Productive weekend for Lehigh wrestlers on spring freestyle circuit

Productive weekend for Lehigh wrestlers on spring freestyle circuit

5/1/2017 12:29:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

U.S. Open and UWW Junior Nationals Results/Brackets | Northeast Regional Results/Brackets

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was both a busy and productive weekend for the Lehigh wrestling program on multiple fronts with the first major weekend of spring freestyle competition. Four current Mountain Hawks plus alumnus and NCAA Champion Zack Rey '12 were in Las Vegas for the U.S. Open and UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals, while Lehigh also sent a large contingent to the Northeast Regional freestyle tournament at East Stroudsburg University.

Three of Lehigh's four entrants at the UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals placed in the top eight in their respective weight classes.

Freshman Jordan Wood finished second at 120 kg, winning his first four matches before falling to Gable Stevenson in the finals. At 66 kg, freshman Nick Farro went 7-2 over the two-day tournament to earn fifth place. Lehigh's third place winner was deferred freshman Andrew Price, who reached the quarterfinals at 84 kg, eventually placing eighth with a 4-3 record.

The Mountain Hawks' fourth entrant in Junior Freestyle was freshman Jake Jakobsen, who went 1-2 competing at 96 kg.

Rey won his first four bouts at 125 kg as the top seed in the men's freestyle bracket at the U.S. Open, but was edged 3-2 by former N.C. State national champion Nick Gwiazdowski in Saturday night's finals.

The next major freestyle event at both the senior and junior level will be the World Team Trials, June 9-10 in Lincoln, Neb.

In addition, 21 wrestlers competed in Saturday's Northeast Regional tournament at ESU. The Mountain Hawks had 12 wrestlers place in the top four across nine weight classes, highlighted by five individual champions.

Junior Darian Cruz went 3-0 to win the 57 kg bracket in his first competition since winning the NCAA title at 125 in March. Lehigh's four other champions were deferred freshmen Ryan Pomrinca (65 kg) and Jordan Kutler (80 kg) and sophomores Ian Brown (74 kg) and Ryan Preisch (86 kg). Brown and Kutler both went 5-0 with five technical fall victories.

Sophomore Thomas Murray also was a finalist, settling for second at 97 kg with a 3-1 record. True freshmen Luke Karam (65 kg) and Kyle Gentile (97) finished third in their respective weight classes, while Lehigh's fourth place finishers included freshman Joe Lobeck (61 kg), sophomore Cortlandt Schuyler (70 kg), freshman Kent Lane (74 kg), who lost to Brown in the semifinals and freshman Paul Dunn (86 kg), who lost to Preisch in the semifinals.

Others who competed for the Mountain Hawks at ESU included freshman Aaron Burkett at 57 kg, junior Jon Mele and sophomore Camden Fischer at 70 kg, freshmen Tyler Casamenti and Trey Cornish at 74 kg, freshman Charlie Sell at 80 kg, freshmen Chris Weiler and Dylan Ammerman at 86 kg and freshman Christian Colucci at 125 kg.