Back to Wrestling

Talk about the champions, or the Top 25 nationally-ranked team!
Oracle
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Back to Wrestling

Post by Oracle » Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:09 am

Ok, ok ….. I certainly didn’t mean to turn this discussion to politics, although University politics does impact the Wrestling program and community. Can we all turn to better suited platforms to go on about liberalism vs conservatism?

Yesterday’s Pittsburgh Classic results were pretty interesting. Although the USA scored a lopsided victory many of the bout were very close. The result could easily have turned in PA’s favor - a testament to the quality of PA wrestling.
Welsh over Barr in SV was huge. Ohio State vs Penn State down the road.

Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend.


mookie
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by mookie » Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:22 am

Back to wrestling indeed. Recruiting is far more than who has the most money. The fact is Lehigh has recruited poorly for several years and it's created a very weak lineup. The last three recruiting classes have been abysmal.
Oracle
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by Oracle » Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:26 am

Agree recruiting is more than just money, but not “far more” as you stated.

And the “3 years being abysmal” has some merit but we did sign Crookham. Bryant, I agree, has not panned out and maybe never will. Lawrence, for whatever reason either injury or transition to college style, hasn’t either. Big names and to date, big misses.

This year’s class is very solid, if not spectacular. Stanich is D1. Grungo and Repos too. Schoppe has potential.

Abysmal is too strong a descriptor. We are not getting enough clear cut blue chippers and that, my friend, IMO is due to money.
mookie
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by mookie » Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:32 am

Competing against Cornell for the past 20 years by bringing a knife into a gunfight has been brutal.
Oracle
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by Oracle » Sun Mar 26, 2023 12:00 pm

Strength. Been saying this for years. That's what we need more of. Michael Beard has it in spades. It appears Ryan Crookham has it. Connor McGonagle had it down at 133. Bryant has it. But the poster boy for strength is Josh Humphreys. Humphreys is a Big 10 guy who got away. Beard was Big 10. You get what I mean.

There is just no substitute for horsepower. Vito was faster and 'stronger' than Fix and RBY. Glory was stronger.

It looks like Jared Schoppe is coming in with above average strength. What's holding Max Brignola back, since he is a fine wrestler? Obvious answer.

Recruiting has to address this.... and has to a degree. Repos is a physical stud. Kunstek class of '24 is also solidly built. The Russian kid from Council Rock South -- not so much at this point in his career. Hopefully, Malyke HInes continues to add muscle because he has AA potential if he gets stronger.

The staff knows this. Anyone watching the NCAAs knows this. Yes, you have be technically sound, possess a modicum of speed, be well conditioned and has desire to win. But if you lack horsepower to complete your moves or fend off attacks, it usually means light out and thanks for playing.
FloridaGuy
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by FloridaGuy » Sun Mar 26, 2023 12:08 pm

>>>>>>> mookster still grinding the axe against Santoro’s, etc.

Last year’s recruiting class was strong——-Beard and Samuelson were immediate upgrades at their weights.

Time will tell on Crookham, Rodgers, and the rest of last year’s hs recruits, but Crookham placing at the Midlands was a good result for a true frosh.

Hopefully we’ll continue to bring in select quality guys via the transfer portal.

Interesting to see a nice mix of Pa juniors committing in this years recruiting class—— incl Kunstek who wasn’t eligible for states.
HFO
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by HFO » Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:23 pm

Return on Investment?
What's to build for a nationally competitive team
125 ? Top 20
133 Crookham/McGonagle Top 12
141 McGonagle/Hines Top 12
149 ? Hines/Brignola Top 30
157 Humphreys/Bryant Top 3
165 Bryant/? Top 30
174 Logan/? Top 40
184 ? Top 30
197 Beard Top 12
285 Taylor Top 20

At best, we field a team with 4 R12 possibilities. 2 Top 20 talent. 3 Top 30 talent. 1 Top 40 talent.
This is Lehigh historically on an average year. Possibly produce 3 All-Americans which is good for Lehigh in about an average year. The big problem is once again 4 weight classes which will struggle to qualify for Nationals. This is where Lehigh recruiting is coming up short in talent identification, talent recruitment, talent development and talent retention.

Yes, it would be nice for Lehigh to be a Top 10 Team, but it will once again struggle to crack the Top 20.

Lehigh Wrestling 2018 Recruiting Class/5th Year
Name Proj. Wt. Hometown/High School
AJ Burkhart 133/141 Athens, Pa./Athens
Josh Humphreys 149/157 St. Albans, W. Va./Parkersburg South ALL-AMERICAN
Elijah Jones 197 Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown
Jaret Lane 125/133/141 Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia
Brian Meyer 157/165 Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg
Mitchell Polito 125/133 East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick
Connor Schram 125/133 Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan (Stanford)
Andrew Shedleski 184/197 Selinsgrove, Pa./Lewisburg

Lehigh Wrestling 2019 Recruiting Class/4th Year
Name Proj. Wt. Hometown/High School
Luca Frinzi 165 Quakertown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic
Louden Haga 285 Mineral Wells, W. Va./Parkersburg South
Nathan Haubert 141/149 Upper Black Eddy, Pa./Palisades
Malyke Hines 141/149 Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola NCAA R12
Jake Logan 174/184 New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle
Connor McGonagle 133/141 Danville, N.H./Timberlane
Edmond Ruth 165/174/184 Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. ILLINOIS R12
Paul Watkins 141/149 Cumming, Ga./North Forsyth

