"That was a good Navy team but the guys wrestled hard," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We won all the close ones and that was important. We almost got the one at 197 but we were right there. Our guys wrestled pretty well. I'm proud of them."
The dual began with back-to-back 3-1 decisions at 125 and 133 where late first period takedowns proved to be the difference. Freshman Luke Resnick scored a takedown with 24 seconds left in the first period which eventually led to his first career dual meet win as he topped Jacob Allen 3-1 at 125.
"He's been getting better and better but we hadn't seen it in the matches yet," Santoro said of Resnick. "Getting two takedowns yesterday and another today, he's starting to believe now. That can take him a long way."
Sophomore Brandon Paetzell grabbed a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the first period, which stood up in a 3-1 decision over Casey Cobb.
Navy's first win came at 141 where 17th-ranked Nicholas Gil defeated junior Ryan Pomrinca 6-3. Gil scored a first period takedown but Pomrinca battled within 4-3 late before Gil countered a shot for an insurance score.
Senior Cortlandt Schuyler and freshman Josh Humphreys delivered back-to-back wins by major decision to give Lehigh a 14-3 lead at intermission. Schuyler racked up seven takedowns in an 18-6 major decision over Adam Davis, while Humphreys picked up a key four point near fall late in the first period of a 10-0 major over Quentin Hovis.
Coming out of intermission, senior Gordon Wolf delivered Lehigh's third straight win with a 10-6 decision over Tanner Skidgel at 165. Back-to-back major decisions from junior Jordan Kutler at 174 and senior Ryan Preisch at 184 capped a five-bout Lehigh win streak. Kutler topped No. 19 Spencer Carey 13-3, while Preisch benefitted from a late four point turn to beat Anthony Cable 13-1.
"Were trying to get those bonus points back where they need to be," Santoro said. "The guys are starting to understand the importance to just keep scoring points. No matter what the score is, you want to score that next point."
The Midshipmen (3-2) earned their second win of the dual as Joshua Roetman won a back-and-forth affair over sophomore Chris Weiler 7-5 at 197. The wrestlers traded reversals in the second period with Weiler escaping late to go up 3-2. Roetman reversed early in the third and put on a strong ride before Weiler reversed back. One final Roetman reversal late gave the Mids the win.
The final bout of the dual saw sophomore heavyweight Jordan Wood blank Thomas Ott 5-0. Wood paired a second period escape and riding time point with three penalty points for stalling.
"Nothing has really changed," Santoro said of Lehigh's turnaround. "We're just trying to get better every week. Some things are out of our control. We have to control what we can control. Our guys have been really resilient. They keep getting up and getting better."
Lehigh has now won eight straight duals over Navy to take a 52-47 lead in the all-time series.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for two duals next weekend. Lehigh will host No. 21 Arizona State Saturday at 7 p.m. and No. 13 Virginia Tech Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets to both duals are available and can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
The 2018-19 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Results:
125 – Luke Resnick (Lehigh) dec. Jacob Allen (Navy) 3-1
133 – Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) dec. Casey Cobb (Navy) 3-1
141 – Nicholas Gil (Navy) dec. Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh) 6-3
149 – Cortlandt Schuyler (Lehigh) major dec. Adam Davis (Navy) 18-6
157 – Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) major dec. Quentin Hovis (Navy) 10-0
165 – Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) dec. Tanner Skidgel (Navy) 10-6
174 – Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) major dec. Spencer Carey (Navy) 13-3
184 – Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) major dec. Anthony Cable (Navy) 13-1
197 – Joshua Roetman (Navy) dec. Chris Weiler (Lehigh) 7-5
285 – Jordan Wood (Lehigh) dec. Thomas Ott (Navy) 5-0
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