Annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs set for Thursday night

Thursday, November 1

Bethlehem, Pa.

7:00 PM

Lehigh University

Wrestle-offs

Annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs set for Thursday night

10/31/2018 3:51:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Tickets Audio Broadcast

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fans will get their first look at the 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling program as the Mountain Hawks will host their annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs Thursday night inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.

Lehigh is entering its fourth week of official practice, which began Oct. 10 for Division I programs across the country. While preseason preparations have gone well, some normal minor bumps and bruises will keep some projected regulars off of Thursday night's card, especially at the light weights, but 11th-year head coach Pat Santoro has put together 12 intriguing matchups to take place in front of the home fans for the first time this season.

"The guys are working really hard," Santoro said of the team's preseason preparation. "Our focus is still going to be on March, but we're excited to see guys go out there and wrestle. We say it every year, that it's difficult wrestling your teammate in this setting, but at the same time if you can overcome that, you can overcome a lot."

Returning All-American Jordan Kutler will compete at 174 against junior Chase Gallik, who returns after missing all of last season due to injury. Three of Lehigh's four returning EIWA Champions are expected to compete with senior Ryan Preisch and sophomore Jordan Wood readying for matches. Preisch will face junior Andrew Price at 184, while Wood will square off against deferred freshman Victor Lacombe at 285.

One of the more competitive matches on the card features a battle of NCAA qualifiers in the first of two bouts set at 165 as senior Gordon Wolf, a two-time qualifier, meets junior Cole Walter, who qualified as deferred freshman in 2017.

Four members of Lehigh's true freshman class will also be in action Thursday night.

Kicking off the night will be Jaret Lane at 125 against sophomore Nick Farro. That match will be followed by another true freshman, Mitchell Polito facing sophomore Brandon Paetzell, who deferred eligibility last year, at 133.

A third true freshman, Josh Humphreys will compete against Jaret Lane's older brother Kent, a junior, at 157. Finally, in a second bout at 184, Andrew Shedleski will face deferred freshman Eli Grape.

The other weight where there will be two bouts contested will be 141, where deferred freshman Dan Moran meets junior Ryan Pomrinca, and sophomore Joe Lobeck meets deferred freshman Brock Herring.

"As a staff we're viewing it more as an intrasquad than a true wrestle-off," Santoro said. "We do that for a reason. Some of our guys won't be ready for tomorrow night.

"It's an opportunity to make weight and get your feet we a little bit," Santoro continued. "Get a taste of what they're going to see starting next weekend. Get the nerves out. Being in a singlet with a referee is always different than in the practice room. Any time you can experience that, it's a good thing."

The wrestle-offs get underway at 7 p.m. Thursday from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com. Tickets will also be available Thursday evening at Grace Hall.

For fans unable to make Thursday's wrestle-offs, audio of the matches will be streamed online at Lehighsports.com/watch.

Lehigh will send a contingent of attached and unattached wrestlers to Princeton's Tiger Open, Sunday in New Jersey. The first official regular season date will be the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Nov. 11 in Troy, N.Y. while the first dual meet will be at Michigan on Nov. 16. The Mountain Hawks' home opener will be against Princeton on Friday, Nov. 30.

The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

Thursday's Probable Matchups
Wt. – Brown vs. White
125 – Jaret Lane vs. Nick Farro
133 – Brandon Paetzell vs. Mitchell Polito
141 – Dan Moran vs. Ryan Pomrinca
141 – Joe Lobeck vs. Brock Herring
157 – Kent Lane vs. Josh Humphreys
165 – Gordon Wolf vs. Cole Walter
165 – Tyler Casamenti vs. Trey Cornish
174 – Jordan Kutler vs. Chase Gallik
184 – Andrew Price vs. Ryan Preisch
184 – Eli Grape vs. Andrew Shedleski
197 – Jake Jakobsen vs. Kyle Gentile
285 – Jordan Wood vs. Victor Lacombe

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