Drexel falls to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference duals. The Mountain Hawks have now won all 17 all-time duals against Drexel and have outscored the Dragons 76-3 in the two most recent meetings.
“We wrestled well today,†Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. “It was a good weekend for us as we get ready for finals. I saw some things we need to work on but it was a fun match. This is a good group. They want to score points. They're wrestling all three periods and that's what we're looking for.â€
The dual began at 141 with senior Randy Cruz bouncing back from his first loss of the season with a 6-0 decision over David Pearce. Cruz scored takedowns in each of the first two periods and finished with a 3:15 riding time advantage.
The second bout was one of two matching ranked wrestlers. Senior Laike Gardner came from behind with a nine point third period to defeat defending EIWA champion Matt Cimato. Gardner trailed 2-1 after two periods but followed a third period escape by taking Cimato down to his back for a six-point move to take the lead. He added a two point near fall to claim a 10-2 major decision, giving Lehigh a 7-0 lead.
“He just wrestles hard the whole time,†Santoro said of Gardner. “It was great to see. I just love to watch him wrestle.â€
Freshman Kent Lane and junior Drew Longo totaled five takedowns between them and both Mountain Hawks secured a riding time point in back-to-back decisions at 157 and 165. Lane defeated Willie Davis 8-3, while Longo topped Austin Rose 6-3.
Sophomore Ryan Preisch closed the first half of the dual with a first period pin of Nick Elmer at 174. Preisch scored an early takedown then used a half nelson to secure the fall in just 1:03. The fall marked the first pin for Lehigh in a dual meet this season and gave the Mountain Hawks a 19-0 lead at intermission.
“He's getting a lot of confidence and wrestling really well,†Santoro said of Preisch, who improved to 9-0 on the season. “Elmer's a good wrestler so that's a really good win for him.â€
At 184, freshman Kyle Gentile completed a 2-0 weekend with an 8-5 win over Alex DeCiantis. Senior Ben Haas then made it seven straight wins with a 4-1 decision over Josh Murphy at 197. Haas' bout did not feature a takedown but Haas scored a two point near fall in the second period and added a 1:32 riding time advantage.
Drexel picked up its only win at 285 as Joey Goodhart scored a takedown in sudden victory to upset Doug Vollaro 3-1.
Junior Darian Cruz put Lehigh back on the winning track, scoring four takedowns in a 10-5 decision over Zach Fuentes at 125.
The final bout of the dual matched No. 13 Kevin Devoy of Drexel and 14th-ranked sophomore Scott Parker. A tight battle was expected but Parker won the takedown battle 5-0 against the 2015 EIWA champion, scoring two in the first, one in the second and two in the third. A 2:17 riding time advantage made the final score 11-5 in Parker's favor.
“Devoy is very dangerous,†Santoro said. “We lost to him a couple years ago in the EIWA finals with Mason Beckman so we know how good he is. Scott wrestled a really good tactical match. He wrestled with intensity and scored some points late which is always important.â€
After a break for final exams and the holidays, the Mountain Hawks will return to action at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Results:
141 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. David Pearce (Drexel) 6-0
149 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) major dec. Matt Cimato (Drexel) 10-2
157 – Kent Lane (Lehigh) dec. Willie Davis (Drexel) 8-3
165 – Drew Longo (Lehigh) dec. Austin Rose (Drexel) 6-3
174 – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) Fall Nick Elmer (Drexel) 1:03
184 – Kyle Gentile (Lehigh) dec. Alex DeCiantis (Drexel) 8-5
197 – Ben Haas (Lehigh) dec. Josh Murphy (Drexel) 4-1
285 – Joey Goodhart (Drexel) dec. Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) 3-1, sv
125 – Darian Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Zack Fuentes (Drexel) 10-5
133 – Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. Kevin Devoy (Drexel) 11-5
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