Thursday, March 15
Cleveland, Ohio
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
NCAA Championships
Seven Mountain Hawks advance to championship round of 16 as NCAAs begin in Cleveland
3/15/2018 4:50:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Brackets/Team Scores | Live scoring | Listen
CLEVELAND – Seven Lehigh wrestlers advanced in the championship bracket as the 2018 NCAA Championships kicked off Thursday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena. All six of Lehigh's seeded wrestlers won their first bouts along with freshman Chris Weiler, who knocked off the No. 10 seed at 197. Overall, the Mountain Hawks went 8-3 in the session and sit in a tie for eighth place with eight team points.
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The championship round of 32 began with Lehigh's three seeded lightweights posting wins by decision. Senior Darian Cruz began his quest for a second straight title with a 7-4 decision over Michigan State's RayVon Foley at 125. A pair of first period takedowns proved to be key for Cruz, who gave up a takedown in the third period, but scored two escapes and added a penalty point for stalling. He will next face Drew Mattin of Michigan, who Cruz beat 7-0 back on Nov. 19.
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As he did in the EIWA finals, junior Scott Parker needed tiebreakers to pull off a 2-1 decision over Cam Sykora of North Dakota State at 133. Parker had the best shot of the bout, but was unable to finish late in the first period. In the tiebreaker, Parker was able to escape in the first half and then rode out Sykora in the second half to secure a second round date with Pitt's Dom Forys, who defeated Parker 7-6 on Feb. 18.
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At 141, freshman Luke Karam battled back after yielding a pair of second period takedowns to defeat Tejon Anthony of George Mason 5-4. Karam scored two escapes, and benefited from a penalty point for stalling before scoring late and riding out to win. He will next face No. 4 seed Joey McKenna of Stanford.
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The first Mountain Hawk on the mats was junior Gordon Wolf, who rallied to upend Penn's May Bethea in the pigtail round at 165. Wolf gave up the first two takedowns but battled back with a takedown in the second period and added a takedown and two point near fall in the third. In his next bout, Wolf had another high-scoring bout against a New Jersey native but dropped a 17-6 major decision to Chad Walsh of Rider, the No. 4 seed. Wolf will face Dawaylon Barnes of Oklahoma in the first round of consolations.
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Lehigh closed the opening session with wins at the final four weights. At 174, sophomore Jordan Kutler fought through an early injury scare to defeat Harvard's Josef Johnson 2-0. Kutler came back from the injury to score a second period escape and then rode Johnson out in the third to earn a round 16 date with No. 13 seed Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State, who Kutler edged 5-4 at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.
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Junior Ryan Preisch opened his tournament with a 5-1 decision over Clarion's Greg Bulsak at 184. Presich scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and built a 5-1 advantage before Bulsak rode out the third. Next up for Preisch is No. 14 seed Nicholas Gravina of Rutgers.
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Weiler was the only unseeded Lehigh wrestler to take out a seeded opponent, avenging a loss to Chattanooga's Scottie Boykin at the Southern Scuffle with a 4-1 decision. Weiler rode Boykin out in the second period, escaped early in the third, and won a scramble for a takedown in the final seconds to seal the deal. He will next face No. 7 seed Frank Mattiace of Penn Thursday evening.
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Freshman Jordan Wood closed out the session with a 2-0 win over North Carolina's Cory Gilliland-Daniel. Wood escaped in the second and rode out the third, nearly turning Gilliland-Daniel in the final seconds. Wood will next face Stanford's Nathan Butler, looking to avenge an overtime loss at the Southern Scuffle.
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The only two Mountain Hawks to not win a match Thursday morning were juniors Cortlandt Schuyler (149) and Ian Brown (157). Schuyler dropped an 11-3 major decision to No. 15 seed Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven, while Brown fell 12-5 to No. 5 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan, as Pantaleo avenged a loss to Brown at the November dual.
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Iowa advanced eight wrestlers in the championship bracket and holds an early 18.5-17 lead over Ohio State, while Penn State sits in third place.
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The NCAA Championships continue Thursday evening with the championship round of 16 and first round consolations, beginning at 7 p.m. The session will be televised on ESPN and WatchESPN, while audio coverage for all Lehigh matches will be available at Lehighsports.com/watch.
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125 – No. 1 Darian Cruz
Round of 32: dec. RayVon Foley (Michigan State) 7-4
Round of 16: Drew Mattin (Michigan)
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133 – No. 6 Scott Parker
Round of 32: dec. Cam Sykora (NDSU) 2-1, tb
Round of 16: No. 11 Dom Forys (Pitt)
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141 – No. 13 Luke Karam
Round of 32: dec. Tejon Anthony (George Mason) 5-4
Round of 16: No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
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149 – Cortlandt Schuyler
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 15 Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) 11-3
First round consolation: Jared Prince (Navy)
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157 – Ian Brown
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) 12-4
First round consolation: Casey Sparkman (Kent State)
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165 – Gordon Wolf
Pigtail: dec. May Bethea (Penn) 13-8
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider) 17-6
First round consolation: Dawaylon Barnes (Oklahoma)
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174 – No. 4 Jordan Kutler
Round of 32: dec. Josef Johnson (Harvard) 2-0
Round of 16: No. 13 Jacobe Smith (Okla. St.)
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184 – No. 3 Ryan Preisch
Round of 32: dec. Greg Bulsak (Clarion) 5-1
Round of 16: No. 14 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers)
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197 – Chris Weiler
Round of 32: dec. No. 10 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) 4-1
Round of 16: No. 7 Frank Mattiace (Penn)
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285 – No. 10 Jordan Wood
Round of 32: dec. Cory Gilliland-Daniel (North Carolina) 2-0
Round of 16: No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford)
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CLEVELAND – Seven Lehigh wrestlers advanced in the championship bracket as the 2018 NCAA Championships kicked off Thursday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena. All six of Lehigh's seeded wrestlers won their first bouts along with freshman Chris Weiler, who knocked off the No. 10 seed at 197. Overall, the Mountain Hawks went 8-3 in the session and sit in a tie for eighth place with eight team points.
