No. 18 Lehigh Welcomes No. 1 Penn State to Sold-Out Stabler Arena Sunday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a break for the Thanksgiving vacation, No. 18 Lehigh is about to host top-ranked and defending nationwide champion Penn State Sunday in a sold-out Stabler Arena. The twin will mark the a hundred and tenth assembly of Lehigh’s most-contested sequence. The Mountain Hawks are wanting to bounce again from a 22-12 loss at Pitt on Nov. 19, a twin that noticed the Mountain Hawks lead 12-6 on the midway level, solely to have the host Panthers declare the ultimate 5 bouts. Sophomores Connor McGonagle and Max Brignola and senior Josh Humphreys picked up wins at Pitt, with Humphreys securing his first fall of the season. Penn State received its twin opener in opposition to Lock Haven on Nov. 11 and can go to Rider on Friday earlier than making the journey to Bethlehem.
 
Lehigh Probable Starters
125 No. 26 Carter Bailey (Fy., Livermore, Calif.)
133 No. 19 Connor McGonagle (So., Danville, N.H.)      
141 No. 30 Malyke Hines (So., Kissimmee, Fla.)
149 Max Brignola (So., Rumson, N.J.)              
        No. 26 Manzona Bryant IV (So., Columbus, Ohio)  
157 No. 8 Josh Humphreys (Sr., Parkersburg, W. Va.)   
165 Brian Meyer (Jr., Phillipsburg, N.J.)            
174 Jake Logan (So., New Rochelle, N.Y.)        
184 No. 22 Tate Samuelson (Gr., Castle Rock, Colo.)    
197 No. 9 Michael Beard (So., Reading, Pa.)     
285 No. 22 Nathan Taylor (Fy., Brookville, Pa.)
 
A second interval pin by senior Josh Humphreys gave No. 13 Lehigh a 12-6 lead on the midway level, however No. 17 Pitt received the ultimate 5 bouts to declare a 22-12 victory over the Mountain Hawks Nov. 19 at Fitzgerald Field House. On an evening through which Lehigh wrestlers defeated a pair of prime 15-ranked opponents, Pitt had the higher hand within the higher weights to declare the victory. In addition to Humphreys’ pin, sophomore Connor McGonagle upset eighth-ranked Micky Phillippi 5-4 at 133, Lehigh’s second win over Phillippi in as many seasons. Sophomore Max Brignola added a 7-6 win at 149 for the brown and white.
 
After competing at 141 in his first two seasons, sophomore Connor McGonagle is taking advantage of his transfer down to 133. McGonagle is 4-1 on the season with three victories over ranked opponents. McGonagle opened the season with a win over Oregon State’s Jason Shaner and in addition owns ranked wins over Oklahoma’s Wyatt Henson and final outing, Pitt’s eighth-ranked Micky Phillippi. McGonagle completed third after which fourth on the EIWA Championships at 141 during the last two seasons and is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He is up to No. 19 within the newest InterMat rankings.
 
Lehigh will face its first prime five-ranked opponent of the season Sunday after the Mountain Hawks confronted three prime 5 foes final 12 months. The Mountain Hawks personal 5 twin wins over prime 5 groups beneath Pat Santoro together with two (No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Arizona State) through the 2019-20 season. In addition, Lehigh has defeated No. 1 Cornell in 2010-11, No. 3 Ohio State in 2014-15 and No. 4 Michigan in 2017-18. All of Lehigh’s prime 5 wins beneath Santoro have come at dwelling apart from the win over Ohio State, which got here on the NWCA National Duals in Iowa City, Iowa.
 
Sunday’s twin in opposition to Penn State will mark Lehigh’s seventh twin in opposition to a crew ranked No. 1 within the NWCA twin meet ballot in Pat Santoro‘s tenure as head coach. Lehigh wrestled No. 1 Iowa on the 2021 Collegiate Wrestling Duals and earlier than that the prior 4 situations the place the Mountain Hawks confronted a top-ranked crew, the opponent was Penn State (2013-14, 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2018-19). The Mountain Hawks defeated No. 1 Cornell at Stabler Arena in January 2011 for Lehigh’s first and solely win in any sport in opposition to a crew ranked No. 1 within the nation.
 
Over the final decade-plus, visits from Penn State have introduced among the largest Lehigh wrestling crowds in program historical past. Five years in the past, Lehigh practically upset Penn State in entrance of a Lehigh dwelling twin meet report crowd of 9,896 at PPL Center in Allentown. Penn State’s final go to to Stabler Arena three years in the past noticed a Stabler Arena twin meet report of 6,047 in attendance. Five of the highest six dwelling twin meet crowds and 4 of the highest 5 Stabler Arena crowds in Lehigh historical past have come in opposition to Penn State. The Grace Hall report attendance is 4,650 from a Lehigh-Navy twin on February 4, 1967.
 
Lehigh has a wrestler ranked in eight out of 10 weight lessons within the newest rankings from InterMat. Seven Mountain Hawks are ranked by WrestleStat, whereas 5 Mountain Hawks are ranked by FloWrestling and 4 by Amateur Wrestling News. Senior Josh Humphreys (157) and sophomore Michael Beard (197) seem within the prime 12 in all 4 polls, with Humphreys the highest-ranked Mountain Hawk in accordance to all 4 shops. Sophomore Connor McGonagle is now ranked by all 4 shops at 133 after a 4-1 begin that features a three ranked victories. InterMat and WrestleStat each rank wrestlers from 1-33, FloWrestling ranks 1-24 plus honorable mentions and Amateur Wrestling News ranks 1-20.
 
Top-ranked Penn State visits Rider Friday night time earlier than the Nittany Lions go to Stabler Arena on Sunday. The Nittany Lions have received 5 of the final six and 9 of the final 11 NCAA crew championships, together with final 12 months’s triumph in Detroit. Penn State opened this season with a dominant dwelling win over Lock Haven after which had 11 out of 13 entrants place on the Black Knight Open, an occasion the place the Nittany Lions claimed 5 particular person titles. Nine Penn State wrestlers seem within the newest InterMat rankings together with 4 No. 1-ranked grapplers, all of who received NCAA titles final March. Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184) are all two-time NCAA champions, whereas Max Dean received his first title at 197 final 12 months. NCAA wrestling legend Cael Sanderson is in his 14th season as Penn State’s head coach.
 
Penn State serves as Lehigh’s most-often wrestled opponent. Sunday’s twin marks the a hundred and tenth assembly of Lehigh’s most-contested sequence. Lehigh and Penn State met no less than as soon as in 87 consecutive seasons earlier than the 2020-21 assembly was erased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lions have received the final 11 duals within the sequence. Lehigh received the primary two duals with Penn State beneath Pat Santoro, however Santoro is now 2-11 versus the Nittany Lions as Lehigh’s head coach. The Mountain Hawks’ final twin win over the Nittany Lions was Cael Sanderson’s first twin as Penn State head coach in Nov. 2009.
 
Sunday’s twin begins at 2 p.m. from Stabler Arena. The match is bought out. Fans unable to safe tickets can watch regionally on Service Electric Network or stream the twin on FloWrestling.org.
 
Following a break for remaining exams, Lehigh will shut out 2022 on the Collegiate Wrestling Duals, Dec. 19-20 in New Orleans, La. The Mountain Hawks will wrestle Cal Poly and NC State in pool motion on Dec. 19 after which will wrestle an opponent to be decided on Dec. 20. Lehigh will open the 2023 portion of its schedule with highway duals at Cornell and Binghamton, Jan. 14-15.
 
The 2022-23 Lehigh wrestling season is introduced by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
 

 
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