Lehigh University wrestlers won five out of six matches on March 19 as the NCAA Championships began at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The team earned 8.5 points, placing them 11th after the first session.
The strong start included a pin by graduate student Sheldon Seymour at 125 pounds and a technical fall by sophomore Luke Stanich at 141 pounds. Seymour, seeded fourth, pinned Tyler Chappell from Pittsburgh in 5:38 after building a lead with a reversal and near-fall points. He will next face Stevo Poulin of Iowa State in the round of 16.
Stanich secured his victory over Pierson Manville from Arizona State with six takedowns, ending the match with a score of 21-6. His next opponent is Tyler Wells from Oklahoma. Sophomore Logan Rozynski also advanced, defeating Kaleb Burgess from Buffalo by decision, while senior Max Brignola earned his first career NCAA Tournament win against Indiana’s Tyler Lillard through riding time advantage in tiebreakers.
Junior Rylan Rogers came back to edge Ian Bush from West Virginia with an 8-7 decision at 184 pounds and will now face top-seeded Rocco Welsh from Penn State. The only loss for Lehigh came when heavyweight Nathan Taylor was defeated by Hunter Catka from Rutgers in sudden victory overtime; Taylor moves to the consolation bracket.
The championships continue Thursday night with the round of 16 and first-round consolations starting at 7 p.m., broadcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+. The event marks an important milestone for Lehigh’s wrestling program as it seeks further advancement through the tournament.