2020 Recruiting Class/3rd Year....ZIPPO thus far.
Chris Barnabee 125
Manzona Bryant 149
Karam Chakiff 285
JT Davis 184
Connor Herceg 165
Sean Kilrain 174
Thayne Lawrence 165
TJ Moore 285
Drew Munch 133
Sheldon Seymour 125
Steve Storm 141
Tyler Sung 165
Caden Wright 184

2021 Class/2nd Year....THIS CLASS NEEDS A BREAK OUT YEAR IN 2024
Carter Bailey 125
Max Brignola 149
Todd DeGroat 285
Patrick Edmondson 149
Gaige Garcia 285
Zac Martin 149
Matt Rodriguez 133
Nathan Taylor 285
Jack Wilt 197

Class of 2022
Mike Beard 197 NCAA R12, All-American PSU
Remy Brancato 184
Ryan Crookham 133 Placed at Midlands
Killian Delaney 125
Kelvin Griffin 141
Kimo Leia – 141
Mikekal McClarin – 125
Owen Quinn – 165
Owen Reinsel – 133
Caden Rogers – 184
Tate Samuelson – 184 NCAA Qualifier in grad year
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jimk72
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by jimk72 » Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:51 pm

Oracle wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:09 am Ok, ok ….. I certainly didn’t mean to turn this discussion to politics, although University politics does impact the Wrestling program and community. Can we all turn to better suited platforms to go on about liberalism vs conservatism?

Yesterday’s Pittsburgh Classic results were pretty interesting. Although the USA scored a lopsided victory many of the bout were very close. The result could easily have turned in PA’s favor - a testament to the quality of PA wrestling.
Welsh over Barr in SV was huge. Ohio State vs Penn State down the road.

Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend.
+++++++
ngineer
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by ngineer » Mon Mar 27, 2023 9:14 pm

Is Garcia still listed as a wrestler? From what I am hearing he is expected to be a major piece of the football team's offense in the coming year. Will be surprised if this experiment continues (if, indeed, it still exists).
Sanddollour
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Re: Back to Wrestling

Post by Sanddollour » Mon Mar 27, 2023 9:54 pm

HFO wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:23 pm Return on Investment?
What's to build for a nationally competitive team
125 ? Top 20
133 Crookham/McGonagle Top 12
141 McGonagle/Hines Top 12
149 ? Hines/Brignola Top 30
157 Humphreys/Bryant Top 3
165 Bryant/? Top 30
174 Logan/? Top 40
184 ? Top 30
197 Beard Top 12
285 Taylor Top 20

At best, we field a team with 4 R12 possibilities. 2 Top 20 talent. 3 Top 30 talent. 1 Top 40 talent.
This is Lehigh historically on an average year. Possibly produce 3 All-Americans which is good for Lehigh in about an average year. The big problem is once again 4 weight classes which will struggle to qualify for Nationals. This is where Lehigh recruiting is coming up short in talent identification, talent recruitment, talent development and talent retention.

Yes, it would be nice for Lehigh to be a Top 10 Team, but it will once again struggle to crack the Top 20.

Lehigh Wrestling 2018 Recruiting Class/5th Year
Name Proj. Wt. Hometown/High School
AJ Burkhart 133/141 Athens, Pa./Athens
Josh Humphreys 149/157 St. Albans, W. Va./Parkersburg South ALL-AMERICAN
Elijah Jones 197 Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown
Jaret Lane 125/133/141 Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia
Brian Meyer 157/165 Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg
Mitchell Polito 125/133 East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick
Connor Schram 125/133 Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan (Stanford)
Andrew Shedleski 184/197 Selinsgrove, Pa./Lewisburg

Lehigh Wrestling 2019 Recruiting Class/4th Year
Name Proj. Wt. Hometown/High School
Luca Frinzi 165 Quakertown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic
Louden Haga 285 Mineral Wells, W. Va./Parkersburg South
Nathan Haubert 141/149 Upper Black Eddy, Pa./Palisades
Malyke Hines 141/149 Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola NCAA R12
Jake Logan 174/184 New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle
Connor McGonagle 133/141 Danville, N.H./Timberlane
Edmond Ruth 165/174/184 Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp. ILLINOIS R12
Paul Watkins 141/149 Cumming, Ga./North Forsyth

2020 Recruiting Class/3rd Year....ZIPPO thus far.
Chris Barnabee 125
Manzona Bryant 149
Karam Chakiff 285
JT Davis 184
Connor Herceg 165
Sean Kilrain 174
Thayne Lawrence 165
TJ Moore 285
Drew Munch 133
Sheldon Seymour 125
Steve Storm 141
Tyler Sung 165
Caden Wright 184

2021 Class/2nd Year....THIS CLASS NEEDS A BREAK OUT YEAR IN 2024
Carter Bailey 125
Max Brignola 149
Todd DeGroat 285
Patrick Edmondson 149
Gaige Garcia 285
Zac Martin 149
Matt Rodriguez 133
Nathan Taylor 285
Jack Wilt 197

Class of 2022
Mike Beard 197 NCAA R12, All-American PSU
Remy Brancato 184
Ryan Crookham 133 Placed at Midlands
Killian Delaney 125
Kelvin Griffin 141
Kimo Leia – 141
Mikekal McClarin – 125
Owen Quinn – 165
Owen Reinsel – 133
Caden Rogers – 184
Tate Samuelson – 184 NCAA Qualifier in grad year
So see you stated Crookham placed at midlands this year. So did Brignola, Seymour. And the class of 2020 came in during the COViD restrictions. Truly this is the second year. Seymour also placed at the Matmen open last year which replaced the Midlands. As did Bailey place last year too. All these guys are working hard. Seymour was the first alternative for last years Nationals. Coach Pat and the rest of the coaching staff are working hard along with the wrestlers to produce All American status.
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