Sunday, February 4
West Point, N.Y.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
21
at
16
Army West Point
Photo by: Mady Salvani/Army West Point Athletics
No. 15 Mountain Hawks Prevail In Tough Battle At Army West Point
2/4/2024 4:39:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Another Lehigh wrestling dual came down to the final bout. This time around, junior Max Brignola successfully defended a Nate Lukez shot for the final 30 seconds of the third period to pick up a 7-6 decision, securing a 21-16 win for the 15th-ranked Mountain Hawks over Army West Point Sunday at Christl Arena.
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The Mountain Hawks won six bouts, but three of Army's four wins produced bonus points, leaving the final result in doubt until the final bout at 157.
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Lehigh wins its fifth straight dual to improve to 5-3 overall and 5-0 against EIWA opponents. Army West Point suffers its first EIWA loss and falls to 5-4.
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"That was a character builder today," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We knew this was going to be a really tight dual. A lot of guys stepped up today. Sheldon (Seymour) had a great win. Jack Wilt had a huge win. Those were matches we knew we had to win. They both stepped up and did a great job."
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The dual started at 165 where the host Black Knights raced to an 8-0 lead behind back-to-back major decisions. Dalton Harkins won the opening bout 12-2 over junior Jake Logan at 165 and then 16th-ranked Ben Pasiuk won 16-6 over sophomore Connor Herceg at 174.
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Sophomore Jack Wilt put Lehigh on the board and started a four-match Mountain Hawk run with an 8-5, sudden-victory win over Dillon Sheehy at 184. Sheehy scored the first takedown to lead 3-1 after one period but Wilt evened the bout at 5-5 following a second period takedown and third period escape. In sudden victory, Wilt connected on a shot and was after fighting for control with his leg trapped underneath, was awarded the winning takedown 1:14 into sudden victory.
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"Jack is gaining confidence every week," Santoro said. "You can see it. He loves being out there. That's a really big plus for him against a really hard kid to wrestle."
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Junior Michael Beard followed Wilt with his 12th technical fall of the season, defeating Wolfgang Frable 19-3 in 5:10 to tie the dual at 8-8 after four bouts. Beard is now 19-1 on the season at 197.
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Sophomore Nathan Taylor gave Lehigh a 12-8 lead halfway through the dual with a 15-3 major decision over Lucas Stoddard at 285.
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After a brief intermission, sophomore Sheldon Seymour completed the run with a 4-1 win over 31st-ranked Ethan Berginc at 125. The match was tied 1-1 late in the third period. Following an unsuccessful Army challenge, Seymour scored the decisive takedown on a double leg shot in the final 10 seconds to knock off the ranked Black Knight.
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The Mountain Hawks were without top-ranked first-year Ryan Crookham at 133, so first-year Ethan Smith stepped in to face Conor Collins. Smith was aggressive on his feet, but Collins found ways to score off Smith's shots and also worked a couple of turns in a 16-1 technical fall, bringing Army within 15-13 with three bouts remaining.
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Junior Malyke Hines delivered Lehigh's fifth win with a 9-4 decision over Rich Treanor at 141. Hines followed an escape with a takedown in both the second and third periods, plus riding time, to offset a Treanor takedown in the third.
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Needing one more win to lock up the dual, first-year Kelvin Griffin dropped a 6-4 decision to Matt Williams at 149. A takedown and a strong ride staked Griffin to a 3-0 lead after one period. Williams battled back with a pair of stalling points, plus a third period escape, before securing the winning takedown late in the third period.
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With Lehigh's lead cut to 18-16, Brignola squared off against Lukez. Brignola scored the first takedown of the bout in the second period, but trailed 5-3 after two periods when Lukez struck late. Brignola escaped early in the third and then scored his second takedown to go ahead 7-5 in the third period. Lukez escaped to get within one and attempted to secure the go-ahead takedown, but Brignola was successfully able to scramble and defend and did not give up the takedown as time expired.
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"Max just dug deep," Santoro said. "He did a lot of scrambling at the end. He just kept fighting, which he always does. That's just who he is."
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The Mountain Hawks return to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall Friday night to host Bucknell on Legacy of Champions Night. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
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The 2023-24 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
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No. 15 Lehigh 21, Lehigh 16
165 – Dalton Harkins (Army) major dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 12-2
174 – Ben Pasiuk (Army) major dec. Connor Herceg (Lehigh) 16-6
184 – Jack Wilt (Lehigh) dec. Dillon Sheehy (Army) 8-5, sv
197 – Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech fall Wolfgang Frable (Army) 19-3, 5:10
285 – Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) major dec. Lucas Stoddard (Army) 15-3
125 – Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec. Ethan Berginc (Army) 4-1
133 – Conor Collins (Army) tech fall Ethan Smith (Lehigh) 16-1, 6:11
141 – Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec. Rich Treanor (Army) 9-4
149 – Matt Williams (Army) dec. Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) 6-4
157 – Max Brignola (Lehigh) dec. Nate Lukez (Army) 7-6
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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The Mountain Hawks won six bouts, but three of Army's four wins produced bonus points, leaving the final result in doubt until the final bout at 157.
