Season Preview: No Matter The Circumstances, Lehigh Wrestling Excited For Opportunity To Compete
12/31/2020 1:21:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The last time the Lehigh wrestling team competed on the mats, the Mountain Hawks navigated a challenging field to claim their third straight EIWA team title. Three wrestlers claimed individual titles and ultimately nine qualified for the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis. Five days after the triumph in Stabler Arena, the sports world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA Championships were canceled and college athletics took a long pause.
It has been nearly nine months since Lehigh's EIWA triumph and the athletics department's last competition. But finally, on Saturday January 2, Lehigh athletics and Lehigh wrestling return.
"We're just excited to have some competition," head coach Pat Santoro said. We didn't see our guys for six months at one point and then we lost them again for five weeks. The fact that we're even competing. We weren't sure this was going to happen. We're really thankful and grateful it is. It's going to look a lot different. I'm just excited to see out guys go out and compete."
Lehigh will face a curveball right out of the gate. Its season-opening match with Hofstra won't even be a traditional dual meet. Instead the Mountain Hawks and Pride will wrestle 15 or 16 individual bouts with results that count towards a season record.
For the Mountain Hawks and many other wrestling programs, it will be the most unconventional of seasons. A seven-weekend sprint of a dual meet season followed by a one-day EIWA Tournament in late February, and if we can get there, three days in March in St. Louis. If anything was learned from 2020 its that heading into a new year and a new season, just about everything is subject to change.
"It's a different challenge," Santoro said. "You do what you're called to do at that time and our guys have done a really good job with that. It's going to take us a while to get into a groove, but that's okay. It will take a few weeks to get our weights down and get the weight classes solidified. It might take a little longer than normal, but that's okay as long as our guys are competing.
"Everybody has to stay ready," Santoro continued. "At the end of the day, it really never is an individual sport. You need to lean on your teammates. A typical season is really long and a bit of a grind, so it's really important to have good teammates, guys you can trust who you know you're going to war with every week. This year, everybody has to be ready."
The Lehigh team that will wrestle against Hofstra this weekend will look very different than the one that won the EIWA title. Week-to-week lineup uncertainty will certainly require a total team effort and one where half of the 40 man roster is in its first or second year at Lehigh.
"It's been the hardest on (the freshmen)," Santoro said. Typically we have them here in the summertime and it's almost like getting a semester under your belt. Wrestling with the older guys and figuring out what we're about and who we are as a team. We didn't really have that because we couldn't hang out as a group. I think that has been the most challenging thing for our freshmen. They saw it through the recruiting process but they may not fully understand how tight this team is. Getting everybody together is really important. I look forward to that practice time every day where we get our whole team together, but I'm used to seeing them a lot more than I'm seeing them now."
The Mountain Hawks return six wrestlers who competed at last year's EIWA Championship, but only three of the six are expected to compete in the season's opening weekend. Heavyweight Jordan Wood, a three-time EIWA champion is currently taking an Olympic deferral year.
Still, Santoro the reigning EIWA Coach of the Year, has some experienced veterans at his disposal plus the young core eager to prove themselves. But the goals remain the same as in previous years. Just get a little better every day.
"I just want to see our guys get better," Santoro said. "That has always been our goal, to get better. We want to win every time out. We'd love to win the conference again. We don't really talk about repeat. It's a bit of a passive term. You have to go out and be aggressive and attack it. Last year was great but it means nothing right now. We're looking at everybody right now because we don't know our lineup. It's going to change a lot between now and March."
The current schedule features nine duals, seven of which will be contested at home inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Six of the nine will be against EIWA opponents. The Ivy League members of the EIWA have opted out of the season, along with Franklin & Marshall, so the EIWA Tournament could feature just 10 teams. If the Mountain Hawks can navigate a very different season, while continuing to develop and improve, the pieces could be in place for a run at a fourth straight league title come late February.
"Our goals are the same as every year," Santoro said. "It's really about going out and performing at as high a level as you can. Our guys are pretty focused. They know why they came here. They're working to achieve big things and they've done that so far. We still need to get better. We need to get that team trophy at the NCAA Tournament and start climbing the ladder from there."
Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks (aside from the unexpected) in this different 2020-21 season:
125 – Brandon Paetzell enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019-20 after dropping down from 133. Paetzell posted a 21-3 record, was ranked in the top 10 nationally for most of the season, and earned first team All-America honors from the NWCA. He is back for a fifth-year but it could take him a while to get re-adjusted to this weight. Junior Jaret Lane competed at 133 last year and could drop down here. Lehigh also has freshmen Sheldon Seymour and Chris Barnabae.
133 – The departure of Nick Farro creates an opportunity at this weight. Deferred freshman Malyke Hines went 12-5 last year at 141 and could look to drop down for his first official campaign. Jaret Lane gained experience and wins at 133 last year. Junior Satoshi Abe and freshmen Drew Munch and Chris Barnabae could also be options here.
