“I really like this class,” said Santoro. “We’ve filled our needs and added a lot of depth. This is a competitive group of guys that wrestles hard. They all wrestle an aggressive style, which we were looking for.
Santoro continues, “This incoming class is focused. They’re committed to winning and being successful on the mat and in the classroom. They have the balance that we’re looking for in a class so we’re very excited.”
The graduation of co-captains Matt Fisk and Seth Ciasulli has left a void in the lightweights, one that may be filled with the arrivals of Frank Cagnina and Stephen Dutton.
Cagnina is a three-time state champion from Queen of Peace High School in New Jersey. With a 162-4 career high school mark, Cagnina broke the state record for career victories. Cagnina won his first state title at 103 as a freshman and then captured titles at 125 and 130 his final two years, going 82-0 in the process. In addition Cagnina, who projects at 133 for Lehigh, was a two-time Super 32 finalist, winning a title in 2009. He is ranked second in his weight class and 20th nationally by InterMat wrestling.
Dutton, a projected 141-pounder, won a pair of state titles for Rocky Point High School in New York. He surpassed Jesse Jantzen’s all-time career win mark for Long Island wrestlers by finishing 227-12 in his six-year varsity career. Dutton placed second in the state as a freshman and third as a sophomore before winning his last 95 bouts en route to back-to-back state titles. He was a Super 32 and NHSCA Junior National runner-up and ranks 62nd among seniors nationally according to InterMat and No. 4 at 140 by the Amateur Wrestling News.
Joining Cagnina and Dutton as multi-time state champions is Eric Hess from Benton High School in Pennsylvania. Hess amassed a 155-14 career record and won AA state titles in each of his final two seasons, while placing second as a sophomore. He posted a pair of top-three finishes at the Powerade tournament and placed at the NHSCA sophomore and junior nationals. Early in his senior season, Hess placed in a pair of college open tournaments, taking third at the East Stroudsburg Open and sixth at the Nittany Lion Open. Hess projects at 157 or 165 but will defer his enrollment to Lehigh while battling Hodgkins Disease.
Coming to Lehigh from Boulder, Colorado, Max Wessell was the Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament after capping off a 41-0 senior season with a state title at 189. Wessell placed sixth in Colorado in 2009 and projects at 197 or heavyweight for the Mountain Hawks. He is also accomplished in judo where he is ranked first nationally by USA Judo in the Under-18 division at 178 lbs.
Anthony Salupo comes to Lehigh from national power St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. Salupo was a three-time Ohio place winner including a second place finish this past season. He also placed third as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. Salupo twice placed at the Walsh Ironman tournament and took fifth at NHSCA Junior Nationals. Ranked No. 15 at 145 by InterMat, Salupo projects at 149 for the Mountain Hawks.
The second of three incoming grapplers from Pennsylvania, Shane Stark comes to Lehigh from Lake Lehman High School. Stark, who projects at 174, went 38-6 as a senior and placed third at 171 in the state AA tournament. A two-time state qualifier, Stark also placed fourth and eighth in Cadet and Junior National Greco-Roman competition.
The rest of Lehigh’s focused predominantly on adding depth to the lower weights. Santoro has brought in projected 125-pounders Victor Peters and Simon Wong. Peters is a state champion and two-time finalist and New England runner-up for Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire. Wong comes from Brooklyn Tech in New York where he won the PSAL Holiday Championship and placed second at the PSAL Championships.
Cal Stack comes to Lehigh from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, N.J. Stack posted a 24-7 record as a senior and took second in his region. He projects at 133 or 141.
Santoro brought in two lower weights who spent time at Blair Academy. Scott Collins spent three years at Texas power Bishop Lynch, winning a state title in 2008 before two seasons, including a post graduate year at Blair. Collins projects at 133 for Lehigh. Dominic Maurillo competed for Nutley High School in New Jersey, winning a district title and finishing second regionally before taking a post-grad year at Blair. Maurillo could figure in at 141 or 149.
Hailing from Jim Thorpe High School in Pennsylvania is Dillon Smith. His high school’s all-time leader in wins with 141, Smith went 35-12 at 145 as a senior and earned District XI Scholar-Athlete honors.
“We’ve brought in some outstanding wrestlers from all over, but it’s also important to bring in some local kids and add a local flavor to the program,” explained Santoro, who enters his third season as head coach. “We’re always looking for the right kids for Lehigh but we’re also interested in keeping kids close to home. It’s always nice to have District XI kids in our program.”
From St. Albans Prep in Virginia comes Jake Schaufeld, who projects at 149 or 157. Schaufeld qualified for the National Prep Wrestling Championships in 2009, but missed last year’s tournament with an injury. He also captured a title at the Army Strong D.C. Wrestling Classic in 2009.
Rounding out the incoming class is heavyweight Tim Granata from the Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn. Granata was a two-time National Prep qualifier posting a 3-2 record in both the 2009 and 2010 preps.
“It’s a nice sized class,” said Santoro. “As a group they’re focused and driven and committed to winning. They all aspire to be national champions, which is something we want to see in our program. It’s our job to help them excel at the highest level.”
The Mountain Hawks return six starters for the 2010-11 season, including four NCAA qualifiers, led by All-American heavyweight Zach Rey.
Name Hometown/High School Proj. Wt. College
Frank Cagnina Hillsdale, N.J./Queen of Peace 133 Business
Scott Collins Dallas, Texas/Bishop Lynch (Blair Academy) 133 Arts and Sciences
Stephen Dutton Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point 141 Engineering
Tim Granata New Haven, Conn./The Hopkins School 285 Business
Eric Hess Benton, Pa./Benton 157/165 Business
Dominic Maurillo Nutley, N.J./Queen of Peace (Blair Academy) 141 Business
Victor Peters Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet 125 Arts and Sciences
Anthony Salupo Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward 149 Engineering
Jake Schaufeld Lovettesville, Va./St. Albans Prep 149/157 Arts and Sciences
Dillon Smith Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe 149 Business
Cal Stack Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional 133/141 Arts and Sciences
Shane Stark Dallas, Pa./Lake Lehman 174 Arts and Sciences
Max Wessell Boulder, Colo./Boulder 197/285 Business
Simon Wong Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech 125 Arts and Sciences
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