BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In its first action of 2014, No. 19 Lehigh heads to Ithaca, N.Y. to battle EIWA rival and sixth-ranked Cornell Sunday afternoon at Newman Arena. Both teams enjoyed success in recent holiday tournament action. The Mountain Hawks finished ninth at the Midlands Championships, with four place winners, led by freshman Mitch Minotti who claimed the 149 pound title to become Lehigh’s fifth undergraduate Midlands champ and its first freshman Midlands champ. Sophomores Mason Beckman and John Bolich also placed and are expected to compete against Cornell. The Big Red finished fourth at the Southern Scuffle with two individual champions: top ranked Nahshon Garrett at 125 and Gabe Dean at 184.

 

Minotti became the first Lehigh freshman to win an undergraduate Midlands title, leading a contingent of four Mountain Hawks who placed at the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships last weekend. The No. 6 seed at 149, Minotti went 6-0 to claim the title, scoring a late takedown to edge Michigan’s Eric Grajales 5-4 in the tiebreakers to claim Lehigh’s sixth undergraduate Midlands title overall. Minotti’s win improved his season record to 15-4 and vaulted the Easton native into the top 12 in the national rankings.  As a team the Mountain Hawks finished in ninth place. Beckman finished fifth at 133, while Bolich had a strong tournament, placing fourth at 197. Nathaniel Brown competed unattached and finished in third place at 184.

 

Five Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll with Minotti and Bolich joining the rankings following strong showings at the Midlands Championships. Senior Joey Napoli was removed from the AWN rankings after missing LehighÂ’s last two competitions, but should return after he competes against Cornell. Lehigh has five wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling, four by W.I.N. Magazine and three by InterMat.

 

Cornell, the seven-time defending EIWA Champions, brings a 3-0 dual record into SundayÂ’s match. While Lehigh was at the Midlands Championships, Cornell competed at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn., where the Big Red finished fourth out of 34 teams. The Big Red claimed a pair of individual titles, with sophomore Nahshon Garrett winning at 125 and freshman Gabe Dean making waves throughout the wrestling world with a win over Penn StateÂ’s Ed Ruth to claim the 184-pound title and snap RuthÂ’s 84-match winning streak. CornellÂ’s projected lineup features seven wrestlers ranked by Amateur Wrestling News, including Garrett, who is No. 1 at 125 and Dean, who is ranked second at 184. The Big Red lineup features four nationally-ranked freshmen, including Dean, plus ranked seniors Mike Nevinger (141) and Chris Villalonga (149). Cornell owns dual wins over Binghamton, Maryland and Illinois. The Big Red also won the N.Y. State Collegiate Tournament and placed fourth at the Las Vegas Invitational.

 

Lehigh and Cornell will meet for the 91st time Sunday afternoon. The Big Red serve as Lehigh’s third most often wrestled opponent, behind just Penn State and Navy.  The Mountain Hawks have won seven of the last 11 duals in the series.

 

SundayÂ’s match gets underway at 2 p.m. from Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. The match will be broadcast on WLVR-FM (91.3) as well as WLVR.org with pre-match coverage beginning at 1:45. Video will be available for a fee via Cornell and the Ivy League Digital Network.

 

Following SundayÂ’s match, the Mountain Hawks return home to host EIWA rival Navy, Friday January 17 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.

 

Date:	January 12, 2014
Opponent:	No. 6 Cornell Big Red
First match:	2:00 p.m.
Arena:	Newman Arena (4,473)
Location:	Ithaca, N.Y.
LehighÂ’s Record:	5-3 overall, 2-1 EIWA
CornellÂ’s Record:	3-0 overall, 1-0 EIWA
Series:	Lehigh leads 59-28-3
Streak:	Cornell has won the last two duals
Television:	None
Radio:	WLVR-FM (91.3) beginning at 1:45 p.m. with Steve Lomangino
Internet broadcast:	Video via Ivy League Digital Network (subscription) Audio at WLVR.org (free)
Behind enemy lines:	http://www.cornellbigred.com/

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