Saturday, February 16
Bethlehem, Pa.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Army West Point
Mountain Hawks return from bye to host EIWA rival Army on Saturday
2/14/2019 3:52:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a weekend off from competition, No. 21 Lehigh will wrestle its final two duals at home beginning Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host No. 25 Army West Point on Military Appreciation Day. The Mountain Hawks split two duals in Oklahoma last time out, rolling to a 28-3 win over Oklahoma and falling 27-6 to No. 2 Oklahoma State. Junior Jordan Kutler and senior Ryan Preisch both went 2-0 in the Sooner state and have moved into the top five in the national rankings along with sophomore Jordan Wood. Lehigh hosts Army on Saturday and then Penn on February 24 before setting its sights on the postseason. Army West Point has won five straight duals to move into the national rankings for the first time since late 2005.
As part of Military Appreciation Day all active or military veterans can use the promo code "MILITARY" at LehighTickets.com to purchase $4 upper level or $11 lower level tickets for Saturday's match.
In its last action prior to the weekend off from competition, the Mountain Hawks split a pair of duals in Oklahoma Feb. 2-3, routing Oklahoma 28-3 before dropping a 27-6 decision to No. 2 Oklahoma State. The Mountain Hawks dominated the Sooners, winning the first nine bouts and seemingly finding ways to win matches late. The win was highlighted by junior Ryan Pomrinca's 5-2 win over then-No. 13 Dom Demas at 141, where Pomrinca recorded a takedown and two point near fall in the final 15 seconds to earn the victory. Senior Cortlandt Schuyler added a sudden victory win at 149 while sophomore Chris Weiler secured a late takedown for a 6-4 win at 197. A one-point loss by freshman heavyweight Victor Lacombe denied Lehigh its first shutout win since blanking Bloomsburg 54-0 in 2016. The close bouts did not go Lehigh's way the following day in Stillwater as the Mountain Hawks managed just two victories, with junior Jordan Kutler and senior Ryan Preisch knocking off nationally-ranked opponents.
The NCAA released the second of four Coaches' Panel rankings for the 2018-19 season and the first RPI on February 14. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. A panel of coaches ranked the top 33 in each weight class with the Mountain Hawks well represented. Lehigh has wrestlers ranked in the top 33 in nine of 10 weight classes, led by sophomore Jordan Wood, who is ranked fourth at 285. Junior Ryan Pomrinca joined the rankings at 141, while sophomore Chris Weiler replaced classmate Jake Jakobsen at 197. Wrestlers need a minimum of 17 Division I matches to appear in the RPI. Junior Jordan Kutler moved up two spots to No. 5 at 174 in the Coaches' Panel Rankings and owns the top RPI among Lehigh wrestlers at No. 4.
A five-dual winning streak has vaulted Army West Point into the national rankings for the first time since December 2005. After focusing primarily on tournaments in the fall semester, Army has won six of eight duals after January 1 and seven of nine overall to join the poll at No. 25. The Black Knights are coming off a come-from-behind 22-19 win over Bucknell last weekend, which was clinched with a pin from freshman heavyweight Ben Sullivan in the final bout. Army has rebounded from a 1-2 showing at the Cowboy Shootout in Wyoming with wins over Binghamton, Brown, Penn, West Virginia and Bucknell. The Black Knights have just one wrestler ranked by InterMat, Rocco Caywood, who dropped from No. 4 to No. 8 at 197, but a total of seven Army wrestlers appeared in the top 33 of the first Coaches' Panel Rankings. Kevin Ward is in his fourth season as head coach at Army West Point.
Army is Lehigh's fifth most-often wrestled opponent, trailing just Penn State, Navy, Cornell and Syracuse. The Brown and White have won 54 of 66 duals with three ties. Lehigh is 17-1-1 in its last 19 with Army, with the Black Knights' lone win during that span coming in 2008 at West Point. Lehigh and Army are meeting for the third consecutive season after a break in the series from 2009 until 2017.
Saturday's dual begins at 1 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh will close out the dual season on Sunday February 24, when the Mountain Hawks welcome Penn to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Senior Day. Match time is set for 2 p.m. with Lehigh recognizing its senior class prior to the match. Following the Penn dual, the Mountain Hawks will shift focus to the EIWA Championships, March 8-9 in Binghamton, N.Y. and the NCAA Championships, March 21-23 in Pittsburgh.
