No. 20 Navy Wrestling’s Upset Bid Falls Short
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The 20th-ranked Navy wrestling team gave a valiant
effort, but its upset bid of fifth-ranked Lehigh ended just short in a
20-16 loss to the Mountain Hawks before 1,028 fans at Alumni Hall on
Saturday night. The loss drops Navy’s record to 6-3 overall, while
Lehigh improves to 12-1.
“We had our opportunities and we had a chance to win, “said Navy head
coach Bruce Burnett. “But we made a few technical mistakes, and when you
wrestle a good team, they will make you pay. But I am very proud of this
team and the effort they gave tonight. I felt that we took the fight to
Lehigh. I felt that we could compete with them and we did. “
The match started at heavyweight, and Navy’s Tanner Garrett (Tulsa,
Okla.) ran his winning streak to nine matches with a 5-2 win over Paul
Weibel, who had been ranked in two of the four national polls. Garrett,
who entered the match ranked No. 15 in the country, used a third-period
takedown to pull away from Weibel and give Navy a 3-0 advantage. The
lead stretched to 9-0 when Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) was awarded
a forfeit at 125 pounds. Lehigh cut the margin to 9-3 after 133 pounds,
when sixth-ranked Matt Ciasulli defeated 19th-ranked Sam Gray (Essex,
Vt.), 3-0.
The Mountain Hawks continued its comeback when fourth-ranked Cory
Cooperman knocked off 13th-ranked Nate Gulosh (Stow, Ohio), 10-5, at 141
pounds. Things then looked bleak early at 149 pounds, when Lehigh’s
David Nakasone used a five-point takedown and near-fall early in the
first period over Navy’s John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.). However, Cox
used two near-falls in the second period to turn the match around and
claim a 10-6 victory for a 12-6 Navy advantage. Lehigh claimed the next
three matches, all by decision, to take a 15-12 lead, before Navy’s Jon
Kane (Portland, Maine) outscored David Helfrich, 7-2, in the third
period to claim a 13-4 major-decision victory to give Navy a 16-15 lead
heading into the final match. But Lehigh’s Jon Trenge, ranked No. 3 in
the country, scored a technical fall to end Navy’s upset bid.
“We just need to keep improving, and give these guys a run for their
money at the EIWA’s in March, “said Burnett. “Everyone wrestled hard and
competed tonight. We are getting there as a team. We need to eliminate
some of the mistakes and keep battling. “
The Mids will host East Stroudsburg next Saturday, Jan. 22, at 7:00
p.m., in Halsey Field House.
No. 5 Lehigh 20, #20 Navy 16
HW – #15 Tanner Garrett (Navy) dec. Paul Weibel, 5-2 (3-0)
125 – Brad Canterbury (Navy) won by forfeit (9-0)
133 – #6 Matt Ciasulli (Lehigh) dec. #19 Sam Gray, 3-0 (9-3)
141 – #4 Cory Cooperman (Lehigh) dec. #13 Nate Gulosh, 10-5 (9-6)
149 – #15 John Cox (Navy) dec. David Nakasone, 10-6 (12-6)
157 – #8 Derek Zinck (Lehigh) dec. Pat Lukanich, 13-6 (12-9)
165 – Brian LeMay (Lehigh) dec. Deon Barrett, 6-2 (12-12)
174 – #16 Travis Frick (Lehigh) dec. Matt Stolpinski, 11-4 (12-15)
184 – Jon Kane (Navy) major dec. David Helfrich, 13-4 (16-15)
197 – #3 Jon Trenge (Lehigh) tech. fall Andrew Adams, 19-1 (16-20)
Tag: navy
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