Sunday, December 29
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
vs
Minnesota
Mountain Hawks to close out 2019 portion of schedule at South Beach Duals
12/27/2019 12:01:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 14 Lehigh will close out the 2019 portion of its schedule with three duals over two days at the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
All four of Lehigh's duals so far this season have come against ranked opponents, with the Mountain Hawks looking to snap a three-dual slide that followed a dual-opening win over Oklahoma State. In its last dual action, Lehigh fell 23-10 at home to Penn State in front of a Stabler Arena record crowd of 6,047. Junior Brandon Paetzell, sophomore Jimmy Hoffman and junior Jake Jakobsen delivered Lehigh's victories against the Nittany Lions. The Mountain Hawks had a strong showing at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open, with 13 of 14 entrants placing top six, including a championship for sophomore Dan Moran at 141 in his first action of the season.
Lehigh will open the South Beach Duals with its first-ever meeting against Duke and will then face No. 15 Minnesota and No. 19 Missouri, two teams that beat the Mountain Hawks at last year's South Beach Duals.
In its last dual action before the exam break, Lehigh hosted Penn State at Stabler Arena on Dec. 6. The Mountain Hawks set a Stabler Arena attendance record for an athletic event with 6,047 seeing Lehigh battle but ultimately come up on the short end of a 23-10 score against the four-time defending national champions. Junior Brandon Paetzell opened the dual with a major decision victory at 125, while sophomore Jimmy Hoffman and junior Jake Jakobsen posted wins by decision at 149 and 197, respectively. The previous Stabler Arena athletic attendance record was 5,909 from Penn State's last visit to the facility in February 2016. The Lehigh home dual attendance record is 9,896 from Penn State's visit to PPL Center in Allentown in December 2017.
Fourteen Lehigh wrestlers, including several regulars, took to the mats at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open. It was a productive afternoon for the Mountain Hawks as 13 of the 14 entrants placed in the top six in their respective weight classes. Sophomore Dan Moran won the title at 141 in his first action of the season, while Lehigh also had a trio of runners-up: Jaret Lane (133), Jimmy Hoffman (149) and Brian Meyer (165).
Five Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by senior Jordan Kutler, who is ranked third at 174. Lehigh also has seven wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News and has six ranked by The Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Brandon Paetzell (125), Josh Humphreys (157) and Jordan Wood (285) are ranked across the board by all four outlets. Junior Nick Farro (133), sophomore Jimmy Hoffman (149) and junior Jake Jakobsen (197) are all ranked by three of the four outlets.
As the 2020s begin on Jan. 1, the numbers show that the 2010s were very kind to the Brown and White. Since Jan. 1, 2010, Lehigh has posted a 116-56-1 dual meet record (67.3%). The Mountain Hawks won EIWA team titles in 2018 and 2019 and posted back-to-back eighth place NCAA Tournament finishes in 2011 and 2012. Over the last 10 seasons, Lehigh wrestlers have won 22 individual EIWA titles and 26 All-America medals. Seven Mountain Hawks have reached the finals of the NCAA Tournament with Zach Rey (285, 2011) and Darian Cruz (125, 2017) winning individual national championships.
Duke will open its dual schedule at the South Beach Duals. The Blue Devils competed in three tournaments in November but have not competed since the Nov. 24 Keystone Classic. Duke opened its season at the Nov. 3 Battle at the Citadel and also wrestled in the Nov. 9 Mountaineer Invitational at Appalachian State. The Blue Devils do not have any wrestlers ranked by InterMat. Mason Eaglin has been the top performer, with first place finishes at the Battle at the Citadel and the Keystone Classic. Twins Matt and Josh Finesilver are returning NCAA qualifiers, but Matt is taking an Olympic redshirt and Josh has yet to compete attached this season. Glen Lanham is in his eighth season as Duke's head coach.