141 – NCAA qualifier Ryan Pomrinca has graduated. Senior Luke Karam has worked his way back from several years lost to injury and could drop down to the weight where he qualified for NCAAs in 2018. Deferred freshman Connor McGonagle had a strong 14-5 redshirt year and will be in the mix as well. Experienced Joe Lobeck elected to return for a fifth year, while junior Brock Herring and sophomore Mitchell Polito have paid their dues in the room. Dan Moran had a solid 2019-20 but is currently out with an injury.
149 – Jimmy Hoffman enjoyed a strong sophomore season, going 18-6 to earn his first NCAA championships berth. Junior JT Cooley saw his first career dual action at this weight last year. Deferred freshmen Paul Watkins and Nate Haubert could be options here along with true freshman Steven Storm. One of the 141-pounders could also bump up here if needed.
157 – Josh Humphreys won his second straight EIWA title last year, won the Outstanding Wrestler Award at EIWAs and earned first team NWCA All-America honors. Humphreys will miss time recovering from an injury. Freshman Manzona Bryant IV, sophomore AJ Burkhart and deferred freshman Luca Frinzi could all be in the mix here. Sophomore Brian Meyer started at 165 last year but could also be an option at his more natural weight.
165 – Brian Meyer proved to be a fighter and improved as the season progressed. He could figure in here or at 157. Fifth year senior Trey Cornish also has dual experience. Luca Frinzi could compete here as could true freshmen Connor Herceg, Thayne Lawrence or Tyler Sung.
174 – Lehigh loses one of its recent best with the graduation of three-time EIWA Champion and three-time All-American Jordan Kutler. Deferred freshman Jake Logan figures to get a strong look here or at 184. Logan went 11-7 in his deferred year but placed at the Southern Scuffle. Freshman Sean Kilrain could figure here along with several other true freshmen in the 165/174 range. The Mountain Hawks also have deferred freshmen Edmond Ruth.
184 – This weight is somewhat wide open. Senior Dylan Ammerman has had some previous experience but is working his way back to full strength. Junior Eli Grape made his dual debut here last year. Freshmen JT Davis from Delaware and Caden Wright from nearby Emmaus, could also figure in here.
197 – Jake Jakobsen returns for his fifth year in the brown and white. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Jakobsen will likely begin the year ranked in the top 20. Sophomore Andrew Shedleski could figure in here, while sophomore Eli Jones could figure here or at heavyweight.
285 – Jordan Wood has a chance to become a four-time EIWA Champion but opted to take an Olympic Redshirt and compete on the freestyle circuit in the fall. He could opt to return for the spring semester but his status is currently to be determined. Junior Victor Lacombe has the most experience of the remaining group. Karam Chakif and TJ Moore are true freshmen. Eli Jones could bump up from 197.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
It has been nearly nine months since Lehigh's EIWA triumph and the athletics department's last competition. But finally, on Saturday January 2, Lehigh athletics and Lehigh wrestling return.
"We're just excited to have some competition," head coach Pat Santoro said. We didn't see our guys for six months at one point and then we lost them again for five weeks. The fact that we're even competing. We weren't sure this was going to happen. We're really thankful and grateful it is. It's going to look a lot different. I'm just excited to see out guys go out and compete."
Lehigh will face a curveball right out of the gate. Its season-opening match with Hofstra won't even be a traditional dual meet. Instead the Mountain Hawks and Pride will wrestle 15 or 16 individual bouts with results that count towards a season record.
For the Mountain Hawks and many other wrestling programs, it will be the most unconventional of seasons. A seven-weekend sprint of a dual meet season followed by a one-day EIWA Tournament in late February, and if we can get there, three days in March in St. Louis. If anything was learned from 2020 its that heading into a new year and a new season, just about everything is subject to change.
"It's a different challenge," Santoro said. "You do what you're called to do at that time and our guys have done a really good job with that. It's going to take us a while to get into a groove, but that's okay. It will take a few weeks to get our weights down and get the weight classes solidified. It might take a little longer than normal, but that's okay as long as our guys are competing.
"Everybody has to stay ready," Santoro continued. "At the end of the day, it really never is an individual sport. You need to lean on your teammates. A typical season is really long and a bit of a grind, so it's really important to have good teammates, guys you can trust who you know you're going to war with every week. This year, everybody has to be ready."
The Lehigh team that will wrestle against Hofstra this weekend will look very different than the one that won the EIWA title. Week-to-week lineup uncertainty will certainly require a total team effort and one where half of the 40 man roster is in its first or second year at Lehigh.
"It's been the hardest on (the freshmen)," Santoro said. Typically we have them here in the summertime and it's almost like getting a semester under your belt. Wrestling with the older guys and figuring out what we're about and who we are as a team. We didn't really have that because we couldn't hang out as a group. I think that has been the most challenging thing for our freshmen. They saw it through the recruiting process but they may not fully understand how tight this team is. Getting everybody together is really important. I look forward to that practice time every day where we get our whole team together, but I'm used to seeing them a lot more than I'm seeing them now."
The Mountain Hawks return six wrestlers who competed at last year's EIWA Championship, but only three of the six are expected to compete in the season's opening weekend. Heavyweight Jordan Wood, a three-time EIWA champion is currently taking an Olympic deferral year.
