Thursday, March 16
Tulsa, Okla.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Tony DiMarco
Mountain Hawks Ready For NCAA Championships Beginning Thursday in Tulsa
3/15/2023 9:14:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa.  – Lehigh has qualified five wrestlers for the 92nd NCAA Championships, Mar. 16-18 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Mountain Hawks are coming off of a second place team finish at the EIWA Championships in Philadelphia. Senior Josh Humphreys and graduate student Tate Samuelson won individual EIWA titles to lead the Mountain Hawks, who placed four wrestlers in the finals and qualified five automatically for the NCAA Championships.
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Humphreys and EIWA runner-up Michael Beard led the way for the Mountain Hawks earning No. 5 seeds at 157 and 197, respectively, when seeds and brackets were unveiled last week. Lehigh has had at least one All-American in 12 of the last 13 years. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to get back into the top 10 for the first time since 2012 after finishing in the teens six times between 2014-2019.
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Sophomore Connor McGonagle earned an at-large berth at 133 as Lehigh's sixth qualifier, but will be unable to compete due to an injury suffered at the EIWA Tournament
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Four of Lehigh's five NCAA qualifiers have previous NCAA Tournament experience. Humphreys will wrestle in his third tournament as a four-time qualifier. Sophomore Malyke Hines will compete in his third straight. Samuelson has qualified for his fifth NCAA championships after competing in three tournaments for the University of Wyoming. Beard earned All-America honors for Penn State in 2021 with a seventh place finish. Only heavyweight Nathan Taylor will compete at NCAAs for the first time.
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Senior Josh Humphreys (157) and graduate student Tate Samuelson (197) won individual titles, as the Mountain Hawks finished second at the 119th EIWA Championships March 4-5 in Philadelphia. Humphreys became a three-time EIWA champion and Samuelson won his first conference title. Lehigh had four finalists and automatically qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. The Mountain Hawks scored 120.5 points to finish second behind Cornell but comfortably ahead of third-place Penn. Sophomore Michael Beard (197) and first-year Nathan Taylor (285) gave Lehigh four finalists. Sophomore Malyke Hines finished fourth at 141 and also qualified for NCAAs. Lehigh also had two seventh place finishers (Carter Bailey and Max Brignola) and an eighth place finisher (Jake Logan).
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Senior Josh Humphreys won his third EIWA championship two weeks ago in Philadelphia while also becoming a four-time NCAA qualifier. Humphreys will look for his first podium finish at the NCAA Tournament. He was a first-team NWCA All-American in 2020 after winning the Coaches Trophy as the Outstanding Wrestler at the EIWA Championships. Humphreys reached the All-America round of 12 at the NCAA Championships in both 2019 and 2022. The Parkersburg, W. Va., native missed nearly six weeks during the regular season but managed to go 16-0 and earn the No. 5 seed at 157 in Tulsa, Okla. He owns a 76-18 career record.
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Lehigh's roster features a pair of accomplished transfer student-athletes who have been regulars in the Lehigh lineup. Sophomore Michael Beard comes to Lehigh from Penn State, where he earned All-America honors in 2021 with a seventh place finish at 197. Beard has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Tate Samuelson comes to Lehigh as a graduate transfer after four years at Wyoming where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier. Samuelson won an EIWA title at 184 and is now a five-time NCAA qualifier. Beard was the EIWA runner-up at 197 with his finals loss snapping a 14-match winning streak. Both wrestlers went 9-0 in duals after the new year. Beard is up to 19-3 on the season and has won 11 straight bouts, while Samuelson is now 20-7.
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Hines will be the first Mountain Hawk on the mats Thursday as he will face No. 11 Cade Carlson of South Dakota State in a first round bout at 141.
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Lehigh has the sixth most NCAA Champions (28) and the eighth most All-Americans (159) of all Division I wrestling programs. The Brown and White have never won the NCAA Team Championship, coming as close as second in 1939, third in 1965, 1979 and a tie for third in 2004.
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The 92nd NCAA Championships get underway Thursday at 11 a.m. CT from BOK Center in Tulsa. The opening round will feature pigtail rounds and preliminaries. The three-day tournament concludes Saturday with the national finals set for 6 p.m. CT. Information on ESPN's expansive TV/video streaming coverage is listed below. Every match on every mat will be available on ESPN+ in addition to television coverage of Sessions 1, 3 and 5 on ESPNU and Sessions 2, 4 and 6 on ESPN.
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The 2022-23 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Humphreys and EIWA runner-up Michael Beard led the way for the Mountain Hawks earning No. 5 seeds at 157 and 197, respectively, when seeds and brackets were unveiled last week. Lehigh has had at least one All-American in 12 of the last 13 years. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to get back into the top 10 for the first time since 2012 after finishing in the teens six times between 2014-2019.
