Friday, November 10
Lewisburg, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Bucknell
Lehigh to visit Bucknell and Journeymen Collegiate Classic to kick off 2017-18 season
11/9/2017 5:44:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Match Notes | Video | Audio | Release: Reserved seats for Penn State match sold out
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 109th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night at Sojka Pavilion as the 10th-ranked Mountain Hawks visit EIWA rival Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks are opening against the Bison for the third time in four seasons. For the first time since 2011-12, Lehigh returns a NCAA Champion, thanks to Darian Cruz's title at 125 last March. In Cruz and junior Scott Parker, Lehigh returns a pair of All-Americans and EIWA Champions from last year's team, which went 10-4 in duals before taking second place at the EIWA Tournament and 12th at the NCAA Championships.
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On Sunday, Lehigh will send 18 wrestlers to Troy, N.Y. to take part in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic for the second straight year. Like last year's event, the Journeymen Collegiate Classic will feature a tournament-style round-robin format.
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Darian Cruz won Lehigh wrestling's 28th individual national championship last March, capping a 31-2 junior campaign with his title at 125. Cruz won his second straight EIWA title and avenged his most recent loss to Minnesota's Ethan Lizak with a 6-3 win in the NCAA finals to win Lehigh's first national title since heavyweight Zach Rey in 2011. He was also named EIWA Wrestler of the Year. A two-time EIWA Champion and two-time All-American, Cruz owns a 90-18 career record and is riding a 21 bout winning streak. He will bid to become Lehigh's 17th three-time All-American and its first two-time national champion since Darryl Burley (1979, 1983). The last Lehigh wrestler to win NCAA titles in consecutive seasons was Mark Lieberman, who did so in 1978 and 1979.
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Coming off a deferred year in 2015-16, Scott Parker enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2016-17, posting a 20-5 record and winning an EIWA title at 133 before joining Darian Cruz in earning All-America honors with an eighth place finish. Parker had an impressive 16-2 mark in the regular season and came back strong after missing time with an injury suffered in the finals of the Southern Scuffle. He is now a two-time NCAA qualifier with a 39-16 career record. Parker also won the Scholar-Athlete Award for Lehigh at last year's Lewis Wrestling Dinner and was a member of the NWCA All-Academic Team.
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Two returning Lehigh starters will begin the season at new weight classes. Sophomore Jordan Kutler went 13-1 as a freshman including a Southern Scuffle title at 157 before running into late-season weight issues. He will bump two weight classes to 174. Junior Ryan Preisch enjoyed a breakout season at 174, going 25-6 overall, finishing second in the EIWA and reaching the All-America round of 12 at the NCAA Championships. Preisch will begin the year up at 184, his third weight class in as many seasons (165 and 174 in 2015-16 and 2016-17).
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As many as four deferred freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts this weekend. Luke Karam and Jordan Wood will likely start at Bucknell at 141 and 285, respectively, while either Jake Jakobsen or Chris Weiler will get the nod at 197 against the Bison. Both Jakobsen and Weiler are expected to compete at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Deferred freshman Nick Farro debuted at the Princeton Open last weekend. Lehigh had three true freshmen compete in attached competition last season with Kyle Gentile manning 184 in the postseason and Joe Lobeck filling in for Scott Parker midseason at 133. Brandon Paetzell was the starter for Rutgers at 125 last season before transferring to Lehigh.
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Six Mountain Hawks appear in the first in-season rankings by both InterMat and FloWrestling, as well as the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. Darian Cruz and Scott Parker are the top-ranked Mountain Hawks, coming in at No. 4 according to both InterMat and FloWrestling. Cruz apparently dropped in the rankings due to an exhibition loss in the NWCA All-Star classic that does not count against his record. Cruz, Parker, sophomore Jordan Kutler, junior Ryan Preisch and freshman Jordan Wood are all ranked by InterMat, FloWrestling, AWN and the Open Mat, while sophomore Cole Walter appears in three of the four polls.
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Lehigh's dual with Bucknell marks the start of Lehigh's 109th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 7-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is 3-1 in season openers against Bucknell (1998-99, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17).
