The Mountain Hawks are looking very good this season. I think it's a real possibility that they qualify all 10 to the NCAA championships & challenge for an EIWA team title. They say goodbye to five time EIWA champion Jordan Wood, a two time All American who finished 4th in 2019 & 3rd this past season. At a career record of 100-23, he also had runner-up finishes at both the Midlands & the Southern Scuffle. Also graduated is Brandon Paetzell whose career unfortunately ended on the sour note of injury, nevertheless a tough competitor who had two 3rd place EIWA finishes to his name. Lastly, I am unaware of the current status of Jimmy Hoffman. A EIWA runner-up in 2021, I'm almost positive he has more eligibility left.
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| 125 lbs Jaret Lane OR Sheldon Seymour |
Lehigh's going to have an assortment of fantastic wrestle-offs and this is one of them. Senior Jaret Lane was an EIWA champion in 2021. Sheldon Seymour, a sophomore was 6th in the EIWA last season. 16-11 on the season, he also took a 4th place finish at the Mat Men Open.
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| 133 lbs Connor McGonagle OR Carter Bailey |
Here's another wrestle-off that should prove to be quite good. Connor McGonagle a two time NCAA qualifier is moving down to 133 after spending some time at 141. He was 4th in the EIWA last year. Redshirt freshman Carter Bailey was 16-9 on the season with a 6th place finish at the Mat Men Open. He had impressive victories over Gage Curry of Pittsburgh as well as a fall over Sammy Alvarez of Rutgers.
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| 141 lbs Malyke Hines |
Nagging injuries kept us from seeing Malyke Hines at his best last season. An EIWA champion in 2021, he had to injury default out of the EIWA's this past season, relying on a wildcard for his second NCAA qualification. With him now at 141 lbs, a part of me wonders if a lot of those issues were due to sucking too much weight & if he'll be much more comfortable up a weight class this season.
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| 149 lbs Bryant Manzona |
I can see some good things coming out of Bryant Manzona this season. Last year he gave us plenty of glimpses as to his potential with victories of Jimmy Hoffman, Beau Bartlett of Penn State & most impressively Max Murin of Iowa.
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| 157 lbs Josh Humphreys OR Max Brignola |
A two time EIWA champion, twice the round of 12, Josh Humphreys has certainly proven himself to be one of the best seniors of 23' yet to be an All American. Yet before he can set his sights on earning that top 8 NCAA finish, he first has to worry about teammate Max Brignola. A tough hombre in his own right, Brignola went 18-8 on the season last year capturing a 3rd place finish in the EIWA & a 5th place finish at the Mat Men Open. This will be a good wrestle-off.
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| 165 lbs Brian Meyer |
I think Brian Meyer is capable of doing some big thigs this season. Although he didn't have a pretty EIWA this past season, he was 3rd in 2021. It should also be noted that among his 14 victories last season, he defeated 2021 NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh 4-3 & he handled four time PAC-12 champion Anthony Valencia 6-1.
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| 174 lbs Jake Logan |
A 2021 NCAA qualifier with a 4th place EIWA finish, I was surprised that Jake Logan didn't receive a Wildcard bid with a 5th place EIWA finish this past season. Nevertheless I'm very confident that he will make it back to the NCAA's this year. He was 8th at the Southern Scuffle.
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| 184 lbs Tate Samuelson OR A.J. Burkhart |
Tate Samuelson is one of two transfers that will help to make the Lehigh lineup all the stronger. A four time NCAA qualifier, he was a BIG 12 runner-up in 2021. He'll have his hands full as he fights to the varsity lineup against A.J. Burkhart who finished an impressive 3rd in the EIWA last year. Among his victories, Charles Small of Hofstra, Neil Antrassian of Penn & most impressively All American Jonathan Loew of Cornell. Another good wrestle-off.
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| 197 lbs Michael Beard |
I was very happy to see Michael Beard show up on the Lehigh lineup this season. An All American in 2021 with a 7th place finish, there's no reason for talent like this to be a backup once again this year. A Southern Scuffle runner-up, he owns both a 10-8 sudden victory over Wyoming's Stephen Buchanan as well as a first period 1:21 fall over Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State. If anything I'd say as fans contemplate plausible NCAA champs at 197 this year, at this point, many have probably forgotten about Beard. They'll remember soon enough.
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| HWT Nathan Taylor |
27-10 as a redshirt last season, while he has huge shoes to fill with the departure of Wood, I still think we can expect good things out of Nathan Taylor. The freshman finished 4th at the Mat Men Open last season & stuck Pittsburgh's Jacob Slinger in 3:52.
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