Still, Santoro the reigning EIWA Coach of the Year, has some experienced veterans at his disposal plus the young core eager to prove themselves. But the goals remain the same as in previous years. Just get a little better every day.
"I just want to see our guys get better," Santoro said. "That has always been our goal, to get better. We want to win every time out. We'd love to win the conference again. We don't really talk about repeat. It's a bit of a passive term. You have to go out and be aggressive and attack it. Last year was great but it means nothing right now. We're looking at everybody right now because we don't know our lineup. It's going to change a lot between now and March."
The current schedule features nine duals, seven of which will be contested at home inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Six of the nine will be against EIWA opponents. The Ivy League members of the EIWA have opted out of the season, along with Franklin & Marshall, so the EIWA Tournament could feature just 10 teams. If the Mountain Hawks can navigate a very different season, while continuing to develop and improve, the pieces could be in place for a run at a fourth straight league title come late February.
"Our goals are the same as every year," Santoro said. "It's really about going out and performing at as high a level as you can. Our guys are pretty focused. They know why they came here. They're working to achieve big things and they've done that so far. We still need to get better. We need to get that team trophy at the NCAA Tournament and start climbing the ladder from there."
Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks (aside from the unexpected) in this different 2020-21 season:
125 – Brandon Paetzell enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019-20 after dropping down from 133. Paetzell posted a 21-3 record, was ranked in the top 10 nationally for most of the season, and earned first team All-America honors from the NWCA. He is back for a fifth-year but it could take him a while to get re-adjusted to this weight. Junior Jaret Lane competed at 133 last year and could drop down here. Lehigh also has freshmen Sheldon Seymour and Chris Barnabae.
133 – The departure of Nick Farro creates an opportunity at this weight. Deferred freshman Malyke Hines went 12-5 last year at 141 and could look to drop down for his first official campaign. Jaret Lane gained experience and wins at 133 last year. Junior Satoshi Abe and freshmen Drew Munch and Chris Barnabae could also be options here.
141 – NCAA qualifier Ryan Pomrinca has graduated. Senior Luke Karam has worked his way back from several years lost to injury and could drop down to the weight where he qualified for NCAAs in 2018. Deferred freshman Connor McGonagle had a strong 14-5 redshirt year and will be in the mix as well. Experienced Joe Lobeck elected to return for a fifth year, while junior Brock Herring and sophomore Mitchell Polito have paid their dues in the room. Dan Moran had a solid 2019-20 but is currently out with an injury.
149 – Jimmy Hoffman enjoyed a strong sophomore season, going 18-6 to earn his first NCAA championships berth. Junior JT Cooley saw his first career dual action at this weight last year. Deferred freshmen Paul Watkins and Nate Haubert could be options here along with true freshman Steven Storm. One of the 141-pounders could also bump up here if needed.
157 – Josh Humphreys won his second straight EIWA title last year, won the Outstanding Wrestler Award at EIWAs and earned first team NWCA All-America honors. Humphreys will miss time recovering from an injury. Freshman Manzona Bryant IV, sophomore AJ Burkhart and deferred freshman Luca Frinzi could all be in the mix here. Sophomore Brian Meyer started at 165 last year but could also be an option at his more natural weight.
165 – Brian Meyer proved to be a fighter and improved as the season progressed. He could figure in here or at 157. Fifth year senior Trey Cornish also has dual experience. Luca Frinzi could compete here as could true freshmen Connor Herceg, Thayne Lawrence or Tyler Sung.
174 – Lehigh loses one of its recent best with the graduation of three-time EIWA Champion and three-time All-American Jordan Kutler. Deferred freshman Jake Logan figures to get a strong look here or at 184. Logan went 11-7 in his deferred year but placed at the Southern Scuffle. Freshman Sean Kilrain could figure here along with several other true freshmen in the 165/174 range. The Mountain Hawks also have deferred freshmen Edmond Ruth.
184 – This weight is somewhat wide open. Senior Dylan Ammerman has had some previous experience but is working his way back to full strength. Junior Eli Grape made his dual debut here last year. Freshmen JT Davis from Delaware and Caden Wright from nearby Emmaus, could also figure in here.
197 – Jake Jakobsen returns for his fifth year in the brown and white. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Jakobsen will likely begin the year ranked in the top 20. Sophomore Andrew Shedleski could figure in here, while sophomore Eli Jones could figure here or at heavyweight.
285 – Jordan Wood has a chance to become a four-time EIWA Champion but opted to take an Olympic Redshirt and compete on the freestyle circuit in the fall. He could opt to return for the spring semester but his status is currently to be determined. Junior Victor Lacombe has the most experience of the remaining group. Karam Chakif and TJ Moore are true freshmen. Eli Jones could bump up from 197.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
149/157
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
157/165
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
133/141
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
165/174
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
184/197
/ Men's Wrestling
141/149
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's WrestlingLehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, March 12
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Thursday, February 20
Lehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
Wednesday, December 04
Season Preview: Wrestling
Wednesday, October 30
