Saturday, November 16
Bethlehem, Pa.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Oklahoma State
Photo by: Rich Warnke
Lehigh to open dual season with top 10 clash versus Oklahoma State Saturday at Stabler Arena
11/14/2019 9:59:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 10 Lehigh opens the dual meet season on Saturday with a top 10 showdown as the Mountain Hawks welcome No. 4 Oklahoma State to Stabler Arena for the first dual at Stabler since February 2016. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a strong showing at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic in Troy, N.Y. Three Lehigh wrestlers won Hammer Awards for winning their respective top-flight weight classes: junior Brandon Paetzell (125), sophomore Josh Humphreys (157) and senior Jordan Kutler (174). The Mountain Hawks were 9-9 in duals last season, but finished strong, taking nine of their final 11. One of those two blemishes was a loss at Oklahoma State in February.
The defending Big 12 champion Cowboys finished third at the NCAA Championships last year. Oklahoma State will wrestle Drexel Friday night before making the trip to Bethlehem.
Lehigh wrestling is encouraging all fans attending Saturday's dual to wear white.
After kicking off its 111th season of wrestling with trips to the Princeton Open and Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Lehigh opens its dual season against Oklahoma State. The Mountain Hawks are 8-3 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh, 2013 to Bucknell and 2018 at Michigan.
Seventeen Lehigh wrestlers competed at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Nov. 10 in Troy, N.Y. The Mountain Hawks enjoyed a strong showing in the modified round-robin tournament format, with three Mountain Hawks winning Hammer Awards for winning their respective top-flight pools. Junior Brandon Paetzell went 3-0 to win the title at 125 and sophomore Josh Humphreys went 3-0 to claim first place at 157. Senior Jordan Kutler won his third straight Hammer Award, going 4-0 at 174, including a 4-1 decision over third-ranked Mikey Labriola of Nebraska. Three Mountain Hawks finished second in their respective pools, including sophomore Jimmy Hoffman, who defeated the defending Division II national champion at 149, plus sophomore Luke Resnick (125D) and junior Dylan Ammerman (184B).
If Lehigh can beat No. 4 Oklahoma State it would mark the Mountain Hawks' fourth win over a top-5 team in 11-plus seasons under Pat Santoro. Lehigh went 0-3 versus top-five foes last season but owns three wins over top-five opponents under Santoro. The Mountain Hawks beat No. 1 Cornell in 2010-11, No. 3 Ohio State in 2014-15 and beat No. 4 Michigan in 2017-18.
Six Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by senior Jordan Kutler, who is ranked second at 174. Lehigh also has eight wrestlers ranked in the top 25 by FloWrestling, seven in the top 20 by Amateur Wrestling News and six by The Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Brandon Paetzell (125), Josh Humphreys (157), Jake Jakobsen (197) and Jordan Wood (285) are ranked across the board by all four outlets. Junior Nick Farro (133) is ranked by three of the four, while sophomore Jimmy Hoffman (149) and junior Chris Weiler (184) are ranked by two.
Oklahoma State travels east to open its dual season as the Cowboys will visit Drexel on Friday before taking on the Mountain Hawks on Saturday. Oklahoma State finished third at the NCAA Championships last season and won the Big 12 title after a 15-0 dual season. Five Cowboys appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by seniors Nick Piccininni (No. 4 at 125) and Joe Smith (No. 5 at 174). Oklahoma State opened its season on Saturday at the Oklahoma City University Open and the Cowboys dominated the field, claiming 13 titles. Oklahoma State has won a NCAA-best 34 national team championships in wrestling and have a Division I-best 142 individual national champions and 467 All-Americans. American wrestling legend John Smith is in his 29th season as head coach at his alma mater.
This will be the 12th all-time meeting between Lehigh and Oklahoma State with the Cowboys visiting Bethlehem for the first time since a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup on Feb. 13, 2005. The Mountain Hawks' lone win against Oklahoma State came at the Northeast Duals in November 2008.
Saturday's dual begins at 1 p.m. from Stabler Arena. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Two more ranked opponents and longtime rivals await the Mountain Hawks next weekend. On Saturday, Lehigh will travel to No. 16 Princeton to face the Tigers, looking to avenge its lone EIWA dual loss from last season. The following day, Lehigh will compete inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the first time this season as No. 15 Pittsburgh visits.
