Stabler Arena will be host to one of the biggest wrestling dual meets of the 2015-16 season as No. 6 Lehigh will get a chance to upend No. 1 Penn State University on Friday.
Lehigh (12-1, 7-0 EIWA) has won its last 10 matches while Penn State enters as one of the few remaining teams, with an undefeated record of 13-0. The matchup is highly anticipated with tickets already sold out. Stabler is expected to hold more than 5,800 fans for the match.
“We are going into this match the same as every other week,” coach Pat Santoro said. “We practice hard all year and are looking to bring a high level on Friday, as we do in all of our matchups. Everyone needs to step up. Penn State is number one for a reason.”
While there is disdain for the opposing team in many college and professional rivalries, the Lehigh-Penn State rivalry is a little bit different.
“I wouldn’t call it an ordinary rivalry, it’s a good one,” Santoro said. “We have a lot of respect for the Penn State program and its coaches, and we are excited to host them on Friday.”
Lehigh’s 184-pound senior, Nathaniel Brown, is having a strong season. He is coming into his expected meeting against sophomore Matt McCutcheon (13-2 this season) with a 15-2 record this year.
McCutcheon suffered a knee injury during Penn State’s 30-15 victory over University of Illinois toward the end of January. He is expected to be able to compete after an MRI revealed no tears in his knee. Freshman Devon Van Cura and junior Brian Brill competed in his place against University of Indiana and Purdue University. Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson said earlier that there is a possibility that a lighter weight wrestler could be moved up, should McCutcheon’s injury persist.
Another projected matchup is 125-pound Lehigh sophomore Darian Cruz and Penn State senior Nico Megaludis. Megaludis won the last matchup between them in November 2013. Cruz is entering the anticipated event ranked 13th in the nation while Megaludis is ranked fourth.
Lehigh heavyweight senior Max Wessell is expected to be another important wrestler going into the match. He is currently 18-3.
Momentum will play an important factor for both Lehigh and Penn State’s wrestling teams. Lehigh is coming off of a 32-8 victory over American University, and Penn State enters the match after a 24-14 win over then No. 9 ranked The Ohio State University. Although Penn State lost multiple important events in its last match, the team earned several key bonus point wins in the 149-, 157- and 197-pound classes. Lehigh will look to prevent a similar outcome.
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1 Comment
It’s EIWA not Patriot League for our wrestling team though all the schools in Patriot League who have wrestling programs are in the EIWA.