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Sophomore Connor McGonagle earned an at-large berth at 133 as Lehigh's sixth qualifier, but will be unable to compete due to an injury suffered at the EIWA Tournament
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Four of Lehigh's five NCAA qualifiers have previous NCAA Tournament experience. Humphreys will wrestle in his third tournament as a four-time qualifier. Sophomore Malyke Hines will compete in his third straight. Samuelson has qualified for his fifth NCAA championships after competing in three tournaments for the University of Wyoming. Beard earned All-America honors for Penn State in 2021 with a seventh place finish. Only heavyweight Nathan Taylor will compete at NCAAs for the first time.
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Senior Josh Humphreys (157) and graduate student Tate Samuelson (197) won individual titles, as the Mountain Hawks finished second at the 119th EIWA Championships March 4-5 in Philadelphia. Humphreys became a three-time EIWA champion and Samuelson won his first conference title. Lehigh had four finalists and automatically qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. The Mountain Hawks scored 120.5 points to finish second behind Cornell but comfortably ahead of third-place Penn. Sophomore Michael Beard (197) and first-year Nathan Taylor (285) gave Lehigh four finalists. Sophomore Malyke Hines finished fourth at 141 and also qualified for NCAAs. Lehigh also had two seventh place finishers (Carter Bailey and Max Brignola) and an eighth place finisher (Jake Logan).
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Senior Josh Humphreys won his third EIWA championship two weeks ago in Philadelphia while also becoming a four-time NCAA qualifier. Humphreys will look for his first podium finish at the NCAA Tournament. He was a first-team NWCA All-American in 2020 after winning the Coaches Trophy as the Outstanding Wrestler at the EIWA Championships. Humphreys reached the All-America round of 12 at the NCAA Championships in both 2019 and 2022. The Parkersburg, W. Va., native missed nearly six weeks during the regular season but managed to go 16-0 and earn the No. 5 seed at 157 in Tulsa, Okla. He owns a 76-18 career record.
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Lehigh's roster features a pair of accomplished transfer student-athletes who have been regulars in the Lehigh lineup. Sophomore Michael Beard comes to Lehigh from Penn State, where he earned All-America honors in 2021 with a seventh place finish at 197. Beard has three seasons of eligibility remaining. Tate Samuelson comes to Lehigh as a graduate transfer after four years at Wyoming where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier. Samuelson won an EIWA title at 184 and is now a five-time NCAA qualifier. Beard was the EIWA runner-up at 197 with his finals loss snapping a 14-match winning streak. Both wrestlers went 9-0 in duals after the new year. Beard is up to 19-3 on the season and has won 11 straight bouts, while Samuelson is now 20-7.
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Hines will be the first Mountain Hawk on the mats Thursday as he will face No. 11 Cade Carlson of South Dakota State in a first round bout at 141.
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Lehigh has the sixth most NCAA Champions (28) and the eighth most All-Americans (159) of all Division I wrestling programs. The Brown and White have never won the NCAA Team Championship, coming as close as second in 1939, third in 1965, 1979 and a tie for third in 2004.
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The 92nd NCAA Championships get underway Thursday at 11 a.m. CT from BOK Center in Tulsa. The opening round will feature pigtail rounds and preliminaries. The three-day tournament concludes Saturday with the national finals set for 6 p.m. CT. Information on ESPN's expansive TV/video streaming coverage is listed below. Every match on every mat will be available on ESPN+ in addition to television coverage of Sessions 1, 3 and 5 on ESPNU and Sessions 2, 4 and 6 on ESPN.
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The 2022-23 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
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| Event: | 92nd NCAA Championships |
| Dates: | March 16-20, 2023 |
| Session 1: | Thursday, March 16, 11 a.m. (pigtail round, round of 32) |
| Session 2: | Thursday, March 16, 6 p.m. (round of 16 and wrestleback prelims) |
| Session 3: | Friday, March 17, 11 a.m. (quarterfinals and wrestlebacks) |
| Session 4: | Friday, March 17, 7 p.m. (semifinals and wrestlebacks) |
| Session 5: | Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. (consolation semifinals and medal rounds – 3rd-8th) |
| Session 6: | Saturday, March 18, 6 p.m. (national finals) All session times listed are Central Daylight |
| Location | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Arena | BOK Center (19,199) |
| History: | Lehigh's best finish was second in 1939. The Mountain Hawks tied for 25th last year. Penn State is the defending team champion. |
| Television: | Sessions 1, 3 and 5 live on ESPNU. Sessions 2, 4 and 6 live on ESPN. |
| Radio: | None |
| Internet: | Streaming video of entire tournament on ESPN+. |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Players Mentioned
125
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
174
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's Wrestling
285
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