The 2019-20 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.
The defending Big 12 champion Cowboys finished third at the NCAA Championships last year. Oklahoma State will wrestle Drexel Friday night before making the trip to Bethlehem.
Lehigh wrestling is encouraging all fans attending Saturday's dual to wear white.
After kicking off its 111th season of wrestling with trips to the Princeton Open and Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Lehigh opens its dual season against Oklahoma State. The Mountain Hawks are 8-3 in dual meet openers under Pat Santoro with losses in 2011 to Pittsburgh, 2013 to Bucknell and 2018 at Michigan.
Seventeen Lehigh wrestlers competed at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Nov. 10 in Troy, N.Y. The Mountain Hawks enjoyed a strong showing in the modified round-robin tournament format, with three Mountain Hawks winning Hammer Awards for winning their respective top-flight pools. Junior Brandon Paetzell went 3-0 to win the title at 125 and sophomore Josh Humphreys went 3-0 to claim first place at 157. Senior Jordan Kutler won his third straight Hammer Award, going 4-0 at 174, including a 4-1 decision over third-ranked Mikey Labriola of Nebraska. Three Mountain Hawks finished second in their respective pools, including sophomore Jimmy Hoffman, who defeated the defending Division II national champion at 149, plus sophomore Luke Resnick (125D) and junior Dylan Ammerman (184B).
If Lehigh can beat No. 4 Oklahoma State it would mark the Mountain Hawks' fourth win over a top-5 team in 11-plus seasons under Pat Santoro. Lehigh went 0-3 versus top-five foes last season but owns three wins over top-five opponents under Santoro. The Mountain Hawks beat No. 1 Cornell in 2010-11, No. 3 Ohio State in 2014-15 and beat No. 4 Michigan in 2017-18.
Six Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by senior Jordan Kutler, who is ranked second at 174. Lehigh also has eight wrestlers ranked in the top 25 by FloWrestling, seven in the top 20 by Amateur Wrestling News and six by The Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Brandon Paetzell (125), Josh Humphreys (157), Jake Jakobsen (197) and Jordan Wood (285) are ranked across the board by all four outlets. Junior Nick Farro (133) is ranked by three of the four, while sophomore Jimmy Hoffman (149) and junior Chris Weiler (184) are ranked by two.
Oklahoma State travels east to open its dual season as the Cowboys will visit Drexel on Friday before taking on the Mountain Hawks on Saturday. Oklahoma State finished third at the NCAA Championships last season and won the Big 12 title after a 15-0 dual season. Five Cowboys appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by seniors Nick Piccininni (No. 4 at 125) and Joe Smith (No. 5 at 174). Oklahoma State opened its season on Saturday at the Oklahoma City University Open and the Cowboys dominated the field, claiming 13 titles. Oklahoma State has won a NCAA-best 34 national team championships in wrestling and have a Division I-best 142 individual national champions and 467 All-Americans. American wrestling legend John Smith is in his 29th season as head coach at his alma mater.
This will be the 12th all-time meeting between Lehigh and Oklahoma State with the Cowboys visiting Bethlehem for the first time since a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup on Feb. 13, 2005. The Mountain Hawks' lone win against Oklahoma State came at the Northeast Duals in November 2008.
Saturday's dual begins at 1 p.m. from Stabler Arena. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Two more ranked opponents and longtime rivals await the Mountain Hawks next weekend. On Saturday, Lehigh will travel to No. 16 Princeton to face the Tigers, looking to avenge its lone EIWA dual loss from last season. The following day, Lehigh will compete inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the first time this season as No. 15 Pittsburgh visits.
The 2019-20 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
| Date: | November 16, 2019 |
| Opponent: | No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys |
| First match: | 1:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Stabler Arena |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 EIWA |
| Oklahoma State's record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 Big 12 |
| Series: | Oklahoma State leads 10-1 |
| Streak: | Oklahoma State has won the last two duals. |
| Television: | Service Electric 50/550, Patriot League Network |
| Radio: | None |
| Internet broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.tv |
| Behind enemy lines: | www.okstate.com |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's WrestlingLehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
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