BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 21 Lehigh and No. 3 Iowa were knotted at 6-6 after four bouts but the visiting Hawkeyes swept the final six matches, scoring bonus points in four en route to a 31-6 win over the Mountain Hawks Friday night at Stabler Arena. Iowa made its first trip to Bethlehem in nearly 24 years and posted three technical falls and a major decision to defeat Lehigh in its final home dual.

 

Sophomore Laike Gardner and freshman Mitch Minotti posted wins for the Mountain Hawks, who fall to 8-6 on the dual season. Iowa improves to 14-2.

 

“There were a couple matches where I’m not 100 percent sure our guys thought they could win when they went out there,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We’ve got to turn that around before NCAAs. Every time they walk out there, they have to walk out there to win. Some guys wrestled well and we were in some matches but we need to pull the trigger more. We have guys that can score points. We need to shoot in those matches”

 

The dual began at 125 with freshman Darian Cruz sparking the Brown and White with a takedown against Midlands champion Thomas Gilman to lead 2-0 after one period. Gilman battled back with takedowns in each of the final two periods and added riding time advantage to win 6-2.

 

At 133, sophomore Mason Beckman met Tony Ramos in a battle of top five-ranked wrestlers. Third-ranked Ramos scored the only takedown of the bout in the final seconds of the first period and after he and fifth-ranked Beckman traded escapes the final score was 3-1 Ramos giving the Hawkeyes a 6-0 lead.

 

Gardner gave up the first takedown against Josh Dziewa in a battle of ranked wrestlers at 141 but rode out the second period  to gain a one minute riding time advantage and added a two point near fall to tie the bout 2-2 after two. Ahead on riding time, Gardner countered a Dziewa throw attempt and dropped him on his back for an insurance takedown as he went on to win 5-3 to get Lehigh on the scoreboard.

 

“He’s been steady all year,” Santoro said of Gardner. “Except for that one day at the Midlands, but that’s not an excuse. He has responded well since then. He keeps getting a little bit better each week. He’s fun to watch.”

 

Minotti followed with a win by decision over Michael Kelly at 149. After several first period shots were stalemated Minotti finally scored late in the period and added an escape in the third plus a penalty point for locked hands against Kelly to win 4-1.

 

“He got in four or five times deep, but he only finished one of them,” Santoro said of Minotti’s effort. “He has to make those adjustments. When you wrestle those top opponents you have to make sure you finish when you get in. He was more active on his feet but he wasn’t riding as much as he has in the past. It was good to see him pulling the trigger.”

 

Iowa’s six-bout closing run began at 157 where returning national champion Derek St. John posted a 21-6 major decision over junior Mike Stepien, who was subbing for the injured Joey Napoli.

 

In the first bout after an intermission in which legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable was honored with a plaque by the Lehigh Wrestling Club, the Hawkeyes extended their lead as Nick Moore won by major decision over sophomore Ben Haas at 165.

 

Another bout of intrigue matched freshman Elliot Riddick against sixth-ranked Mike Evans at 174. Both men exchanged shots early in the first period but neither wrestler was able to secure a takedown. The only points of the bout came from a second period escape by Evans and a penalty  point after Riddick was warned twice for stalling, making the final score 2-0.

 

The Hawkeyes clinched the dual with back-to-back wins by technical fall at 184 and 197. At 184 Sammy Brooks stepped in for fourth-ranked Ethen Lofthouse and won 16-0 over freshman Zach Diekel in just four minutes, as Brooks led 13-0 after one period. At 197, Santoro gave senior Austin Meys his second dual match of the season. Meys battled No. 14 Nathan Burak tough through 2:45 but Burak scored late in the first period and turned things on in the second finishing with an 18-1 technical fall in 5:27.

 

Third-ranked heavyweight Bobby Telford blanked freshman Doug Vollaro 7-0 in the final bout of the dual as Iowa improved to 25-0 all-time against Lehigh.

 

The Mountain Hawks will close out the regular season with two duals in New England. Lehigh will visit Brown Saturday at 2 p.m. before making the trip to Harvard to battle the Crimson Sunday at noon.

 

Iowa 31, Lehigh 6

125 – Thomas Gilman (Iowa) dec. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 6-2

133 – Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh) 3-1

141 – Laike Gardner (Lehigh) dec. Josh Dziewa (Iowa) 5-3

149 – Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) dec. Michael Kelly (Iowa) 4-1

157 – Derek St. John (Iowa) tech fall Mike Stepien (Lehigh) 21-6, 7:00

165 – Nick Moore (Iowa) major dec. Ben Haas (Lehigh) 11-2

174 – Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) 2-0

184 – Sammy Brooks (Iowa) tech fall Zach Diekel (Lehigh) 16-0, 4:00

197 – Nathan Burak (Iowa) tech fall Austin Meys (Lehigh) 18-1, 5:27

285 – Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) 7-0

Attendance – 2,786

Referee – Gary Kessel

 

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Steve Lomangino
Media Relations Director - Lehigh University Athletics
sjl304@lehigh.edu
610-758-3174