"Both teams were missing somebody," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "But we got a couple of key falls and put some big points up. I was most impressed by the fact that the guys went out and fought hard. Hopefully we can turn the corner with some tough matches coming up next weekend."
The dual started at 157 where senior Dave Nakasone gave Lehigh an early boost, with a 10-6 victory over Drake Hovis. Cornell's Steve Anceravage answered with a 12-4 major decision over freshman Manuel Schubert to put the Big Red on top after two bouts.
At 174, senior Dave Helfrich made his returned to the lineup and battled hard on a leg that was less than 100 percent. Helfrich converted two first period takedowns to lead No. 19 Joey Hooker 4-1 after the first period, but after Hooker rallied to tie, the Cornell grappler scored two late in the third to edge Helfrich 7-5.
Freshman David Craig brought Lehigh back within one, narrowly missing a major decision and settling for a seven point victory over Luke Hogle. The Mountain Hawks were still without senior Matt Cassidy and sent out freshman Andy Knerr up two weight classes at 197. His opponent, fourth ranked Jerry Rinaldi scored a first period takedown and was able to secure the fall at 2:25.
Weibel ignited the Mountain Hawks' rally pinning Zach Hammond for his fifth fall of the season. Leading 2-1 in the first period, Weibel countered a Hammond shot by throwing him to his back and then securing the fall at the 1:51 mark.
At 125, Fisk put Lehigh ahead for good with a fall over Mike Rodriguez, who was subbing for Cornell's national runner-up Troy Nickerson. After a scoreless first period Fisk scored a takedown in the second, and was able to eventually work Rodriguez to his back to earn the fall.
Freshman Seth Ciasulli battled back from an early deficit, but fell to third ranked Adam Frey at 133, but brother Matt Ciasulli put the Mountain Hawks in great position heading into the final bout. Ciasulli's 5-2 win over Corey Manson put Lehigh up by five with one bout remaining.
With the lead, Lehigh knew that as long as sophomore Trevor Chinn did not get pinned by No. 4 Jordan Leen, the Mountain Hawks would win the dual. Chinn kept things close as the match was scoreless after two periods. Leen could only muster a 6-1 decision, which gave Lehigh its sixth dual win over Cornell in the last seven meetings.
The Mountain Hawks will return to the mats on Saturday, January 27, when they return to Leeman-Turner at Grace Hall to face a pair of Ivy League foes from New England. Lehigh will wrestle Harvard and 1 p.m. and then will face off against Brown at 3 p.m. For tickets, call 610-7LU-GAME or visit the Lehigh ticket office, located in Grace Hall, during normal business hours.
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