165 over the last two seasons.
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Princeton opens its dual meet schedule when Lehigh visits Jadwin Gym on Friday night. Thus far the Tigers have competed in two tournaments, and hosted the NWCA All-Star Classic. Four Tigers reached the finals in the Nov. 4 Princeton Tiger Open, led by freshman Patrick Brucki, who claimed the 197-pound title. Princeton's top two wrestlers, Matt Kolodzik (149) and Jonathan Schleifer (165) wrestled in the All-Star Classic the following day. Kolodzik is currently Princeton's lone ranked wrestler coming in at No. 4 at 149. Most recently, Princeton finished fifth at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18 with Kolodzik winning his weight class, leading the way for four Tiger place winners. Princeton was 9-8 in duals a season ago. Former Lehigh All-American and assistant coach Chris Ayres '99 is in his 12th season as Princeton's head coach.
Two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Penn State opened its dual season with convincing wins over Army West Point, Bucknell and Binghamton. The Nittany Lions dominated the field, claiming seven champions and racking up 190.5 points to win the Keystone Classic, Nov. 19 at Penn. Penn State's lineup boasts five returning NCAA Champions at five consecutive weights from 149 through 184, led by 2017 Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford at 149. Other retuning champions include Jason Nolf (157), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark Hall (174) and Bo Nickal (184). Retherford, Nolf, Joseph and Nickal are all ranked first at their respective weights, while Hall is ranked second. NCAA wrestling legend Cael Sanderson is in his ninth season as Penn State's head coach. Penn State has won six NCAA team titles in the last seven seasons.
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Princeton and Penn State are two of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with the Nittany Lions serving as Lehigh's most-often wrestled opponent. Sunday's dual marks the 106th meeting and the 85th consecutive season that Lehigh will wrestle Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won the last seven duals. Lehigh and Princeton meet for the 60th time overall but just the eighth time in the last 40 years. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 straight against the Tigers and are 5-0 against Princeton under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's dual at Princeton begins at 7 p.m. from Jadwin Gym in New Jersey. It will be streamed on the subscription-based Ivy League Digital Network.
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Sunday's Lehigh-Penn State match begins at 2 p.m. from PPL Center in Allentown. For those without tickets to the sold-out event, the match will be televised locally on Service Electric 2 Sports and streamed on the Patriot League Network.
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Audio coverage for both duals will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com.
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Lehigh will close out the fall semester with a pair of EIWA duals in Philadelphia on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Mountain Hawks will face Penn at 1 p.m. at the Palestra before heading across the street to take on Drexel at 4 p.m. at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Lehigh posted home wins over both teams last season. After a break for final exams and the holidays, Lehigh will compete at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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| Date: | December 1, 2017 |
| Opponent: | Princeton Tigers |
| First match: | 7 p.m. |
| Arena: | Jadwin Gym |
| Location: | Princeton, N.J. |
| Lehigh's record: | 3-0 overall, 1-0 EIWA |
| Princeton's record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 53-5-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won the last 13 duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 6:45 p.m. |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required) Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.goprincetontigers.com |
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| Date: | December 3, 2017 |
| Opponent: | No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions |
| First match: | 2:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | PPL Center |
| Location: | Allentown, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 3-0 overall, 1-0 EIWA |
| Penn State's record: | 3-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten |
| Series: | Penn State leads 68-34-3 |
| Streak: | Penn State has won the last seven duals |
| Television: | Service Electric 2 Sports live |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 1:45 p.m. |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.tv Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.gopsusports.com |
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Players Mentioned
157
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
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