No. 22 Lehigh University’s wrestling team will host its final home matches of the season this weekend at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Mountain Hawks are set to face Penn on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Bucknell on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Lehigh enters the weekend with a six-match winning streak, most recently defeating Morgan State 34-9 on February 6. In that match, Lehigh won seven bouts and earned bonus points in six of those wins. Luke Stanich recorded his first fall of the season, while five other wrestlers secured technical falls. The victory marked head coach Pat Santoro’s 200th dual win at Lehigh.
“We’re proud of what our seniors have accomplished during their time here,” said Santoro ahead of Senior Day, when eight members of the senior class—Carter Bailey, Max Brignola, JT Davis, Keegan Gagnon, Dontae Hoose, Zac Martin, Sheldon Seymour and Jack Wilt—will be recognized before Saturday’s match against Bucknell.
Lehigh’s probable starters include several nationally ranked wrestlers: Sheldon Seymour (125), Luke Stanich (141), Logan Rozynski (157), Max Brignola (165), Rylan Rogers (184), JT Davis (197), and Nathan Taylor (285). Six Mountain Hawks appear in the latest NCAA coaches’ ranking; four are also listed in the initial RPI released on February 12. These rankings help determine selections and seeding for the NCAA Championships.
The team holds a record of 9-6 overall and is undefeated in EIWA competition at 4-0. Penn arrives with a 6-2 overall record and is led by first-year head coach Matt Valenti. The Quakers feature six ranked wrestlers and finished second at the Southern Scuffle earlier this year. Former Lehigh NCAA Champion Darian Cruz serves as an assistant coach for Penn.
Lehigh leads its all-time series against Penn 50-12-1 and has won nine of the last eleven meetings between the programs.
Bucknell brings a record of 6-10 overall and is coached by Dan Wirnsberger in his twenty-first season. Myles Takats leads Bucknell’s lineup after being named EIWA Wrestler of the Week following a key win over Navy’s Danny Wask. Lehigh has dominated its series with Bucknell, holding an 18-1 advantage.
After this weekend’s matches, Lehigh will conclude its dual meet season against Arizona State on February 21 in Tempe.
Both home matches will be broadcast locally on Service Electric Network 2; Friday’s match can also be heard on FOX Sports Radio stations or streamed online via FloWrestling.org or LVFOXSports.com.