Minnesota enters the South Beach Duals with a 2-2 dual record. The Golden Gophers are coming off a 22-10 win at South Dakota State on Dec. 20. Minnesota also owns a win over CSU Bakersfield and a seventh place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, while its losses have come against Rider and Oklahoma State. The Golden Gophers have five ranked wrestlers, led by heavyweight Gable Steveson, who made his season debut at SDSU. Also ranked in the top five are No. 3 Mitch McKee at 141 and fifth-ranked Brayton Lee at 149. Lee won his weight class against a tough field in Las Vegas. Devin Skatzka is ranked eighth at 174 while Owen Webster comes in at No. 17 at 184. Brandon Eggum is in his fourth season as Minnesota's head coach and his 20th overall on the Gopher coaching staff.
Missouri enters the South Beach Duals with a 3-2 dual mark. The Tigers have bounced back from early-season losses to Virginia Tech and Illinois with three consecutive wins, including a 28-11 win against Buffalo on Dec. 15. Missouri also claimed first place at the SIUE Cougar Clash on Dec. 7, with five individual champions. The Tigers feature four nationally-ranked wrestlers, led by Brock Mauller who is ranked second at 149 by InterMat. Grant Leeth is ranked 10th at 141, Jarrett Jacques is 14th at 157 and Allan Hart is 17th at 133. Missouri competes in the MAC in wrestling and has been the dominant program since joining the league. The Tigers were 16-1 in duals last year and had a 35-dual win streak snapped with a loss to Oklahoma State in late February. Brian Smith is in his 21st season as Missouri's head coach.
Lehigh will meet Duke for the first time in wrestling, while the Mountain Hawks have limited histories versus both Minnesota and Missouri. Four of the five duals versus Minnesota and all four against Missouri were contested at neutral sites.
Action at the South Beach Duals begins Sunday when Lehigh faces Minnesota at 11 a.m. On Monday, the Mountain Hawks will face Duke at 11 am and Missouri at 1 p.m. All action at the South Beach Duals will be streamed on TrackWrestling.com (subscription required).
Lehigh may send a small contingent of wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mountain Hawks will open the 2020 portion of their dual meet schedule with a visit to central New York Jan. 10-11. Lehigh will visit Binghamton on Friday Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. before taking on rival Cornell in Ithaca the following afternoon. The Mountain Hawks will return home the following weekend to host American and Navy in EIWA action.
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.
All four of Lehigh's duals so far this season have come against ranked opponents, with the Mountain Hawks looking to snap a three-dual slide that followed a dual-opening win over Oklahoma State. In its last dual action, Lehigh fell 23-10 at home to Penn State in front of a Stabler Arena record crowd of 6,047. Junior Brandon Paetzell, sophomore Jimmy Hoffman and junior Jake Jakobsen delivered Lehigh's victories against the Nittany Lions. The Mountain Hawks had a strong showing at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open, with 13 of 14 entrants placing top six, including a championship for sophomore Dan Moran at 141 in his first action of the season.
Lehigh will open the South Beach Duals with its first-ever meeting against Duke and will then face No. 15 Minnesota and No. 19 Missouri, two teams that beat the Mountain Hawks at last year's South Beach Duals.
In its last dual action before the exam break, Lehigh hosted Penn State at Stabler Arena on Dec. 6. The Mountain Hawks set a Stabler Arena attendance record for an athletic event with 6,047 seeing Lehigh battle but ultimately come up on the short end of a 23-10 score against the four-time defending national champions. Junior Brandon Paetzell opened the dual with a major decision victory at 125, while sophomore Jimmy Hoffman and junior Jake Jakobsen posted wins by decision at 149 and 197, respectively. The previous Stabler Arena athletic attendance record was 5,909 from Penn State's last visit to the facility in February 2016. The Lehigh home dual attendance record is 9,896 from Penn State's visit to PPL Center in Allentown in December 2017.
Fourteen Lehigh wrestlers, including several regulars, took to the mats at the Dec. 22 Wilkes Open. It was a productive afternoon for the Mountain Hawks as 13 of the 14 entrants placed in the top six in their respective weight classes. Sophomore Dan Moran won the title at 141 in his first action of the season, while Lehigh also had a trio of runners-up: Jaret Lane (133), Jimmy Hoffman (149) and Brian Meyer (165).
