Monday, January 1
Chattanooga, Tenn.
10:00 AM
Lehigh University
at
Southern Scuffle
Photo by: Rich Warnke
Mountain Hawks to usher in 2018 at the Southern Scuffle
12/28/2017 2:59:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Southern Scuffle: Match Notes | Southern Scuffle web site | Watch on FloWrestling | Live scoring
Midlands: Midlands Website | Midlands Live scoring | Watch Midlands on BTN2Go
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the fourth straight season, Lehigh will ring in the New Year in Chattanooga, Tenn. as the Mountain Hawks will compete in the Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, Jan. 1-2 at McKenzie Arena. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send 18 wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, with two if the 18 competing unattached. Lehigh finished third at the Southern Scuffle in each of the last two seasons. Last year, the Mountain Hawks had seven place winners, including finalist Scott Parker and champion Jordan Kutler. In its last competition of the fall semester, Lehigh won a pair of EIWA duals in Philadelphia, routing Penn 41-6 before edging Drexel 21-20 on criteria. This is the 15th edition of the Southern Scuffle with eight of the top 25 teams from last year's NCAA Championships potentially being represented in a 27-team field.
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In addition to the 18 wrestlers competing at the Southern Scuffle, 10 Lehigh wrestlers (five attached, five unattached) are expected to compete in the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern Dec. 29-30.
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The Mountain Hawks are making their sixth trip to the Southern Scuffle and fourth straight. Lehigh has had a total of 29 place winners in five previous trips, with five each in 2005 and 2006, four in 2015, eight in 2016 and seven last year. Cory Cooperman (2005) and Jordan Kutler (2017) have won individual titles for Lehigh.
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Eight of Lehigh's probable Southern Scuffle entrants have previously competed at the Scuffle, led by returning champion Jordan Kutler and returning finalist Scott Parker. Seniors Darian Cruz (5th, 3rd) and Drew Longo (8th, 8th) are both two-time place winners competing in their fourth Scuffle. Junior Ian Brown finished third at 157 in 2016. Junior Cortlandt Schuyler and sophomores Kent Lane and Christian Colucci have also competed in previous Southern Scuffles. Luke Karam, Andrew Price, Chris Weiler and Jordan Wood all competed at the Midlands last season.
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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 99-18 career record and is riding a 30 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. Cruz needs one more win to become the 16th Lehigh wrestler to reach 100 career victories. His last loss was in the quarterfinals of last year's Southern Scuffle.
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Kutler is one of two returning Lehigh starters to begin this season at new weight classes. He went 13-1 as a freshman including a Southern Scuffle title at 157 before running into late-season weight issues. He bumped two weight classes to 174. Kutler is 9-1 this season and will bid to win a second Scuffle title. He will likely have to go through the only wrestler to beat him this season in Penn State's Mark Hall.
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Seven Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings while eight are ranked by FloWrestling and The Open Mat and nine are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News. Four Mountain Hawks: senior Darian Cruz, juniors Scott Parker and Ryan Preisch and sophomore Jordan Kutler, are all ranked in the top six by all four outlets, with Parker at No. 2 in all four polls. Freshmen Jordan Wood and Luke Karam are also ranked across the board. Juniors Gordon Wolf and Ian Brown appear in three polls, while freshmen Jake Jakobsen and Chris Weiler each appear in one poll at 197.
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While Lehigh sends a full contingent to the Southern Scuffle for the fourth straight year, as many as 10 Mountain Hawks could compete at the 55th Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern, Dec. 29-30 at Sears Centre Arena. The Midlands was Lehigh's holiday tournament of choice from 2009 to 2013 before the Mountain Hawks decided to switch over to the Southern Scuffle in 2014-15. Lehigh is expected to send five attached wrestlers and five unattached wrestlers, led by sophomore Ryan Pomrinca and freshman Matt Parker, who are both coming off titles at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open.
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Competition at the Southern Scuffle begins Monday at 10 a.m. from Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena. Action continues all day Monday and Tuesday with the championship matches and medal rounds set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. Streaming video for every bout at the Southern Scuffle will be available through Flowrestling.org through their subscription-based FloPro package. Brackets and live scoring for all bouts will be available via Flo Arena on Flowrestling.org. Comprehensive updates of all Lehigh bouts will be available on Twitter @LehighWrestling.
