Posted: 02/20/2013 | Last updated: February 20, 2013 at 02:43 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh wrestling team heads to Lewisburg, Pa. for its final dual meet of the regular season as the Mountain Hawks square off against the Bucknell Bison Friday night. The Mountain Hawks have won their last three duals to keep hope alive for a ten dual win season. Last weekend Lehigh went 2-0 in western Pennsylvania, downing No. 14 Pittsburgh 22-14 on Friday before routing Clarion 39-9 on Saturday.
With two wins last weekend, senior Robert Hamlin became the 13th Lehigh wrestler to win 100 career matches. His 100th victory was a second period pin of Clarion’s Steve Cressley, which was just the sixth fall of his storied career. The first NCAA wrestling All-American from the state of Vermont, Hamlin owns an 82-8 mark since the start of the 2010-11 season. He has won back-to-back EIWA titles at 184 and has earned All-America honors in each of the last two seasons, finishing second in 2011 and fourth last year. Hamlin can tie Pete Yozzo ‘87 and Lehigh assistant coach Brad Dillon ‘04 for 11th place on the school’s career wins list with a victory Friday night.
Friday’s dual marks a homecoming for sophomore Nathaniel Brown, who hails from Lewisburg and was a 2011 AA State Champion and three-time state place winner for Lewisburg High School. Brown is ranked 15th nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, and has won five straight bouts to improve his season record to 15-5.
Bucknell enters its final dual of the regular season with a 6-13 record, including a 2-4 mark against EIWA opponents. The Bison have lost their last four duals including an 0-2 road trip last weekend where Bucknell lost 25-16 Friday at Clarion, before losing 21-17 at American on Sunday. Bucknell has just one ranked wrestler listed among its probable starters, in senior Corey Lear, who is ranked 17th at 165. Along with Lear, two other Bison wrestlers are ranked in the latest EIWA rankings, with sophomore Austin Miller ranked No. 4 at 124 and sophomore Joe Stolfi ranked No. 5 at 285. Miller is not expected to compete on Friday.
Lehigh and Bucknell will meet on the mats for the ninth time Friday night, with the Brown and White having captured each of the first eight meetings. Friday’s match marks just Lehigh’s third-ever visit to Lewisburg with the Mountain Hawks also visiting in 1975 and December 2010.
Friday’s match gets underway at 7 p.m. from Davis Gym in Lewisburg, Pa. The match will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com with pre-match coverage beginning at 6:45.
Following the Bucknell match, Lehigh will shift its focus to the 109th EIWA Championships, hosted by Rutgers March 8-9 in Piscataway, N.J.
|
Date:
|
February 22, 2013
|
|
Opponent:
|
Bucknell Bison
|
|
First match:
|
7:00 p.m.
|
|
Arena:
|
Davis Gym (1,100)
|
|
Location:
|
Lewisburg, Pa.
|
|
Lehigh’s Record:
|
9-7 overall, 3-4 EIWA
|
|
Bucknell’s Record:
|
6-13 overall, 2-4 EIWA
|
|
Series:
|
Lehigh leads 8-0
|
|
Streak:
|
Lehigh has won all eight meetings
|
|
Television:
|
None
|
|
Radio:
|
ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with Steve Lomangino beginning at 6:45 p.m.
|
|
Internet broadcast:
|
Streaming audio Lehighsports.com
|
|
Behind enemy lines:
|
|