Friday, January 11
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
Lehigh returns home to open 2019 against Bucknell, No. 7 Cornell
1/10/2019 12:55:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In its first dual action of the new year, Lehigh returns to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the first time in six weeks to host a pair of duals against EIWA opponents. The Mountain Hawks will welcome Bucknell for a Friday night dual before hosting Cornell Saturday in the annual Billy Sheridan Memorial Dual. Lehigh closed out 2018 with a 1-3 showing at the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Mountain Hawks showed improvement in every dual and finally broke through for their first win of the season, beating Virginia 28-12 in their final dual in Florida. Lehigh won the final five bouts against Virginia and scored bonus points in four of those wins. Senior Gordon Wolf (165) and sophomore Kyle Gentile (197) knocked off nationally-ranked opponents to key Lehigh's second-half rally. The Mountain Hawks will face a pair of EIWA foes, including a Cornell team that has battled back-and-forth for EIWA supremacy in recent years.
Lehigh battled through a tough fall semester in which many projected regulars missed significant time due to injuries, but the Mountain Hawks had four returning NCAA qualifiers see their first dual action of the season at the South Beach Duals. The quartet of sophomore Luke Karam (141) and seniors Cortlandt Schuyler (149), Gordon Wolf (165) and Ryan Preisch (184) combined to go 7-8 in four duals Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Preisch leading the way with a 4-0 mark. Wolf went 2-2 but recorded a key technical fall win over 18th-ranked Cam Coy of Virginia to help propel Lehigh past the Cavaliers for the Mountain Hawks' first dual win of the season. Lehigh also recorded a 5-5 split with then-No. 12 North Carolina but was done in by two injury defaults. Sophomore Kyle Gentile saw his first dual action in nearly two years, wrestling three duals at 197 after Jake Jakobsen suffered an injury. Gentile went 3-0, capped by a 13-11 win over Virginia's seventh-ranked Jay Aiello.
Following the South Beach Duals, Lehigh sent three wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mountain Hawks had a pair of place winners as sophomores Nick Farro (133) and Chris Weiler (184) both finished 4-3 to claim eighth place in their respective weight classes. Farro moved up after beginning the year at 125, while Weiler went down from 197. Deferred freshman Brock Herring, a Chattanooga area native, also competed at 141.
Five wrestlers appear in the latest InterMat rankings, with senior Ryan Preisch (184), junior Jordan Kutler (174) and sophomore Jordan Wood (285) all ranked seventh at their respective weight classes. Lehigh also has six wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling, while eight are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News and five are ranked by the Open Mat. In addition to Preisch, Kutler and Wood, freshman Josh Humphreys is ranked across the board at 157. Lehigh has two ranked sophomores at 197 with Jake Jakobsen ranked by InterMat, FloWrestling and The Open Mat, while Kyle Gentile is ranked by AWN. Sophomore Brandon Paetzell is ranked by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News.
Prior to the season, Lehigh put together a schedule that was both ambitious and challenging and while the Mountain Hawks have made strides and started to get some injured wrestlers back, the quality of that schedule has played a role in Lehigh's dual meet record. Seven of Lehigh's first eight dual opponents are currently ranked in the NWCA Top 25 and its eight opponents have a combined record of 50-13. Cornell will be Lehigh's sixth top eight opponent this season. Those six top-eight opponents have a combined record of 38-2.
Bucknell brings a 2-4 dual mark into Friday's match. The Bison are coming off a 26-9 home loss to Navy Saturday in their EIWA opener. Bucknell closed out 2018 at the Midlands Championships, where freshman Zach Hartman finished third at 157 and junior Joey Gould took fifth at 141. The Bison won their first two duals of the season, beating VMI and Cleveland State but have since lost to Buffalo, top-ranked Penn State, Pittsburgh and Navy. Hartman is the lone ranked Bison wrestler according to InterMat, coming in at No. 10 at 157. Gould wrestled for Bethlehem Catholic High School, where he was a teammate of Lehigh's Luke Karam. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 14th season as Bucknell's head coach.
