“We knew it would be a tight match coming in and it went the way it was supposed to on paper except for 174,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We knew bonus points would be key. I’m sure Penn State is upset about the ones they gave up and I know we are about the ones we gave up. We still have a lot to work on. It was a great effort by some. Others have some work to do but we had some great bright spots.”
Five of the ten bouts on the evening resulted in bonus points being scored, including each of the first four. The dual opened at 125 with Penn State’s Brad Pataky winning a 14-4 major decision over sophomore John McDonald, but Fisk brought the Mountain Hawks right back at 133 with a takedown in each period plus near falls in the second and third to defeat Tyler Saltsman 14-1.
At 141, Ciasulli put Lehigh in front with the Mountain Hawks’ first fall of the season in dual competition. Ciasulli picked up a first-period takedown, and then cranked Adam Lynch over for the fall in 2:42 to put Lehigh up 10-6.
Penn State began its three match run as Frank Molinaro won a 12-3 major decision over sophomore Brian Tanen at 149. At 157, Cyler Sanderson gave the visitors an 11-10 lead at intermission with a 5-2 win over sophomore Sean Bilodeau.
Following the 10-minute intermission, 12th-ranked senior Mike Galante battled No. 9 Dan Vallimont in a meeting of ranked wrestlers at 165. Vallimont scored a first period takedown on an attempted cement mixer by Galante, and added another score in the second to win 5-2 and put Penn State up 14-10 heading into 174.
In the matchup at 174, Hamlin gave up an early takedown to David Erwin, and after getting a takedown of his own was reversed. With the score knotted at four in the first period, Hamlin secured his second takedown and added a tilt for three near fall points to take the lead after one period. Hamlin added two more takedowns and went on to tie the dual with a 17-8 major decision.
“That’s just the way he is,” Santoro said of Hamlin. “He keeps battling. He trains that way and that’s the way you’re supposed to wrestle.”
Lehigh went in front for good at 184 as senior David Craig scored a first period takedown on a duck-under and went on to defeat Justin Ortega 3-1. The Mountain Hawks also captured the last two bouts; with sophomore Joe Kennedy earning a 4-1 decision over Clay Steadman at 197 and Zach Rey scored a second period reversal and third period takedown to feat Cameron Wade 5-2 at heavyweight.
The announced crowd of 5,254 was the second largest wrestling crowd in Stabler Arena history, behind only the 5,828 that witnessed the Lehigh-Oklahoma State dual meet on February 13, 2005.
The Mountain Hawks will return to action on Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers. The match gets underway at 2 p.m. from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased online at Lehighsports.com or by visiting the Lehigh Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall on Sunday morning.
Results:
125 Brad Pataky (PSU) maj. dec. John McDonald (Lehigh) 14-4
133 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) maj. dec. Tyler Saltsman (PSU) 14-1
141 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) Fall Adam Lynch (PSU) 2:42
149 Frank Molinaro (PSU) maj. dec. Brian Tanen (Lehigh) 12-3
157 Cyler Sanderson (PSU) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 5-2
165 Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Mike Galante (Lehigh) 5-2
174 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) maj. dec. David Erwin (PSU) 17-8
184 David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Justin Ortega (PSU) 3-1
197 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Clay Steadman (PSU) 4-1
285 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Cameron Wade (PSU) 5-2
Attendance – 5,254
Referee – Anthony Zullo
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