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.
As part of Military Appreciation Day all active or military veterans can use the promo code "MILITARY" at LehighTickets.com to purchase $4 upper level or $11 lower level tickets for Saturday's match.
In its last action prior to the weekend off from competition, the Mountain Hawks split a pair of duals in Oklahoma Feb. 2-3, routing Oklahoma 28-3 before dropping a 27-6 decision to No. 2 Oklahoma State. The Mountain Hawks dominated the Sooners, winning the first nine bouts and seemingly finding ways to win matches late. The win was highlighted by junior Ryan Pomrinca's 5-2 win over then-No. 13 Dom Demas at 141, where Pomrinca recorded a takedown and two point near fall in the final 15 seconds to earn the victory. Senior Cortlandt Schuyler added a sudden victory win at 149 while sophomore Chris Weiler secured a late takedown for a 6-4 win at 197. A one-point loss by freshman heavyweight Victor Lacombe denied Lehigh its first shutout win since blanking Bloomsburg 54-0 in 2016. The close bouts did not go Lehigh's way the following day in Stillwater as the Mountain Hawks managed just two victories, with junior Jordan Kutler and senior Ryan Preisch knocking off nationally-ranked opponents.
The NCAA released the second of four Coaches' Panel rankings for the 2018-19 season and the first RPI on February 14. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. A panel of coaches ranked the top 33 in each weight class with the Mountain Hawks well represented. Lehigh has wrestlers ranked in the top 33 in nine of 10 weight classes, led by sophomore Jordan Wood, who is ranked fourth at 285. Junior Ryan Pomrinca joined the rankings at 141, while sophomore Chris Weiler replaced classmate Jake Jakobsen at 197. Wrestlers need a minimum of 17 Division I matches to appear in the RPI. Junior Jordan Kutler moved up two spots to No. 5 at 174 in the Coaches' Panel Rankings and owns the top RPI among Lehigh wrestlers at No. 4.
A five-dual winning streak has vaulted Army West Point into the national rankings for the first time since December 2005. After focusing primarily on tournaments in the fall semester, Army has won six of eight duals after January 1 and seven of nine overall to join the poll at No. 25. The Black Knights are coming off a come-from-behind 22-19 win over Bucknell last weekend, which was clinched with a pin from freshman heavyweight Ben Sullivan in the final bout. Army has rebounded from a 1-2 showing at the Cowboy Shootout in Wyoming with wins over Binghamton, Brown, Penn, West Virginia and Bucknell. The Black Knights have just one wrestler ranked by InterMat, Rocco Caywood, who dropped from No. 4 to No. 8 at 197, but a total of seven Army wrestlers appeared in the top 33 of the first Coaches' Panel Rankings. Kevin Ward is in his fourth season as head coach at Army West Point.
Army is Lehigh's fifth most-often wrestled opponent, trailing just Penn State, Navy, Cornell and Syracuse. The Brown and White have won 54 of 66 duals with three ties. Lehigh is 17-1-1 in its last 19 with Army, with the Black Knights' lone win during that span coming in 2008 at West Point. Lehigh and Army are meeting for the third consecutive season after a break in the series from 2009 until 2017.
Saturday's dual begins at 1 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh will close out the dual season on Sunday February 24, when the Mountain Hawks welcome Penn to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Senior Day. Match time is set for 2 p.m. with Lehigh recognizing its senior class prior to the match. Following the Penn dual, the Mountain Hawks will shift focus to the EIWA Championships, March 8-9 in Binghamton, N.Y. and the NCAA Championships, March 21-23 in Pittsburgh.
The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
| Date: | February 16, 2019 |
| Opponent: | No. 25 Army West Point Black Knights |
| First match: | 1:05 p.m. |
| Arena: | Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 7-9 overall, 4-1 EIWA |
| Army's record: | 7-2 overall, 6-2 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 54-9-3 |
| Streak: | Lehigh has won the last three duals |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 12:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.TV) Audio at LVFoxSports.com |
| Behind enemy lines: | http://www.goarmywestpoint.com |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
197
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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