Sunday, February 4
West Point, N.Y.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Army West Point
Photo by: Holly Fasching
No. 15 Lehigh Opens February Stretch Run Sunday At Army West Point
2/1/2024 5:31:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - On the heels of a 4-0 January against EIWA foes at home, the Mountain Hawks open February with a visit to Army West Point Sunday afternoon. Lehigh concluded its four-match homestand with wins over Penn and Navy on Jan. 19-20 before having last weekend off from dual competition. The 4-0 month, which featured ranked wins over No. 9 Cornell and No. 18 Navy, moved the Mountain Hawks up to No. 15 in the latest NWCA dual meet poll. Lehigh is also No. 6 in InterMat's latest tournament strength rankings, thanks in part to four wrestlers ranked in the top eight in their respective weights. After competing in a pair of double-dual weekends in January, Lehigh will wrestle a single dual in four consecutive weekends in February to close out the dual season. First up is an Army West Point squad that is also 4-0 against EIWA opponents and features six nationally-ranked wrestlers.
Â
Lehigh Probable Starters (Rankings FloWrestling/InterMat 1/30/24)
125 Sheldon Seymour (So., Troy, Pa.)Â Â
      No. 5/4 Luke Stanich (Fy., Roxbury, N.J.)  Â
133 No. 1/1 Ryan Crookham (Fy., Hellertown, Pa.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
141 No. 14/15 Malyke Hines (Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
149 Kelvin Griffin (Fy., Berwick, Maine)
      Owen Reinsel (Fy., Summerville, Pa.)        Â
157 No. 25/24 Max Brignola (Jr., Fair Haven, N.J.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
165 No. 27/33 Jake Logan (Jr., New Rochelle, N.Y.)Â Â Â Â Â Â
174 Connor Herceg (So., Nazareth, Pa.)
184 Jack Wilt (So., Madison, N.J.)
197 No. 6/4 Michael Beard (Jr., Reading, Pa.)Â Â Â
285 No. 8/8 Nathan Taylor (So., Brookville, Pa.)
Â
No. 17 Lehigh completed a 4-0 homestand to open the new year with a 23-15 victory over No. 18 Navy inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Salute to Service, presented by Weis Markets. The teams split the 10 bouts 5-5 but a 3-0 edge in bonus point wins, including two falls and a technical fall lifted the Mountain Hawks to their fourth consecutive dual victory. Sophomore Sheldon Seymour (125) and junior Max Brignola (157) delivered Lehigh's two falls, while junior Michael Beard (197) came through with his NCAA Division I-leading 11th technical fall of the season. Wins from Beard, Seymour, sophomore Nathan Taylor and first-year Ryan Crookham staked Lehigh to a 17-3 lead halfway, while Brignola's third period pin clinched the dual for the Mountain Hawks with two bouts remaining.
Â
Trailing 14-13 with two bouts remaining, bonus point wins from junior Michael Beard and sophomore Nathan Taylor lifted No. 17 Lehigh to a 24-14 win over Penn on Jan. 19. Beard pinned Martin Cosgrove in the second period to give Lehigh the lead for good before Taylor closed out the Mountain Hawks' third straight dual win with a technical fall over John Stout. The Mountain Hawks won six bouts from the Quakers on the evening. First-year Ryan Crookham picked up his third top 10 win of the season, while Owen Reinsel (149) and Jake Logan (165) delivered Lehigh's first dual win of the year at those two weights. Junior Malyke Hines also won a key sudden-victory decision over CJ Composto at 141, Hines' second win over Composto this season.
Â
Six Lehigh wrestlers appear in the first NCAA coaches' ranking, announced Jan. 22. The Mountain Hawks have four wrestlers in the top six of their respective weight classes, led by first-year Ryan Crookham, who occupies the top spot at 133. The coaches' ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process for the NCAA Championships. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days. The second coaches' ranking and first RPI will be announced on February 19.