A 5-1 dual meet start has Cornell up to No. 7 in the latest NWCA Top 25. The Big Red, like Lehigh, were last in action at the South Beach Duals, where they went 2-1. Cornell defeated Wyoming and Indiana to open the South Beach duals, before suffering a 22-9 loss to Missouri in its final dual of the weekend. The Big Red also own dual wins over Binghamton, West Virginia and Northern Iowa and competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in late November/early December. Cornell has six wrestlers in the latest InterMat rankings, led by sophomore Yianni Diakomihalis, the returning national champion who holds down the No. 1 spot at 141. The Big Red's probable lineup features three additional returning All-Americans in Jon Jay Chavez (165), Brandon Womack (174) and Max Dean (184). Chavez has yet to compete for Cornell this season. Rob Koll is in his 25th season as Cornell's head coach.
Saturday's match with Cornell marks the 15th consecutive season that Lehigh's legendary former coach, Billy Sheridan, is honored with a single dual meet against a high profile opponent. This year marks the ninth year in a row that the single Sheridan Dual pits Lehigh against an EIWA rival and the fourth time that rival is Cornell. Five of the first eight Sheridan Duals under the current format were hosted at Stabler Arena. From 2000-2003 Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Duals, a series of duals in which the Mountain Hawks faced three opponents on the first or second Saturday in December at Stabler Arena. Before that, Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Tournament, which began in 1979.
Lehigh and Bucknell will meet for the 14th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine duals in the series and the last three. Cornell is one of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with Big Red serving as Lehigh's third most-often wrestled opponent behind Penn State and Navy. The Big Red have won seven of the last eight duals in the series. Lehigh's first ever dual meet was against Cornell in 1910.
Friday's dual versus Bucknell begins at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, while Saturday's match versus Cornell will start at 2 p.m. Tickets are still available for both duals, although only a limited number remain for Cornell, and can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh heads back on the road for two EIWA duals next weekend when the Mountain Hawks face American, Saturday January 19 at Bender Arena and then Navy, Sunday January 20 at Alumni Hall. The Navy match will be the 99th in the longtime series. Lehigh is back home to host nationally-ranked Arizona State and Virginia Tech, January 26-27 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Lehigh battled through a tough fall semester in which many projected regulars missed significant time due to injuries, but the Mountain Hawks had four returning NCAA qualifiers see their first dual action of the season at the South Beach Duals. The quartet of sophomore Luke Karam (141) and seniors Cortlandt Schuyler (149), Gordon Wolf (165) and Ryan Preisch (184) combined to go 7-8 in four duals Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Preisch leading the way with a 4-0 mark. Wolf went 2-2 but recorded a key technical fall win over 18th-ranked Cam Coy of Virginia to help propel Lehigh past the Cavaliers for the Mountain Hawks' first dual win of the season. Lehigh also recorded a 5-5 split with then-No. 12 North Carolina but was done in by two injury defaults. Sophomore Kyle Gentile saw his first dual action in nearly two years, wrestling three duals at 197 after Jake Jakobsen suffered an injury. Gentile went 3-0, capped by a 13-11 win over Virginia's seventh-ranked Jay Aiello.
Following the South Beach Duals, Lehigh sent three wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mountain Hawks had a pair of place winners as sophomores Nick Farro (133) and Chris Weiler (184) both finished 4-3 to claim eighth place in their respective weight classes. Farro moved up after beginning the year at 125, while Weiler went down from 197. Deferred freshman Brock Herring, a Chattanooga area native, also competed at 141.
Five wrestlers appear in the latest InterMat rankings, with senior Ryan Preisch (184), junior Jordan Kutler (174) and sophomore Jordan Wood (285) all ranked seventh at their respective weight classes. Lehigh also has six wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling, while eight are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News and five are ranked by the Open Mat. In addition to Preisch, Kutler and Wood, freshman Josh Humphreys is ranked across the board at 157. Lehigh has two ranked sophomores at 197 with Jake Jakobsen ranked by InterMat, FloWrestling and The Open Mat, while Kyle Gentile is ranked by AWN. Sophomore Brandon Paetzell is ranked by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News.