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The championship round of 32 began with Lehigh's three seeded lightweights posting wins by decision. Senior Darian Cruz began his quest for a second straight title with a 7-4 decision over Michigan State's RayVon Foley at 125. A pair of first period takedowns proved to be key for Cruz, who gave up a takedown in the third period, but scored two escapes and added a penalty point for stalling. He will next face Drew Mattin of Michigan, who Cruz beat 7-0 back on Nov. 19.
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As he did in the EIWA finals, junior Scott Parker needed tiebreakers to pull off a 2-1 decision over Cam Sykora of North Dakota State at 133. Parker had the best shot of the bout, but was unable to finish late in the first period. In the tiebreaker, Parker was able to escape in the first half and then rode out Sykora in the second half to secure a second round date with Pitt's Dom Forys, who defeated Parker 7-6 on Feb. 18.
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At 141, freshman Luke Karam battled back after yielding a pair of second period takedowns to defeat Tejon Anthony of George Mason 5-4. Karam scored two escapes, and benefited from a penalty point for stalling before scoring late and riding out to win. He will next face No. 4 seed Joey McKenna of Stanford.
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The first Mountain Hawk on the mats was junior Gordon Wolf, who rallied to upend Penn's May Bethea in the pigtail round at 165. Wolf gave up the first two takedowns but battled back with a takedown in the second period and added a takedown and two point near fall in the third. In his next bout, Wolf had another high-scoring bout against a New Jersey native but dropped a 17-6 major decision to Chad Walsh of Rider, the No. 4 seed. Wolf will face Dawaylon Barnes of Oklahoma in the first round of consolations.
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Lehigh closed the opening session with wins at the final four weights. At 174, sophomore Jordan Kutler fought through an early injury scare to defeat Harvard's Josef Johnson 2-0. Kutler came back from the injury to score a second period escape and then rode Johnson out in the third to earn a round 16 date with No. 13 seed Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State, who Kutler edged 5-4 at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.
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Junior Ryan Preisch opened his tournament with a 5-1 decision over Clarion's Greg Bulsak at 184. Presich scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and built a 5-1 advantage before Bulsak rode out the third. Next up for Preisch is No. 14 seed Nicholas Gravina of Rutgers.
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Weiler was the only unseeded Lehigh wrestler to take out a seeded opponent, avenging a loss to Chattanooga's Scottie Boykin at the Southern Scuffle with a 4-1 decision. Weiler rode Boykin out in the second period, escaped early in the third, and won a scramble for a takedown in the final seconds to seal the deal. He will next face No. 7 seed Frank Mattiace of Penn Thursday evening.
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Freshman Jordan Wood closed out the session with a 2-0 win over North Carolina's Cory Gilliland-Daniel. Wood escaped in the second and rode out the third, nearly turning Gilliland-Daniel in the final seconds. Wood will next face Stanford's Nathan Butler, looking to avenge an overtime loss at the Southern Scuffle.
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The only two Mountain Hawks to not win a match Thursday morning were juniors Cortlandt Schuyler (149) and Ian Brown (157). Schuyler dropped an 11-3 major decision to No. 15 seed Ronnie Perry of Lock Haven, while Brown fell 12-5 to No. 5 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan, as Pantaleo avenged a loss to Brown at the November dual.
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Iowa advanced eight wrestlers in the championship bracket and holds an early 18.5-17 lead over Ohio State, while Penn State sits in third place.
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The NCAA Championships continue Thursday evening with the championship round of 16 and first round consolations, beginning at 7 p.m. The session will be televised on ESPN and WatchESPN, while audio coverage for all Lehigh matches will be available at Lehighsports.com/watch.
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125 – No. 1 Darian Cruz
Round of 32: dec. RayVon Foley (Michigan State) 7-4
Round of 16: Drew Mattin (Michigan)
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133 – No. 6 Scott Parker
Round of 32: dec. Cam Sykora (NDSU) 2-1, tb
Round of 16: No. 11 Dom Forys (Pitt)
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141 – No. 13 Luke Karam
Round of 32: dec. Tejon Anthony (George Mason) 5-4
Round of 16: No. 4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
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149 – Cortlandt Schuyler
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 15 Ronald Perry (Lock Haven) 11-3
First round consolation: Jared Prince (Navy)
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157 – Ian Brown
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) 12-4
First round consolation: Casey Sparkman (Kent State)
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165 – Gordon Wolf
Pigtail: dec. May Bethea (Penn) 13-8
Round of 32: L by major dec. No. 4 Chad Walsh (Rider) 17-6
First round consolation: Dawaylon Barnes (Oklahoma)
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174 – No. 4 Jordan Kutler
Round of 32: dec. Josef Johnson (Harvard) 2-0
Round of 16: No. 13 Jacobe Smith (Okla. St.)
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184 – No. 3 Ryan Preisch
Round of 32: dec. Greg Bulsak (Clarion) 5-1
Round of 16: No. 14 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers)
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197 – Chris Weiler
Round of 32: dec. No. 10 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga) 4-1
Round of 16: No. 7 Frank Mattiace (Penn)
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285 – No. 10 Jordan Wood
Round of 32: dec. Cory Gilliland-Daniel (North Carolina) 2-0
Round of 16: No. 7 Nathan Butler (Stanford)
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Players Mentioned
157
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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