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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 17 Lehigh completed a perfect 4-0 home run to open the year 2022 with a 24-9 victory over Navy Saturday in the Sheridan Dual and Salute to Service Dual in Leeman-Turner at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won a total of seven fights and were bolstered by three hard-fought wins in their first three fights to improve to 8-4 in the doubles season.
“It was a lot better than last night where we came out flat,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “We had more energy today. We moved better. When we wrestle hard like we did today, we’re a really good team. If we don’t do that, like last night, we can be a good team, but not a great team. He has to put in a lot of effort every time, so we need to figure that piece out and make sure we’re ready after the first weigh-in.
Junior Jaret Lane gave Lehigh the early lead with a 10-6 win from behind over Jacob Allen at 125. Lane trailed 6-4 early in the third period when he closed Allen for a takedown and four points near the fall pressed on his back and held him down for the rest of the fight.
“Jaret didn’t get anything in the first half but he pushed,” said Santoro. “When he puts a lot of pressure, he makes things work. It didn’t happen last night but today he put a lot of pressure at different times so that in the end it finally happened.
“It’s hard to win big games when you’re standing around,” Santoro continued. “Today Jaret pushed and kept fighting. He feels so good when he wrestles. He wrestles hard and if he gets caught in a scrambler he might get hit once or twice but he’ll figure it out eventually.”
At 133, Malyke followed Hines Lane with a 13-7 decision over Josh Koderhandt. Hines gave up the first takedown but regained a 3-2 lead after a period. He took control of the game in the second period as he rode from the front position and added a four-point almost fall and a two-point almost fall.
Connor McGonagle made it 3-to-3 to open the duel for the Mountain Hawks with a 1-0 decision over Tyler Hunt at 141. McGonagle escaped 1:15 in the second period and then rode out the third period to maintain his lead.
Navy (0-2) picked up its first win with 149 when Jonathan Miranda defeated Paul Watkins 4-3. Watkins had taken a 3-2 lead early in the third period only to watch Miranda score the winning takedown in the final 10 seconds.
One of the doubles’ marquee fights came at 157 when eighth-placed junior Josh Humphreys met No.20 Lehigh Valley native Andrew Cerniglia. Humphreys was strong in all three positions, scoring a first-period takedown, a second-period reversal and two points near the fall, and then a late-third-third takedown and drive-time advantage to earn the 9-1 major decision , giving Lehigh a 13- 3 lead midway.
“Navy have a really good team and just like last night we knew there would be a lot of swing matches,” said Santoro. “We knew there would be a lot of close games and every point would be crucial. Josh found a way to get that bonus point was awesome.”
Sophomore Brian Meyer extended Lehigh’s lead after the break, notching takedowns in the first and third periods and a drive-time advantage to defeat Val Park 5-4 at 165. Meyer secured a late takedown and held Park down for the win. Lehigh lost a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the bout to lead 15-3.
Gallery: (1/15/2022) Wrestling vs. Navy, 01/15/22
Three takedowns and one penalty point for delays gave Jake Logan a 7-2 decision over Shane Finney at 174 in the first year, extending the Mountain Hawks’ lead to 18-3 with two fights remaining.
Navy halted Lehigh’s run of back-to-back wins as Hunter Johns recorded a 184-14-8 win over sophomore AJ Burkhart and Jacob Koser defeated first-year JT Davis with a 1-0 win in the third period.
Senior Jordan Wood ended the duel with his second crash of the weekend when he pinned Ryan Catka in 3:31.
Saturday’s duel was followed by three additional matches, with the Lehigh wrestlers winning all three. Sheldon Seymour (125) and Steven Storm (149) were fall winners, while Eli Jones won in the technical fall with 197.
Lehigh now leads the all-time streak with Navy 54-48 and has won 10 of the last 11 duals.
The Mountain Hawks face off against No. 4 Oklahoma State on Sunday, January 23 at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
The 2021-22 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
No. 17 Lehigh 24, Navy 9
125 – Jaret Lane (Lehigh) Dec. Jacob Allen (Navy) 10-6
133 – Malyke Hines (Lehigh) Dec. Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 13-7
141 – Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) Dec. Tyler Hunt (Navy) 1-0
149 – Jonathan Miranda (Navy) Dec. Paul Watkins (Lehigh) 4-3
157 – Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) major Dec. Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) 9-1
165 – Brian Meyer (Lehigh) Dec. Val Park (Navy) 5-4*
174 – Jake Logan (Lehigh) Dec. Shane Finney (Navy) 7-2
184 – Hunter Johns (Navy) Dec. AJ Burkhart (Lehigh) 14-8
197 – Jacob Koser (Navy) Dec. JT Davis (Lehigh) 1-0
285 – Jordan Wood (Lehigh) crash Ryan Catka (Navy) 3:31
Number of visitors – 1,192
* – Lehigh had a team point deducted after 165 for unsportsmanlike conduct
Extra matches
125 – Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) Fall Dayton DelViscio (Navy) 2:58
149 – Steven Storm (Lehigh) case PJ Crane (Navy) 3:39
197 – Eli Jones (Lehigh) Tech case Trevor Swier (Navy) 17-1, 5:26
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