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Lehigh wins its fifth straight dual to improve to 5-3 overall and 5-0 against EIWA opponents. Army West Point suffers its first EIWA loss and falls to 5-4.
Â
"That was a character builder today," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We knew this was going to be a really tight dual. A lot of guys stepped up today. Sheldon (Seymour) had a great win. Jack Wilt had a huge win. Those were matches we knew we had to win. They both stepped up and did a great job."
Â
The dual started at 165 where the host Black Knights raced to an 8-0 lead behind back-to-back major decisions. Dalton Harkins won the opening bout 12-2 over junior Jake Logan at 165 and then 16th-ranked Ben Pasiuk won 16-6 over sophomore Connor Herceg at 174.
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Sophomore Jack Wilt put Lehigh on the board and started a four-match Mountain Hawk run with an 8-5, sudden-victory win over Dillon Sheehy at 184. Sheehy scored the first takedown to lead 3-1 after one period but Wilt evened the bout at 5-5 following a second period takedown and third period escape. In sudden victory, Wilt connected on a shot and was after fighting for control with his leg trapped underneath, was awarded the winning takedown 1:14 into sudden victory.
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"Jack is gaining confidence every week," Santoro said. "You can see it. He loves being out there. That's a really big plus for him against a really hard kid to wrestle."
Â
Junior Michael Beard followed Wilt with his 12th technical fall of the season, defeating Wolfgang Frable 19-3 in 5:10 to tie the dual at 8-8 after four bouts. Beard is now 19-1 on the season at 197.
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Sophomore Nathan Taylor gave Lehigh a 12-8 lead halfway through the dual with a 15-3 major decision over Lucas Stoddard at 285.
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After a brief intermission, sophomore Sheldon Seymour completed the run with a 4-1 win over 31st-ranked Ethan Berginc at 125. The match was tied 1-1 late in the third period. Following an unsuccessful Army challenge, Seymour scored the decisive takedown on a double leg shot in the final 10 seconds to knock off the ranked Black Knight.
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The Mountain Hawks were without top-ranked first-year Ryan Crookham at 133, so first-year Ethan Smith stepped in to face Conor Collins. Smith was aggressive on his feet, but Collins found ways to score off Smith's shots and also worked a couple of turns in a 16-1 technical fall, bringing Army within 15-13 with three bouts remaining.
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Junior Malyke Hines delivered Lehigh's fifth win with a 9-4 decision over Rich Treanor at 141. Hines followed an escape with a takedown in both the second and third periods, plus riding time, to offset a Treanor takedown in the third.
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Needing one more win to lock up the dual, first-year Kelvin Griffin dropped a 6-4 decision to Matt Williams at 149. A takedown and a strong ride staked Griffin to a 3-0 lead after one period. Williams battled back with a pair of stalling points, plus a third period escape, before securing the winning takedown late in the third period.
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With Lehigh's lead cut to 18-16, Brignola squared off against Lukez. Brignola scored the first takedown of the bout in the second period, but trailed 5-3 after two periods when Lukez struck late. Brignola escaped early in the third and then scored his second takedown to go ahead 7-5 in the third period. Lukez escaped to get within one and attempted to secure the go-ahead takedown, but Brignola was successfully able to scramble and defend and did not give up the takedown as time expired.
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"Max just dug deep," Santoro said. "He did a lot of scrambling at the end. He just kept fighting, which he always does. That's just who he is."
Â
The Mountain Hawks return to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall Friday night to host Bucknell on Legacy of Champions Night. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
Â
The 2023-24 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
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No. 15 Lehigh 21, Lehigh 16
165 – Dalton Harkins (Army) major dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 12-2
174 – Ben Pasiuk (Army) major dec. Connor Herceg (Lehigh) 16-6
184 – Jack Wilt (Lehigh) dec. Dillon Sheehy (Army) 8-5, sv
197 – Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech fall Wolfgang Frable (Army) 19-3, 5:10
285 – Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) major dec. Lucas Stoddard (Army) 15-3
125 – Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec. Ethan Berginc (Army) 4-1
133 – Conor Collins (Army) tech fall Ethan Smith (Lehigh) 16-1, 6:11
141 – Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec. Rich Treanor (Army) 9-4
149 – Matt Williams (Army) dec. Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) 6-4
157 – Max Brignola (Lehigh) dec. Nate Lukez (Army) 7-6
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Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Players Mentioned
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
125
/ Men's Wrestling
125
/ Men's Wrestling
285
/ Men's Wrestling
184
/ Men's WrestlingLehigh Sports Central: Wrestling
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Wednesday, October 30
