Joe McFarland, head coach of No. 9 Michigan, was nervous coming in to face No. 22 Lehigh on the road. It was the Wolverines' first dual meet of the season, and he was not sure how sharp his athletes would be.
Lehigh coach Pat Santoro has been pleased with his Lehigh team, which won its first two matches of the season in his first year in the helm. However, Michigan offered a different test for his team.
With over 2,200 fans roaring with excitement, Lehigh won six of 10 matches, scored some bonus points and upset Michigan, 20-12.
"We are excited," said Santoro. "We had some good freshmen wrestling hard. We got some early calls which built our momentum. We are building confidence with each win but we still have a lot to work on."
Key wins for Lehigh came in the middleweights, when Trevor Chinn (149), Sean Bilodeau (157) and Mike Galante (165) won consecutive matches.
Chinn, ranked No. 14, got his offense going against Justin Chrzanowski, piling on the points with takedowns to reach a 17-5 major decision. Chinn played let-him-up, take-him-down all match long, pushing his lead up.
Bilodeau, one of those talented freshmen that Santoro talked about, used his skills on the mat to win the key positions for a 7-3 win over Aaron Hynes. Bilodeau received backpoints on a tilt, and was able to ride Hynes from the top with dominance.
Galante, ranked No. 17, scored four takedowns on the way to an 11-5 win over Justin Zeerip.
The match that may have closed the door came at 184 pounds, where No. 15 David Craig of Lehigh stopped Anthony Biondo,
"158 was a key match, 165 was a key match and 184 was a key match for us," said Santoro. "I knew we had to steal some of those."
Michigan's ranked wrestlers all won their matches, with victories from No. 1 Steve Luke at 174 pounds, No. 3 Tyrell Todd at 197 pounds and No. 5 Kellen Russell at 141 pounds. However all of their matches were close, with their Lehigh opponents pushing them throughout the match.
"I feel they beat us to the punch all night," said McFarland. "We got outhustled and outwrestled. We had opportunities but we weren't wrestling tough through those positions. I was concerned that we might wrestle like we hadn't wrestled before. That is what happened."
McFarland was not pleased that his top wrestlers did not seem to fight for more points in their matches.
"We didn't have any major decisions," said McFarland. "Some of our big guys didn't push through. Some of their guys did a better job. Those points all add up, and they help build momentum. I am disappointed."
Lehigh's first win came at 133 pounds, where No. 19 Matt Fisk scored a major decision over Zach Stevens, 11-1. Closing out the match with a win for Lehigh was freshman Zach Rey at heavyweight, who stopped Eddie Phillips, 3-2.
"It is a good start," said Santoro about the season so far. "Anytime you win is good. We need to score more points. With this team, we are young and the sky is the limit."
Lehigh 20, Michigan 12
At Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa.
125 -Michael Watts (Michigan) dec. John McDonald (Lehigh), 7-3
133 - No. 19 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) maj. dec. Zach Stevens (Michigan), 11-1
141 -No. 5 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh), 7-5, ot
149 - No. 14 Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) dec. Justin Chrzanowski (Michigan), 17-5
157 - Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) dec. Aaron Hynes (Michigan), 7-3
165 - No. 17 Mike Galante (Lehigh) dec.. Justin Zeerip (Michigan), 11-5
174 - No. 1 Steve Luke (Michigan) dec. No. 13 Alex Caruso (Lehigh)
184 - No. 15 David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Anthony Biondo (Michigan), 6-0
197 -No. 3 Tyrell Todd (Michigan) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 8-3
285 - Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Eddie Phillips (Michigan), 3-2
Lehigh coach Pat Santoro has been pleased with his Lehigh team, which won its first two matches of the season in his first year in the helm. However, Michigan offered a different test for his team.
With over 2,200 fans roaring with excitement, Lehigh won six of 10 matches, scored some bonus points and upset Michigan, 20-12.
"We are excited," said Santoro. "We had some good freshmen wrestling hard. We got some early calls which built our momentum. We are building confidence with each win but we still have a lot to work on."
Key wins for Lehigh came in the middleweights, when Trevor Chinn (149), Sean Bilodeau (157) and Mike Galante (165) won consecutive matches.
Chinn, ranked No. 14, got his offense going against Justin Chrzanowski, piling on the points with takedowns to reach a 17-5 major decision. Chinn played let-him-up, take-him-down all match long, pushing his lead up.
Bilodeau, one of those talented freshmen that Santoro talked about, used his skills on the mat to win the key positions for a 7-3 win over Aaron Hynes. Bilodeau received backpoints on a tilt, and was able to ride Hynes from the top with dominance.
Galante, ranked No. 17, scored four takedowns on the way to an 11-5 win over Justin Zeerip.
The match that may have closed the door came at 184 pounds, where No. 15 David Craig of Lehigh stopped Anthony Biondo,
"158 was a key match, 165 was a key match and 184 was a key match for us," said Santoro. "I knew we had to steal some of those."
Michigan's ranked wrestlers all won their matches, with victories from No. 1 Steve Luke at 174 pounds, No. 3 Tyrell Todd at 197 pounds and No. 5 Kellen Russell at 141 pounds. However all of their matches were close, with their Lehigh opponents pushing them throughout the match.
"I feel they beat us to the punch all night," said McFarland. "We got outhustled and outwrestled. We had opportunities but we weren't wrestling tough through those positions. I was concerned that we might wrestle like we hadn't wrestled before. That is what happened."
McFarland was not pleased that his top wrestlers did not seem to fight for more points in their matches.
"We didn't have any major decisions," said McFarland. "Some of our big guys didn't push through. Some of their guys did a better job. Those points all add up, and they help build momentum. I am disappointed."
Lehigh's first win came at 133 pounds, where No. 19 Matt Fisk scored a major decision over Zach Stevens, 11-1. Closing out the match with a win for Lehigh was freshman Zach Rey at heavyweight, who stopped Eddie Phillips, 3-2.
"It is a good start," said Santoro about the season so far. "Anytime you win is good. We need to score more points. With this team, we are young and the sky is the limit."
Lehigh 20, Michigan 12
At Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa.
125 -Michael Watts (Michigan) dec. John McDonald (Lehigh), 7-3
133 - No. 19 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) maj. dec. Zach Stevens (Michigan), 11-1
141 -No. 5 Kellen Russell (Michigan) dec. Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh), 7-5, ot
149 - No. 14 Trevor Chinn (Lehigh) dec. Justin Chrzanowski (Michigan), 17-5
157 - Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) dec. Aaron Hynes (Michigan), 7-3
165 - No. 17 Mike Galante (Lehigh) dec.. Justin Zeerip (Michigan), 11-5
174 - No. 1 Steve Luke (Michigan) dec. No. 13 Alex Caruso (Lehigh)
184 - No. 15 David Craig (Lehigh) dec. Anthony Biondo (Michigan), 6-0
197 -No. 3 Tyrell Todd (Michigan) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 8-3
285 - Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. Eddie Phillips (Michigan), 3-2
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