The Mountain Hawks will be looking to build upon a successful season that saw Lehigh return to the top ten at the NCAA Championships, while producing three All-Americans and the program's 27th national champion in Zach Rey.
“It's great to get everyone back together as a group,†explained head coach Pat Santoro. “We can start to do some instruction now and build up the intensity level. That's a good thing for us coaches to get our eyes on them and work with them on a daily basis.â€
Rey returns for his senior season as the nation's No. 1 heavyweight. He will be looking to become Lehigh's first two-time national champion since Darryl Burley (1979 and 1983). National runner-up Robert Hamlin, the first wrestling All-American from Vermont, returns for his junior season at 184, while Brandon Hatchett returns after placing seventh at 165.
“It's good to have them back,†Santoro said. “When you have All-Americans who graduate its still good for the program, but when they come back to the room, the guys who work with them every day see them and know that its something that can be done. It adds some credibility.â€
Lehigh begins preseason practice with 31 wrestlers on its official roster. In addition to the Mountain Hawks' three returning All-Americans Santoro notes there are plenty of wrestlers hungry to try and leave their mark.
“We have a couple of round of 12 guys that had losses that left a sour taste in their mouths,†Santoro said. “The freshmen are pretty hungry and there are some other guys that are trying to knock on that door for a starting spot. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few weeks.â€
Senior Joe Kennedy (197) and sophomore Steve Dutton (141) are the two men who fell one win short of All-America honors in Philadelphia. Senior Sean Bilodeau returns for his senior season at 157 giving Lehigh six returning starters from last year's EIWA Championships. NCAA qualifier Joey Napoli is expected to defer his eligibility this year while he moves up to 149 and at 174 Austin Meys will sit out while he recovers from illness, opening the door for others to try to work their way into the lineup.
Among the veterans who will look to crack the lineup, senior Kyle Rosser and junior Shane Welsh return at 149, while junior Kevin Bailey will drop down to compete at 174. Santoro and the rest of the coaching staff are high on the freshman class that includes Anthony Salupo, coming off a year of deferred eligibility, and true freshmen Mason Beckman (125), Chris Dinnien (133), Eric Hess (157/165), Nate Brown (174) and John Bolich (174) among others who will compete to make an immediate impact.
“The young guys are expected step up and wrestle well, just like the older guys,†Santoro said. “It depends on their attitude. So far the attitude has been great but we need to keep that focus until March.â€
Santoro knows that there is a lot of work to be done during preseason camp, leading up to the annual Wrestle-Offs, October 27 at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
“We have a lot of guys back but we still have to do a lot of work,†Santoro said. “If we stay the same, we're going to get worse. We have to continue to improve. We set high goals this year. We want more people on the podium and more national champions.
He continues, “Fundamentals are really important. There are some new rules changes that we need to make adjustments for. Hopefully we can use those to our advantage. Other than that it's the same as every year. We're just trying to get better.â€
The regular season begins on Sunday November 6, when Lehigh will send approximately 20 wrestlers to the Buffalo Open in New York. The Mountain Hawks' first dual meet is set for Saturday, November 13 when Pittsburgh visits Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall at 7 p.m.
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