Five Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by senior Jordan Kutler, who is ranked third at 174. Lehigh also has seven wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News and has six ranked by The Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Brandon Paetzell (125), Josh Humphreys (157) and Jordan Wood (285) are ranked across the board by all four outlets. Junior Nick Farro (133), sophomore Jimmy Hoffman (149) and junior Jake Jakobsen (197) are all ranked by three of the four outlets.
As the 2020s begin on Jan. 1, the numbers show that the 2010s were very kind to the Brown and White. Since Jan. 1, 2010, Lehigh has posted a 116-56-1 dual meet record (67.3%). The Mountain Hawks won EIWA team titles in 2018 and 2019 and posted back-to-back eighth place NCAA Tournament finishes in 2011 and 2012. Over the last 10 seasons, Lehigh wrestlers have won 22 individual EIWA titles and 26 All-America medals. Seven Mountain Hawks have reached the finals of the NCAA Tournament with Zach Rey (285, 2011) and Darian Cruz (125, 2017) winning individual national championships.
Duke will open its dual schedule at the South Beach Duals. The Blue Devils competed in three tournaments in November but have not competed since the Nov. 24 Keystone Classic. Duke opened its season at the Nov. 3 Battle at the Citadel and also wrestled in the Nov. 9 Mountaineer Invitational at Appalachian State. The Blue Devils do not have any wrestlers ranked by InterMat. Mason Eaglin has been the top performer, with first place finishes at the Battle at the Citadel and the Keystone Classic. Twins Matt and Josh Finesilver are returning NCAA qualifiers, but Matt is taking an Olympic redshirt and Josh has yet to compete attached this season. Glen Lanham is in his eighth season as Duke's head coach.
Minnesota enters the South Beach Duals with a 2-2 dual record. The Golden Gophers are coming off a 22-10 win at South Dakota State on Dec. 20. Minnesota also owns a win over CSU Bakersfield and a seventh place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, while its losses have come against Rider and Oklahoma State. The Golden Gophers have five ranked wrestlers, led by heavyweight Gable Steveson, who made his season debut at SDSU. Also ranked in the top five are No. 3 Mitch McKee at 141 and fifth-ranked Brayton Lee at 149. Lee won his weight class against a tough field in Las Vegas. Devin Skatzka is ranked eighth at 174 while Owen Webster comes in at No. 17 at 184. Brandon Eggum is in his fourth season as Minnesota's head coach and his 20th overall on the Gopher coaching staff.
Missouri enters the South Beach Duals with a 3-2 dual mark. The Tigers have bounced back from early-season losses to Virginia Tech and Illinois with three consecutive wins, including a 28-11 win against Buffalo on Dec. 15. Missouri also claimed first place at the SIUE Cougar Clash on Dec. 7, with five individual champions. The Tigers feature four nationally-ranked wrestlers, led by Brock Mauller who is ranked second at 149 by InterMat. Grant Leeth is ranked 10th at 141, Jarrett Jacques is 14th at 157 and Allan Hart is 17th at 133. Missouri competes in the MAC in wrestling and has been the dominant program since joining the league. The Tigers were 16-1 in duals last year and had a 35-dual win streak snapped with a loss to Oklahoma State in late February. Brian Smith is in his 21st season as Missouri's head coach.
Lehigh will meet Duke for the first time in wrestling, while the Mountain Hawks have limited histories versus both Minnesota and Missouri. Four of the five duals versus Minnesota and all four against Missouri were contested at neutral sites.
Action at the South Beach Duals begins Sunday when Lehigh faces Minnesota at 11 a.m. On Monday, the Mountain Hawks will face Duke at 11 am and Missouri at 1 p.m. All action at the South Beach Duals will be streamed on TrackWrestling.com (subscription required).
Lehigh may send a small contingent of wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mountain Hawks will open the 2020 portion of their dual meet schedule with a visit to central New York Jan. 10-11. Lehigh will visit Binghamton on Friday Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. before taking on rival Cornell in Ithaca the following afternoon. The Mountain Hawks will return home the following weekend to host American and Navy in EIWA action.
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.
Players Mentioned
125
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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