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Bucknell opened its dual season last weekend, dropping Sunday duals to CSU Bakersfield (26-10) and Edinboro (30-10) in Edinboro, Pa. Tenth-ranked Tyler Smith (141) is Bucknell's highest-ranked wrestler and is the only Bison to go 2-0 last weekend. Tom Sleigh is also ranked at 197 but is not listed among Bucknell's probable starters. The Bison hosted last year's EIWA Championships, finishing sixth. Bucknell qualified four wrestlers for last year's NCAA Championships, with Smith, Sleigh and Garrett Hoffman returning. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 13th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 13th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh is 4-0 versus the Bison in Bethlehem and 6-1 against Bucknell under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell will offer streaming video for free on the Patriot League Network, while Lehigh audio coverage will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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What was previously known as the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals, Journeymen Wrestling changed the format to a round robin individual tournament last year and this year will host duals on Saturday Nov. 11 and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, which Lehigh will compete in for the second straight year, on Sunday Nov. 12
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The Journeymen Collegiate Classic features 14 teams, including 11 Division I squads, competing in independent modified round robin brackets. Division I programs can enter wrestlers to compete in 6-8 man round robin brackets that will be followed by crossover matches.
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Competing teams include: American, Army West Point, the Citadel, Hofstra, Kent State, Lehigh, Lock Haven, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Virginia and Virginia Tech plus Division II LIU-Post and Division III Castleton and Ithaca.
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Lehigh will be competing in Troy, N.Y. for the ninth time in the last 11 years. The Mountain Hawks went 17-5 in duals in their seven previous trips to the Northeast Duals. Last year Lehigh had 17 entrants in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic with six wrestlers going 3-0 to win their respective pools: Darian Cruz (125), Randy Cruz (141), Kent Lane (157), Ryan Preisch (174), Doug Vollaro (285) and Christian Colucci (285).
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Action from the Journeymen Collegiate Classic is expected to begin around 9 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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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the seas
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 109th season of Lehigh wrestling begins Friday night at Sojka Pavilion as the 10th-ranked Mountain Hawks visit EIWA rival Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks are opening against the Bison for the third time in four seasons. For the first time since 2011-12, Lehigh returns a NCAA Champion, thanks to Darian Cruz's title at 125 last March. In Cruz and junior Scott Parker, Lehigh returns a pair of All-Americans and EIWA Champions from last year's team, which went 10-4 in duals before taking second place at the EIWA Tournament and 12th at the NCAA Championships.
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On Sunday, Lehigh will send 18 wrestlers to Troy, N.Y. to take part in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic for the second straight year. Like last year's event, the Journeymen Collegiate Classic will feature a tournament-style round-robin format.
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Darian Cruz won Lehigh wrestling's 28th individual national championship last March, capping a 31-2 junior campaign with his title at 125. Cruz won his second straight EIWA title and avenged his most recent loss to Minnesota's Ethan Lizak with a 6-3 win in the NCAA finals to win Lehigh's first national title since heavyweight Zach Rey in 2011. He was also named EIWA Wrestler of the Year. A two-time EIWA Champion and two-time All-American, Cruz owns a 90-18 career record and is riding a 21 bout winning streak. He will bid to become Lehigh's 17th three-time All-American and its first two-time national champion since Darryl Burley (1979, 1983). The last Lehigh wrestler to win NCAA titles in consecutive seasons was Mark Lieberman, who did so in 1978 and 1979.
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Coming off a deferred year in 2015-16, Scott Parker enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2016-17, posting a 20-5 record and winning an EIWA title at 133 before joining Darian Cruz in earning All-America honors with an eighth place finish. Parker had an impressive 16-2 mark in the regular season and came back strong after missing time with an injury suffered in the finals of the Southern Scuffle. He is now a two-time NCAA qualifier with a 39-16 career record. Parker also won the Scholar-Athlete Award for Lehigh at last year's Lewis Wrestling Dinner and was a member of the NWCA All-Academic Team.
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Two returning Lehigh starters will begin the season at new weight classes. Sophomore Jordan Kutler went 13-1 as a freshman including a Southern Scuffle title at 157 before running into late-season weight issues. He will bump two weight classes to 174. Junior Ryan Preisch enjoyed a breakout season at 174, going 25-6 overall, finishing second in the EIWA and reaching the All-America round of 12 at the NCAA Championships. Preisch will begin the year up at 184, his third weight class in as many seasons (165 and 174 in 2015-16 and 2016-17).
