Lehigh won 16 of 17 contested bouts on the day and also picked up two victories by forfeit. The Mountain Hawks also posted seven bonus point wins, with junior Mason Beckman recording two wins by technical fall and senior Marshall Peppelman adding two of Lehigh's five wins by major decision.
With the two victories, Lehigh improves to 12-4 on the dual season and 8-1 against EIWA foes.
"Overall we did a nice job," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "I think there were some opportunities where we could have scored more points. There were some times we were kind of lulled to sleep, which can't happen at this time of year. We did a good job, but we still have a lot of work to do."
The day began with Harvard forfeiting to Lehigh freshman Scott Parker at 125 before Beckman dominated Ryan Osleeb 15-0 in 3:42 at 133. Beckman led 11-0 after one period behind a takedown and three three-point near falls before closing out the match with a takedown and two point near fall early in the second.
Lehigh's only non-forfeit loss of the day came against Harvard at 141 as returning EIWA champion Todd Preston edged sophomore Randy Cruz 2-0. Preston escaped in the second period and then rode out Cruz in the third to add a point for riding time.
Following the loss by Cruz, Lehigh won the remaining seven bouts against the Crimson including three consecutive major decisions by freshman Drew Longo (149), sophomore Mitch Minotti (157) and Peppelman (165).
The bonus win streak stopped at 174 but senior Santiago Martinez still posted a victory using a pair of bear hug takedowns to defeat Josef Johnson 6-2. Junior Nathaniel Brown put the Mountain Hawks back in the bonus column, locking up a cradle for a late five point move to go up seven point and with riding time defeated Josh Popple 12-4 at 184.
The other bout featuring ranked wrestlers came at 197 as Lehigh sophomore Elliot Riddick met Harvard's James Fox. A takedown on the edge late in the second period gave Fox a 3-1 lead after two. Fox went over a minute riding time in the third but Riddick found Fox's leg on a shot and took him down to his back for a takedown and three point near fall that also erased riding time and gave Riddick a 7-3 win.
"Elliot coming from behind and getting that takedown at 197; that was big," Santoro said. "Those are the kind of matches you have to win at the NCAA Tournament and the conference tournament so to pull that out at the end was important."
Sophomore heavyweight Doug Vollaro won the final bout against Harvard 2-1 against David Ng in the tiebreakers after riding out the first half end escaping in the second half.
The Mountain Hawks spotted Brown six points after forfeiting 125 but controlled the dual from there winning the eight remaining contested bouts and earning a win by forfeit at 184.
Beckman had another dominant performance with an early takedown and then four different near falls in the first to lead Zeke Salvo 13-0 after one period. In the second, Beckman recorded a quick escape and another takedown to win by technical fall, 16-0, in just 3:19.
"He was very aggressive, which was good to see," Santoro said of Beckman. "He was excited to compete. That's the important thing. When he does that he's a lot of fun to watch."
Cruz bounced back from his earlier loss with a 4-0 decision over Anthony Finocchiaro, which gave the Mountain Hawks an 8-6 lead. Cruz scored a first period takedown and added a second period escape plus riding time.
Longo then followed with his second win of the day, using a strong performance on top in the second period to defeat William McDonald 3-2 with 1:21 of riding time.
The only bout matching ranked wrestlers in the Brown dual was at 157 where Minotti faced Justin Staudenmayer. Minotti secured the only takedown late in the first period and added a second period escape to win 3-1 and give Lehigh a 14-6 lead at intermission.
Peppelman kicked off the second half of the dual with an 8-0 major decision over Galloway Thurston at 165, scoring takedowns in each period and adding a third period escape, plus riding time.
Martinez rode a first period takedown to his second win of the day, a 3-2 decision over Ricky McDonald.
Following the forfeit at 184, Lehigh sent out junior John Bolich at 197. Bolich won a 6-1 decision over Austin Pfarr, scoring a first period takedown and second period reversal plus a penalty point and riding time. With the win, Bolich is now a perfect 6-0 in duals this season.
Vollaro closed out a successful day for the Mountain Hawks with a 6-2 decision over Gus Marker.
"Everybody fought," Santoro said. "Any time you have a conference team come in, it counts double. Our guys rose to the occasion, which was nice to see."
The Mountain Hawks will host George Mason Saturday February 14 at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall in the first round of the NWCA National Duals. Tickets can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during normal business hours.
No. 11 Lehigh 36, Harvard 3
125 – Scott Parker (Lehigh) won by forfeit
133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) tech fall Ryan Osleeb (Harvard) 15-0, 3:42
141 – Todd Preston (Harvard) dec. Randy Cruz (Lehigh) 2-0
149 – Drew Longo (Lehigh) major dec. Patrick Hogan (Harvard) 17-4
157 – Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) major dec. Colby Knight (Harvard) 11-2
165 – Marshall Peppelman (Lehigh) major dec. Kanan Dean (Harvard) 14-2
174 – Santiago Martinez (Lehigh) dec. Josef Johnson (Harvard) 6-2
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Josh Popple (Harvard) 12-4
197 – Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) dec. James Fox (Harvard) 7-3
285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. David Ng (Harvard) 2-1, tb
No. 11 Lehigh 33, Brown 6
125 – Billy Watterson (Brown) won by forfeit
133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) tech fall Zeke Salvo (Brown) 16-0, 3:19
141 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Anthony Finocchiaro (Brown) 4-0
149 – Drew Longo (Lehigh) dec. William McDonald (Brown) 3-2
157 – Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) dec. Justin Staudenmayer (Brown) 3-1
165 – Marshall Peppelman (Lehigh) major dec. Galloway Thurston (Brown) 8-0
174 – Santiago Martinez (Lehigh) dec. Ricky McDonald (Brown) 3-2
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) won by forfeit
197 – John Bolich (Lehigh) dec. Austin Pfarr (Brown) 6-1
285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. Gus Marker (Brown) 6-2
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