Â
Seven Lehigh wrestlers appear in the latest rankings from InterMat and FloWrestling, while six are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News and WrestleStat. Five Mountain Hawks appear in The Open Mat's rankings. Four Lehigh wrestlers appear in the top eight, according to InterMat and FloWrestling, led by first-year Ryan Crookham at 133. True first-year Luke Stanich spent a week at No. 1 in FloWrestling's rankings and is now ranked in the top five at 125. Crookham and Stanich join junior Michael Beard (197) and sophomore Nathan Taylor (285) in being ranked across all five outlets. An 18-1 start has moved Beard into the top six. Junior Malyke Hines (141) is ranked in four polls, while junior Max Brignola appears in three at 157. Junior Jake Logan is ranked by InterMat and FloWrestling at 165, while sophomore Carter Bailey entered the AWN poll at 141.
Â
Army West Point comes into Sunday's dual with a 5-3 dual record. Like the Mountain Hawks, the Black Knights are 4-0 against EIWA opponents as Army has defeated Columbia, Drexel, Binghamton, and most recently, Bucknell, 18-15 last Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa. Army was busy on the tournament circuit during the first semester. Six Black Knights appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by former EIWA champion Ben Pasiuk, who is 16th at 174. The other five ranked Black Knights all are ranked between 24-33 at their respective weights. Kevin Ward is in his 10th season as Army's head coach.
Â
Army is Lehigh's fourth most-often wrestled opponent, trailing only Penn State, Navy, and Cornell. Sunday's dual will be the 72nd in the series, with Lehigh leading 58-10-3. Lehigh is 21-2-1 in its last 24 duals with Army. The Mountain Hawks have won seven of the last eight duals in the series. Lehigh and Army are meeting for the eighth consecutive season following a break in the series from 2010 through 2017.
Â
Sunday's dual begins at 2 p.m. from Christl Arena at West Point, N.Y. The dual will be broadcast on Army West Point Athletics' YouTube Channel, with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Â
Lehigh returns to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for its next two duals, beginning Friday, Feb. 9 when the Mountain Hawks host Bucknell at 7 p.m. on Legacy of Champions Night. Lehigh will then close out the home schedule against Princeton, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. before closing out the dual season at Arizona State on Feb. 24.
Â
The 2023-24 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Â
Â
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Lehigh Probable Starters (Rankings FloWrestling/InterMat 1/30/24)
125 Sheldon Seymour (So., Troy, Pa.)Â Â
      No. 5/4 Luke Stanich (Fy., Roxbury, N.J.)  Â
133 No. 1/1 Ryan Crookham (Fy., Hellertown, Pa.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
141 No. 14/15 Malyke Hines (Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
149 Kelvin Griffin (Fy., Berwick, Maine)
      Owen Reinsel (Fy., Summerville, Pa.)        Â
157 No. 25/24 Max Brignola (Jr., Fair Haven, N.J.)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
165 No. 27/33 Jake Logan (Jr., New Rochelle, N.Y.)Â Â Â Â Â Â
174 Connor Herceg (So., Nazareth, Pa.)
184 Jack Wilt (So., Madison, N.J.)
197 No. 6/4 Michael Beard (Jr., Reading, Pa.)Â Â Â
285 No. 8/8 Nathan Taylor (So., Brookville, Pa.)
Â
No. 17 Lehigh completed a 4-0 homestand to open the new year with a 23-15 victory over No. 18 Navy inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Salute to Service, presented by Weis Markets. The teams split the 10 bouts 5-5 but a 3-0 edge in bonus point wins, including two falls and a technical fall lifted the Mountain Hawks to their fourth consecutive dual victory. Sophomore Sheldon Seymour (125) and junior Max Brignola (157) delivered Lehigh's two falls, while junior Michael Beard (197) came through with his NCAA Division I-leading 11th technical fall of the season. Wins from Beard, Seymour, sophomore Nathan Taylor and first-year Ryan Crookham staked Lehigh to a 17-3 lead halfway, while Brignola's third period pin clinched the dual for the Mountain Hawks with two bouts remaining.