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As many as four deferred freshmen could make their varsity dual debuts this weekend. Luke Karam and Jordan Wood will likely start at Bucknell at 141 and 285, respectively, while either Jake Jakobsen or Chris Weiler will get the nod at 197 against the Bison. Both Jakobsen and Weiler are expected to compete at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Deferred freshman Nick Farro debuted at the Princeton Open last weekend. Lehigh had three true freshmen compete in attached competition last season with Kyle Gentile manning 184 in the postseason and Joe Lobeck filling in for Scott Parker midseason at 133. Brandon Paetzell was the starter for Rutgers at 125 last season before transferring to Lehigh.
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Six Mountain Hawks appear in the first in-season rankings by both InterMat and FloWrestling, as well as the Amateur Wrestling News preseason rankings. Darian Cruz and Scott Parker are the top-ranked Mountain Hawks, coming in at No. 4 according to both InterMat and FloWrestling. Cruz apparently dropped in the rankings due to an exhibition loss in the NWCA All-Star classic that does not count against his record. Cruz, Parker, sophomore Jordan Kutler, junior Ryan Preisch and freshman Jordan Wood are all ranked by InterMat, FloWrestling, AWN and the Open Mat, while sophomore Cole Walter appears in three of the four polls.
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Lehigh's dual with Bucknell marks the start of Lehigh's 109th season of wrestling. The Mountain Hawks are 7-2 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh and 2013 to Bucknell. Lehigh is 3-1 in season openers against Bucknell (1998-99, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17).
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Bucknell opened its dual season last weekend, dropping Sunday duals to CSU Bakersfield (26-10) and Edinboro (30-10) in Edinboro, Pa. Tenth-ranked Tyler Smith (141) is Bucknell's highest-ranked wrestler and is the only Bison to go 2-0 last weekend. Tom Sleigh is also ranked at 197 but is not listed among Bucknell's probable starters. The Bison hosted last year's EIWA Championships, finishing sixth. Bucknell qualified four wrestlers for last year's NCAA Championships, with Smith, Sleigh and Garrett Hoffman returning. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 13th season as Bucknell's head coach.
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Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the 13th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine meetings prior to Bucknell's upset win on criteria in November 2013. Lehigh is 4-0 versus the Bison in Bethlehem and 6-1 against Bucknell under Pat Santoro.
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Friday's match gets underway at 7 p.m. Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell will offer streaming video for free on the Patriot League Network, while Lehigh audio coverage will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com beginning at 6:45 p.m.
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What was previously known as the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals, Journeymen Wrestling changed the format to a round robin individual tournament last year and this year will host duals on Saturday Nov. 11 and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, which Lehigh will compete in for the second straight year, on Sunday Nov. 12
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The Journeymen Collegiate Classic features 14 teams, including 11 Division I squads, competing in independent modified round robin brackets. Division I programs can enter wrestlers to compete in 6-8 man round robin brackets that will be followed by crossover matches.
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Competing teams include: American, Army West Point, the Citadel, Hofstra, Kent State, Lehigh, Lock Haven, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Virginia and Virginia Tech plus Division II LIU-Post and Division III Castleton and Ithaca.
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Lehigh will be competing in Troy, N.Y. for the ninth time in the last 11 years. The Mountain Hawks went 17-5 in duals in their seven previous trips to the Northeast Duals. Last year Lehigh had 17 entrants in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic with six wrestlers going 3-0 to win their respective pools: Darian Cruz (125), Randy Cruz (141), Kent Lane (157), Ryan Preisch (174), Doug Vollaro (285) and Christian Colucci (285).
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Action from the Journeymen Collegiate Classic is expected to begin around 9 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 10, 2017 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| First match: | 7:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Sojka Pavilion (4,000) |
| Location: | Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Lehigh's Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Bucknell's Record: | 0-2 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 11-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh won the last two duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) beginning at 6:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.TV (via Bucknell) Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.bucknellbison.com/ |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the seas
Players Mentioned
285
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
133/141
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
174/184
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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