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Lehigh returns to dual competition with a pair of EIWA matches inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks will host American on Friday January 12 at 7 p.m. and will then host Navy on Sunday January 14 at 2 p.m. in the annual Billy Sheridan Memorial Dual.
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Midlands: Midlands Website | Midlands Live scoring | Watch Midlands on BTN2Go
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the fourth straight season, Lehigh will ring in the New Year in Chattanooga, Tenn. as the Mountain Hawks will compete in the Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, Jan. 1-2 at McKenzie Arena. The Mountain Hawks are expected to send 18 wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, with two if the 18 competing unattached. Lehigh finished third at the Southern Scuffle in each of the last two seasons. Last year, the Mountain Hawks had seven place winners, including finalist Scott Parker and champion Jordan Kutler. In its last competition of the fall semester, Lehigh won a pair of EIWA duals in Philadelphia, routing Penn 41-6 before edging Drexel 21-20 on criteria. This is the 15th edition of the Southern Scuffle with eight of the top 25 teams from last year's NCAA Championships potentially being represented in a 27-team field.
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In addition to the 18 wrestlers competing at the Southern Scuffle, 10 Lehigh wrestlers (five attached, five unattached) are expected to compete in the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern Dec. 29-30.
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The Mountain Hawks are making their sixth trip to the Southern Scuffle and fourth straight. Lehigh has had a total of 29 place winners in five previous trips, with five each in 2005 and 2006, four in 2015, eight in 2016 and seven last year. Cory Cooperman (2005) and Jordan Kutler (2017) have won individual titles for Lehigh.
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Eight of Lehigh's probable Southern Scuffle entrants have previously competed at the Scuffle, led by returning champion Jordan Kutler and returning finalist Scott Parker. Seniors Darian Cruz (5th, 3rd) and Drew Longo (8th, 8th) are both two-time place winners competing in their fourth Scuffle. Junior Ian Brown finished third at 157 in 2016. Junior Cortlandt Schuyler and sophomores Kent Lane and Christian Colucci have also competed in previous Southern Scuffles. Luke Karam, Andrew Price, Chris Weiler and Jordan Wood all competed at the Midlands last season.
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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 99-18 career record and is riding a 30 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. Cruz needs one more win to become the 16th Lehigh wrestler to reach 100 career victories. His last loss was in the quarterfinals of last year's Southern Scuffle.
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Kutler is one of two returning Lehigh starters to begin this season at new weight classes. He went 13-1 as a freshman including a Southern Scuffle title at 157 before running into late-season weight issues. He bumped two weight classes to 174. Kutler is 9-1 this season and will bid to win a second Scuffle title. He will likely have to go through the only wrestler to beat him this season in Penn State's Mark Hall.
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Seven Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings while eight are ranked by FloWrestling and The Open Mat and nine are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News. Four Mountain Hawks: senior Darian Cruz, juniors Scott Parker and Ryan Preisch and sophomore Jordan Kutler, are all ranked in the top six by all four outlets, with Parker at No. 2 in all four polls. Freshmen Jordan Wood and Luke Karam are also ranked across the board. Juniors Gordon Wolf and Ian Brown appear in three polls, while freshmen Jake Jakobsen and Chris Weiler each appear in one poll at 197.
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While Lehigh sends a full contingent to the Southern Scuffle for the fourth straight year, as many as 10 Mountain Hawks could compete at the 55th Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern, Dec. 29-30 at Sears Centre Arena. The Midlands was Lehigh's holiday tournament of choice from 2009 to 2013 before the Mountain Hawks decided to switch over to the Southern Scuffle in 2014-15. Lehigh is expected to send five attached wrestlers and five unattached wrestlers, led by sophomore Ryan Pomrinca and freshman Matt Parker, who are both coming off titles at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open.
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Competition at the Southern Scuffle begins Monday at 10 a.m. from Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena. Action continues all day Monday and Tuesday with the championship matches and medal rounds set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. Streaming video for every bout at the Southern Scuffle will be available through Flowrestling.org through their subscription-based FloPro package. Brackets and live scoring for all bouts will be available via Flo Arena on Flowrestling.org. Comprehensive updates of all Lehigh bouts will be available on Twitter @LehighWrestling.
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Lehigh returns to dual competition with a pair of EIWA matches inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks will host American on Friday January 12 at 7 p.m. and will then host Navy on Sunday January 14 at 2 p.m. in the annual Billy Sheridan Memorial Dual.
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Players Mentioned
157
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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