TEMPE, A.Z. – In a battle of top 10 teams, Lehigh got off to a fast start and never looked back to pick up a win over the Arizona State Sun Devils. Cort Schuyler, Ryan Preisch, and Chris Weiler all picked up bonus points for the Mountain Hawks, while Pennsylvania native Josh Shields picked up a win for the Sun Devils at 157.

With the win, Lehigh improves to 10-3 on the year while Arizona State falls to 10-3.

The dual started at 125 with a match-up of two All-Americans in Darian Cruz and Ryan Millhof. Cruz scored a takedown in the first period and a four-point nearfall in the second to cruise to an 8-3 win.

“We wrestled well and it’s great to have our full lineup on the mat again,” said Darian Cruz. “Arizona State is a great team, so it was huge for us to come in here and get a win over a tough team. My match was a little personal because Millhof beat me in the round of 12 a couple of years ago at nationals, so it was big for me to get that win and right a wrong.”

Scotty Parker made his return to the lineup after missing most of January with a shoulder injury and did not disappoint. The returning All-American gave up the first takedown, but was able to right the ship and score takedowns of his own in the second period and in sudden victory to secure the 6-4 win. Luke Karam followed with a 3-0 win at 141 to give Lehigh a 9-0 lead heading into 149 where Cort Schuyler faced off against former NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis. Schuyler was in control from the start, scoring a takedown and two nearfall points in the first period and building on that lead in each period to secure an 11-3 major decision that put Lehigh up 13-0.

“I know that he (Tsirtsis) likes to wrestle close matches and win late in regulation or in overtime, so I wanted to come out and score early,” Schuyler said. “He kind of relaxed up top with me and I stepped in for the throw. Once I got that four-point movie, I could kind of feel him break and I kept trying to score points to get the major. It’s so nice to have a full lineup again too; Scotty and Ryan are leaders on and off the mat for us and their energy was huge tonight.”

Franklin Regional alum Josh Shields got Arizona State on the board with a 3-1 win over Ian Brown at 157 to get some momentum going in Arizona State’s favor before the break. The Sun Devils would win the next two bouts via a major decision from Anthony Valencia at 165 and a dominating 11-4 for Zahid Valencia over #4 ranked Jordan Kutler at 174.

Lehigh stopped the bleeding in the form of an 8-0 major decision for Ryan Preisch at 184 that put the team score at 17-10. This was Preisch’s first match since injuring his ankle against Penn in early December, and he looked no worse for wear as he scored an early takedown and four-point nearfall en route to his win. Chris Weiler followed Preisch’s major decision with a first period technical fall that sealed the dual for Lehigh with one bout remaining.

In one of the premier matches of the night, Tanner Hall squeaked by Jordan Wood in the second tiebreaker thanks to five seconds of riding time in favor of the Sun Devil junior. Wood was close to converting a takedown in the second sudden victory period, but Hall was able to kick free and win it in the tiebreakers.

Lehigh returns to the mat next Friday in a home match with Oklahoma. Arizona State travels to Cal Poly for a Sunday dual in two days.

 

Final Results

125 – Cruz wbd 8-3 over Millhof  – Team Score: Lehigh 3, ASU 0

133 – Parker wbd 6-4 SV1 over Naser  – Team Score: Lehigh 6, ASU 0

141 – Karam wbd 3-0 over Villareal  – Team Score: Lehigh 9, ASU 0

149 – Schuyler wbmd 11-3 over Tsirtsis  – Team Score: Lehigh 13, ASU 0

157 – Shields wbd 3-1 over Brown  – Team Score: Lehigh 13, ASU 3

165 – A. Valencia wbmd 16-7 over Wolfe  – Team Score: Lehigh 13, ASU 7

174 – Z. Valencia wbd 11-4 over  Kutler – Team Score: Lehigh 13, ASU 10

184 – Preisch wbmd 8-0 over Norfleet  – Team Score: Lehigh 17, ASU 10

197 – Weiler wbtf 15-0 over Belshay  – Team Score: Lehigh 22, ASU 10

285 – Hall wbd 3-3 (TB2, 0:05) over Wood – Team Score: Lehigh 22, ASU 13