Lehigh Wrestling Outlook- They're Really Good

Not many teams can have wrestle-offs, sit FOUR All-Americans out, and still put on an entertaining show. Lehigh did just that. They have legitimate National Championship hopefuls in Nate Brown (184), Mason Beckman (133), Mitchell Minotti (157), and Darian Cruz (125), as well as potentially dangerous wrestlers like Randy Cruz (141) and Laike Gardner (149).

As good as Lehigh looks at those spots, they have some other interesting spots that will determine what kind of dual meet team they have. At 174, Ben Haas and Elliot Riddick had a tight wrestle-off the other night, and both are former starters. John Bolich (197) and Max Wessell (285) seem to have the upper hands on those spots. The spot that seems most wide-open is at 165, where no one seems to be a clear-cut favorite.

Lehigh's ambitious schedule unofficially kicks off with Brown, Beckman, and Minotti in the NWCA All-Star match tomorrow. They officially kick off at Bucknell next weekend. They have a very difficult November schedule that has Minnesota, Nebraska, Pitt, and Edinboro on it (Pitt and Edinboro are home). Navy, American, Penn State, and Bloomsburg fill out a light home schedule after New Year's. Rider and Princeton (both 12/5), Oklahoma, Penn, Franklin & Marshall, Cornell, and possibly Harvard fill out the road schedule. Lehigh will also visit the Binghamton Open and Southern Scuffle tournaments this season. EIWA's are at Princeton and the NCAA's are at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Lehigh could make a lot of noise this season on the mats. Expect this team to be significant at the NCAA Championships in March.