"We had a really good performance," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "It was one of those things where both teams just finished finals. It's one of those times where everyone is looking towards the holiday break. We had to stay focused going in and our guys did a really good job. Next week it could be a different match. It was that type of dual. It could have gone either way and it went our way today."
The dual began at 125 with sophomore Darian Cruz defeating Ryan Millhof in a battle of ranked wrestlers. Cruz scored takedowns in each of the first two periods on his way to a 6-2 decision.
Oklahoma (5-2) posted the first of its two wins of the day at 133 as defending national champion Cody Brewer defeated senior Mason Beckman by major decision 14-5.
Junior Randy Cruz put Lehigh back in front with a major decision of his own, defeating Trae Blackwell 8-0 at 141. Cruz scored a takedown in the first period and turned Blackwell for two points while riding out the second. In the third, Cruz secured the major with an escape and second takedown plus 2:34 of advantage time.
The win from Cruz sparked a four bout Lehigh run as Lehigh extended its lead to 19-4. At 149 junior Laike Gardner scored a pair of third period takedowns to rally past 17th-ranked Davion Jeffries 6-5. Junior Mitch Minotti then followed with the Mountain Hawks' lone pin of the dual, using a third period cement mixer to secure the fall against Shayne Tucker in 6:02.
Freshman Ryan Preisch capped the run with a 5-2 win over ninth-ranked Clark Glass at 165. Preisch scored first period takedown off a single leg and added a second takedown in the third period.
At 174, freshman Gordon Wolf made his dual debut in place of Elliot Riddick and fought hard against 16th-ranked Matt Reed. Wolf scored the first takedown but was reversed and gave up a pair of two point near falls. In the end, Reed held off a late Wolf charge to win 7-5.
Senior Nathaniel Brown clinched the dual for the Mountain Hawks with a 20-5 technical fall win over Andrew Dixon at 184. Brown led 2-0 after one before tacking on three takedowns in the second period and two takedowns plus a four point near fall and stalling point in the third.
Junior Ben Haas made his second dual appearance of the season, this time subbing for John Bolich at 197 and posted a solid 6-2 win over Brad Johnson. Haas scored early in the first period and added a second takedown in the second plus an escape and riding time.
In the final bout of the dual, Lehigh posted its fourth win over a ranked opponent as 17th-ranked Max Wessell upended No. 6 Ross Larson 10-8. Larson scored the first takedown but Wessell used a cradle for a takedown and four point near fall to lead 7-3 after one. Larson battled back, tying the score with a third period takedown, but Wessell reversed and rode out the remainder of the period to claim his third win over a ranked wrestler this season.
"Everybody fought," Santoro said. "That's all we ask for. Win or lose we ask guys to fight and that's what they did today."
The Mountain Hawks will return to action at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Results:
125 - Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Ryan Millhof (Oklahoma) 6-2
133 - Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) maj. dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh) 14-5
141 - Randy Cruz (Lehigh) maj. dec. Trae Blackwell (Oklahoma) 8-0
149 - Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma) 6-5
157 - Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) pinned Shayne Tucker (Lehigh) 6:02
165 - Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) dec. Clark Glass (Oklahoma) 5-2
174 - Matt Reed (Oklahoma) dec. Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) 7-5
184 - Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) tech. fall Andrew Dixon (Oklahoma) 20-5, 6:10
197 - Ben Haas (Lehigh) dec. Brad Johnson (Oklahoma) 6-2
285 - Max Wessell (Lehigh) dec. Ross Larson (Oklahoma) 10-8
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