Prior to the season, Lehigh put together a schedule that was both ambitious and challenging and while the Mountain Hawks have made strides and started to get some injured wrestlers back, the quality of that schedule has played a role in Lehigh's dual meet record. Seven of Lehigh's first eight dual opponents are currently ranked in the NWCA Top 25 and its eight opponents have a combined record of 50-13. Cornell will be Lehigh's sixth top eight opponent this season. Those six top-eight opponents have a combined record of 38-2.
Bucknell brings a 2-4 dual mark into Friday's match. The Bison are coming off a 26-9 home loss to Navy Saturday in their EIWA opener. Bucknell closed out 2018 at the Midlands Championships, where freshman Zach Hartman finished third at 157 and junior Joey Gould took fifth at 141. The Bison won their first two duals of the season, beating VMI and Cleveland State but have since lost to Buffalo, top-ranked Penn State, Pittsburgh and Navy. Hartman is the lone ranked Bison wrestler according to InterMat, coming in at No. 10 at 157. Gould wrestled for Bethlehem Catholic High School, where he was a teammate of Lehigh's Luke Karam. Dan Wirnsberger is in his 14th season as Bucknell's head coach.
A 5-1 dual meet start has Cornell up to No. 7 in the latest NWCA Top 25. The Big Red, like Lehigh, were last in action at the South Beach Duals, where they went 2-1. Cornell defeated Wyoming and Indiana to open the South Beach duals, before suffering a 22-9 loss to Missouri in its final dual of the weekend. The Big Red also own dual wins over Binghamton, West Virginia and Northern Iowa and competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in late November/early December. Cornell has six wrestlers in the latest InterMat rankings, led by sophomore Yianni Diakomihalis, the returning national champion who holds down the No. 1 spot at 141. The Big Red's probable lineup features three additional returning All-Americans in Jon Jay Chavez (165), Brandon Womack (174) and Max Dean (184). Chavez has yet to compete for Cornell this season. Rob Koll is in his 25th season as Cornell's head coach.
Saturday's match with Cornell marks the 15th consecutive season that Lehigh's legendary former coach, Billy Sheridan, is honored with a single dual meet against a high profile opponent. This year marks the ninth year in a row that the single Sheridan Dual pits Lehigh against an EIWA rival and the fourth time that rival is Cornell. Five of the first eight Sheridan Duals under the current format were hosted at Stabler Arena. From 2000-2003 Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Duals, a series of duals in which the Mountain Hawks faced three opponents on the first or second Saturday in December at Stabler Arena. Before that, Lehigh hosted the Sheridan Tournament, which began in 1979.
Lehigh and Bucknell will meet for the 14th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first nine duals in the series and the last three. Cornell is one of Lehigh's oldest rivals, with Big Red serving as Lehigh's third most-often wrestled opponent behind Penn State and Navy. The Big Red have won seven of the last eight duals in the series. Lehigh's first ever dual meet was against Cornell in 1910.
Friday's dual versus Bucknell begins at 7 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, while Saturday's match versus Cornell will start at 2 p.m. Tickets are still available for both duals, although only a limited number remain for Cornell, and can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh heads back on the road for two EIWA duals next weekend when the Mountain Hawks face American, Saturday January 19 at Bender Arena and then Navy, Sunday January 20 at Alumni Hall. The Navy match will be the 99th in the longtime series. Lehigh is back home to host nationally-ranked Arizona State and Virginia Tech, January 26-27 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
| Date: | January 11, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| First match: | 7:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 1-7 overall, 0-1 EIWA |
| Bucknell's record: | 2-4 overall, 0-1 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 12-1 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won the last three duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell beginning at 6:45 p.m. |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.TV) Audio at LVFoxSports.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.bucknellbison.com |
| Date: | January 12, 2019 |
| Opponent: | No. 7 Cornell Big Red |
| First match: | 2:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 1-7 overall, 0-1 EIWA |
| Cornell's record: | 5-1 overall, 1-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 60-33-3 |
| Streak: | Cornell has won the last two duals |
| Television: | Service Electric 2 Sports Live |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 1:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino and Gary Brownell |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.TV) Audio at LVFoxSports.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.cornellbigred.com |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ 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
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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