Season Preview: High expectations, eyes on March for EIWA Champion Mountain Hawks

11/8/2018 6:17:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

The Lehigh wrestling program returned to the top of the EIWA mountain in the 2017-18 season. A 12-3 dual meet season resulted in a top 10 final ranking for the Mountain Hawks. At the EIWA Championships, Lehigh rolled its way to 164.5 points and with five individual champions and 10 place winners claimed its 35th team title and first since 2006, ending Cornell's 11-year title run.

The Mountain Hawks entered the NCAA Championships in Cleveland with aspirations to take home a team trophy. Lehigh crowned three All-Americans for the fourth time in five years and had three others fall one win shy of a podium finish, but the Mountain Hawks fell short of their goal for a top team finish.

Entering the 2018-19 season, expectations remain high but somewhat different from previous years, with a wealth of proven talent returning and another influx of young talent. Still, for 11th-year head coach Pat Santoro the pieces are in place for Lehigh to try and maintain its place at the top of the EIWA and get back into the top 10 at the NCAA Championships by continuing to produce All-Americans and national champions.

"Everybody wants All-Americans and national champions," said Santoro, last year's EIWA and NWCA Coach of the Year. "Part of it is the progress guys make throughout the year. It's hard because your whole season gets measured on three days. So do you re-evaluate and focus solely on three days and forget about the dual meet season or EIWAs, or what you try to do is combine everything. Be competitive in dual meets. Try to win the conference. Do well at NCAAs. There's a fine line about how you define success, but our ultimate goal will always to be to put guys on the podium in March."

Four of Lehigh's five EIWA champions return from last season, including seniors Scott Parker and Ryan Preisch, junior Jordan Kutler and sophomore Jordan Wood. In total the Mountain Hawks' roster features three All-Americans, five conference champions and 10 wrestlers who have qualified for the NCAA Championships. Add in an array of wrestlers coming off deferred eligibility seasons and Lehigh's likely end-of-year lineup becomes a work in progress that will require contributions from just about everyone on the roster throughout the season.

"We have a lot of returning NCAA qualifiers and conference champions and that's something to build off of," Santoro said. "We know it's a new year and we have new goals. Last year was great, but now it's time to move forward and move on and try to capture another title and place higher at NCAAs.

"It's good to have that veteran presence back, but we'll also have a handful of new faces, Santoro continued. "We will need those new faces to be veterans by March. Early in the season we're going to lean on our veteran leadership and what's expected. The guys that have been there before really need to set the example because they're being watched by everyone else on the team. We need our young guys to follow that lead."

Perhaps the best way to manage the expectations is to keep things simple. Focus on constant improvement and development and approach every match the same way.

"We're trying to not overthink it," Santoro said. "Just focus on having a great performance every time out. That's all we're trying to do. We're not focusing on the number at the end of the year. Just on wrestling our very best. Whether you're in the fire every day or get thrown in the fire, nothing changes."

Another factor in the high, but different expectations, lies in a schedule that is among the most challenging in program history. Lehigh will not attend one of the major holiday tournaments for the first time since 2008-09 so to provide the most matches against top competition, Santoro has lined up a dual schedule that includes 10 teams ranked in the NWCA's preseason top 25, including eight of the top 11.

"It's definitely the most challenging schedule we've ever had," said Santoro. "We've put it together to prepare our team for the postseason. We're going to have to have the mindset that we're not outcome based in our dual meets. We have to be performance based. The focus will be on improving on a weekly basis. There are a lot of things we'll have to figure out before March. This schedule gives our guys an opportunity to wrestle in some of the best venues in the country against some of the best teams in the country."

Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2018-19:

125 – Lehigh loses one of its all-time best to graduation in Darian Cruz, a three-time All-American and 2017 NCAA Champion. Among those who will contend to replace Cruz are graduate transfer Connor Schram, a former All-American at Stanford, and sophomore Nick Farro, who is looking to make the drop from 133. Deferred freshman Luke Resnick and true freshman Jaret Lane will provide depth and could step up if needed as well.

