No. 6 Lehigh escapes Penn State with 20-16 win
Troy Letters won by tech fall against Penn State Friday night
University Park, PA ” In a wild dual meet that came down to night’s final bout Sophomore Paul Weibel scored a major decision over Josh Walker to give No. 6 Lehigh a 20-16 win over No. Penn State Friday night at Rec Hall. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Nittany Lions for the second time this season, as they improve to 8-1 on the season. Penn State is 2-2.
Lehigh had built a 17-10 lead heading into the final two bouts. That lead turned into a 16-16 tie after Jon Trenge was disqualified in his bout against Joel Edwards for flagrant misconduct after complaining that Edwards’ blows to his face were going un-penalized. The disqualification resulted in Lehigh losing a team point and thus, set the stage for Weibel to win the match with his major decision.
The Mountain Hawks started out slowly as Andrew Rizzi lost a decision to Adam Smith and third-ranked Cory Cooperman was upset by No. 18 DeWitt Driscoll at 141. Matt Ciasulli got the Mountain Hawks on the board with an 8-7 win at 133.
Freshman David Nakasone, subbing for Matt Anderson gave Lehigh momentum, rallying from a 5-1 deficit late in the third period to force overtime and ultimately top Jack Decker 7-5 in sudden victory. Lehigh would win the next three bouts as Derek Zinck and Travis Frick picked up decisions and Troy Letters won by technical fall.
The Mountain Hawks will return to the mat Saturday afternoon, as they head west to take on No. 25 Pittsburgh. First match is set for just after 2:00 from Fitzgerald Field House. The match will be broadcast via tape delay on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as online at lehighsports.com, with coverage getting underway at 4:30.
Weight
Match-up
Result
Score
125
Adam Smith (PSU)
Dec.
Andrew Rizzi (LU)
14-9
133
Matt Ciasulli (LU)
Dec.
Bryan Heller (PSU)
8-7
141
DeWitt Driscoll (PSU)
Dec.
Cory Cooperman (LU)
9-3
149
David Nakasone (LU)
Dec.
Jack Decker (PSU)
7-5 s.v.
157
Derek Zinck (LU)
Dec.
Nate Galloway (PSU)
3-2
165
Troy Letters (LU)
WTF
Steve Troup (PSU)
6:54, 21-5
174
Travis Frick (LU)
Dec.
James Yonushonis (PSU)
5-2
184
Eric Bradley (PSU)
Maj. Dec.
Matt Cassidy (LU)
22-9
197
Joel Edwards (PSU)
WBDQ
Jon Trenge
HWT
Paul Weibel (LU)
Maj. Dec.
Josh Walker (PSU)
12-3
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