Â
Trailing 14-13 with two bouts remaining, bonus point wins from junior Michael Beard and sophomore Nathan Taylor lifted No. 17 Lehigh to a 24-14 win over Penn on Jan. 19. Beard pinned Martin Cosgrove in the second period to give Lehigh the lead for good before Taylor closed out the Mountain Hawks' third straight dual win with a technical fall over John Stout. The Mountain Hawks won six bouts from the Quakers on the evening. First-year Ryan Crookham picked up his third top 10 win of the season, while Owen Reinsel (149) and Jake Logan (165) delivered Lehigh's first dual win of the year at those two weights. Junior Malyke Hines also won a key sudden-victory decision over CJ Composto at 141, Hines' second win over Composto this season.
Â
Six Lehigh wrestlers appear in the first NCAA coaches' ranking, announced Jan. 22. The Mountain Hawks have four wrestlers in the top six of their respective weight classes, led by first-year Ryan Crookham, who occupies the top spot at 133. The coaches' ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process for the NCAA Championships. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days. The second coaches' ranking and first RPI will be announced on February 19.
Â
Seven Lehigh wrestlers appear in the latest rankings from InterMat and FloWrestling, while six are ranked by Amateur Wrestling News and WrestleStat. Five Mountain Hawks appear in The Open Mat's rankings. Four Lehigh wrestlers appear in the top eight, according to InterMat and FloWrestling, led by first-year Ryan Crookham at 133. True first-year Luke Stanich spent a week at No. 1 in FloWrestling's rankings and is now ranked in the top five at 125. Crookham and Stanich join junior Michael Beard (197) and sophomore Nathan Taylor (285) in being ranked across all five outlets. An 18-1 start has moved Beard into the top six. Junior Malyke Hines (141) is ranked in four polls, while junior Max Brignola appears in three at 157. Junior Jake Logan is ranked by InterMat and FloWrestling at 165, while sophomore Carter Bailey entered the AWN poll at 141.
Â
Army West Point comes into Sunday's dual with a 5-3 dual record. Like the Mountain Hawks, the Black Knights are 4-0 against EIWA opponents as Army has defeated Columbia, Drexel, Binghamton, and most recently, Bucknell, 18-15 last Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa. Army was busy on the tournament circuit during the first semester. Six Black Knights appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by former EIWA champion Ben Pasiuk, who is 16th at 174. The other five ranked Black Knights all are ranked between 24-33 at their respective weights. Kevin Ward is in his 10th season as Army's head coach.
Â
Army is Lehigh's fourth most-often wrestled opponent, trailing only Penn State, Navy, and Cornell. Sunday's dual will be the 72nd in the series, with Lehigh leading 58-10-3. Lehigh is 21-2-1 in its last 24 duals with Army. The Mountain Hawks have won seven of the last eight duals in the series. Lehigh and Army are meeting for the eighth consecutive season following a break in the series from 2010 through 2017.
Â
Sunday's dual begins at 2 p.m. from Christl Arena at West Point, N.Y. The dual will be broadcast on Army West Point Athletics' YouTube Channel, with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Â
Lehigh returns to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for its next two duals, beginning Friday, Feb. 9 when the Mountain Hawks host Bucknell at 7 p.m. on Legacy of Champions Night. Lehigh will then close out the home schedule against Princeton, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. before closing out the dual season at Arizona State on Feb. 24.
Â
The 2023-24 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Â
| Date: | February 4, 2024 |
| Opponent: | Army West Point Black Knights |
| First match: | 2 p.m. |
| Arena: | Christl Arena |
| Location: | West Point, N.Y. |
| Lehigh's record: | 4-3 overall, 4-0 EIWA |
| Army's record: | 5-3 overall, 4-0 EIWA |
| Series: | Lehigh 58-10-3 |
| Streak: | Lehigh won last year's dual and seven of the last eight |
| Television: | None |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton |
| Internet broadcast: | Video on Army West Point YouTube Channel Audio at LVFoxSports.com |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Â
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
133/141
/ Men's Wrestling
197
/ Men's Wrestling
157
/ Men's Wrestling
133
/ Men's Wrestling
141/149
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
141
/ Men's Wrestling
165
/ Men's Wrestling
149
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
125/133
/ 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