133 – Scott Parker captured a second straight EIWA title and earned All-America honors for the second straight year with a seventh place finish. He enters his senior season as one of the unquestioned leaders of this Lehigh team. Sophomore Brandon Paetzell deferred eligibility last year after transferring from Rutgers and could fill in while Parker works back to full strength. Deferred freshman Satoshi Abe and true freshman Mitchell Polito will also be in the mix here.

141 – Sophomore Luke Karam manned this spot last year and qualified for the NCAA Championships, capping a 21-8 campaign. Karam could fit in here or bump up to 149 if needed. Junior Ryan Pomrinca, sophomore Joe Lobeck and deferred freshmen Dan Moran and Brock Herring provide solid depth at this weight. Pomrinca has a seen plenty of tournament action in his career, while Lobeck filled in at 133 in several duals as a true freshman.

149 – Senior Cortlandt Schuyler was a NCAA qualifier in his first full season as the starter here, but will miss some early-season time due to injury. Luke Karam could bump up from 141 to help fill in here. Lehigh could also look to deferred freshman Jimmy Hoffman or junior David Pipa. True freshman Austin Burkhart will also compete here.

157 – Ian Brown qualified for the NCAA championships last season, helping the Mountain Hawks qualify all 10 weight classes for the national tournament. An injury will prevent Brown from competing this season, opening the door for other options. Junior Kent Lane figures to get the first crack at this weight, with two true freshmen, four-time state champion Josh Humphreys from West Virginia, and Phillipsburg, N.J. native Brian Meyer waiting in the wings. Senior Gordon Wolf will likely begin the year at 165 but could eventually drop down. Also figuring at this weight class are senior Brandon Diaz and freshman JT Cooley.

165 – Lehigh returns a pair of NCAA qualifiers at this weight in senior Gordon Wolf and junior Cole Walter. Wolf qualified for NCAAs at this weight last season, while Walter represented the Mountain Hawks at 165 in 2017. Both are capable of garnering national rankings. Wolf is more likely to drop down later in the year if need be. Junior Tyler Casamenti and sophomore Trey Cornish will fill reserve roles.

174 – A move up two weight classes proved wonders for Jordan Kutler, who won an EIWA title at 174 as a sophomore and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships for his first All-America honor. Kutler owns an impressive 41-6 record over his first two seasons. Junior Chase Gallik, who missed all of last season due to injury, will back up Kutler. Gallik wrestles a wide open style and is an accomplished pinner. Junior Charlie Sell also figures in here.

184 – Ryan Preisch performed well in his move up to 184 last season, winning an EIWA title and the Coaches Trophy as the EIWA Tournament's Outstanding Wrestler after clinching the team title for the Mountain Hawks with a fall. Preisch looks to cap his Lehigh career with a podium finish. This should be one of Lehigh's deepest weights, with juniors Paul Dunn and Andrew Price and sophomore Dylan Ammerman all seeing action in duals last season. Deferred freshman Eli Grape and true freshmen Andrew Shedleski and Elijah Jones could also vie for time.

197 – Three capable third-year sophomores will lead the charge here. Chris Weiler won the spot for the postseason last year and finished the year one win shy of earning All-America honors. Weiler could also potentially move down to 184 if needed. Jake Jakobsen performed well in his opportunities, going 5-3 in duals. Kyle Gentile represented Lehigh at 184 at the 2017 EIWA Tournament and moves up to 197 following a solid deferred year on the open tournament circuit. Sophomore Andrew McDonald will add depth here or at heavyweight.

285 – As a deferred freshman last season, Jordan Wood won Lehigh's fifth individual EIWA title and reached the All-America round at the NCAA Championships, before defaulting with an injury. Working with Lehigh NCAA Champion and volunteer assistant Zach Rey should pay dividends for Wood in his sophomore season. Deferred freshman Victor Lacombe is the backup heavyweight.

The Mountain Hawks, ranked No. 6 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, will open the season Sunday at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic in Troy, N.Y. The dual meet season begins with a visit to No. 5 Michigan, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. while the home opener is set for Nov. 30 against EIWA rival Princeton inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets to all Lehigh home duals are available and can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.

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