Lehigh wrestling program continuing to aim high

Guy Cipriano

Lehigh coach Pat Santoro can relate to what Penn State's Cael Sanderson has experienced the past seven months.

CDT file

Former Penn State standout and assistant coach John Hughes, left, now head assistant coach at Lehigh, and 184-pound wrestler David Craig will join the rest of the Mountain Hawks when they face the Nittany Lions in Bethlehem on Friday night.

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Santoro started his Mountain Hawk tenure last year, replacing longtime coach Greg Strobel. Santoro led Lehigh to a 23-1 dual meet record and a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in his first season.

“There’s a lot of excitement that comes with a new staff,” Santoro said Wednesday. “Penn State should get a little boost from it.”

Santoro hopes the boost doesn’t come when the Nittany Lions and Mountain Hawks (1-0) meet Friday at Stabler Arena.

Santoro’s second Lehigh team opened its season by thumping Rider 31-3 last weekend. The Mountain Hawks’ current lineup includes eight wrestlers who participated in last season’s 17-16 victory over the Nittany Lions. Five Mountain Hawks — Matt Fisk (No. 12, 133 pounds), Seth Ciasulli (No. 18, 141), Mike Galante (No. 12, 165), David Craig (No. 12, 184) and Zach Rey (No. 6, Hwt.) — will enter Friday ranked in the NWCA/InterMat poll. To prepare the group for improved NCAA showings, Santoro has constructed a demanding schedule that includes November duals against Penn State, Pitt, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska and Maryland.

“We plan on being a year better,” Santoro said. “Our dual meet schedule needs to get us better for March.”

Sanderson said he’s looking forward to coaching against Santoro and Lehigh for the first time.

“We have studied them and we know they have a real solid team,” Sanderson said. “We know they have a great coach in Santoro. He’s got a stellar reputation around the country for really doing a nice job. We know they are going to be ready to go.”

Home changes

Penn State’s home schedule begins Sunday against Bloomsburg and fans should notice some significant changes such as a 10-minute intermission between the fifth and sixth bouts, one-mintue breaks between the other nine bouts as well as a student section, pep band and premium seating.

More bodies in Rec Hall could be another change.

Season ticket sales have increased from 1,058 to 2,047 since 2008-09. Last year’s number helped Penn State average 2,789 fans per match, which ranked among the nation’s top five.

Ticket sales have pleased Sanderson, who said Iowa State sold 1,300 season packages last season. Penn State’s ticket sales could increase in the future, when Bald Eagle Area graduate Quentin Wright comes off his redshirt season and Andrew and Dylan Alton, who attend Central Mountain, begin their college careers.

“Give us some time and we can make it pretty tough to get a seat in Rec Hall,” Sanderson said.

It’s official

The faxes trickling into the wrestling office Wednesday came as no surprise as the Altons, Coudersport’s Dirk Cowburn and West Mifflin’s Sam Sherlock signed their National Letters of Intent with Penn State.

The Altons orally committed in April while Cowburn and Sherlock followed in July. They are all returning PIAA champions ranked among the nation’s top 50 seniors, according to InterMat. The quartet enter their senior seasons a combined 475-31.

Bellefonte’s Mitchell Port, a two-time PIAA Class AAA placewinner, also signed a letter of intent with Edinboro on Wednesday. Port orally committed to the Fighting Scots in August.

Lock Haven names head coach

The drama at Lock Haven that included coach Rocky Bonomo’s recent retirement featured some finality Wednesday when the school named associate head coach Robbie Waller as Bonomo’s replacement.

Waller, who attended District 7 Mount Pleasant High School, spent four seasons at Oklahoma before joining Lock Haven’s staff this past summer. Waller captured a 2003 NCAA title during his career at Oklahoma.

The Bald Eagles will wrestle Rider at Bellefonte High School on Nov. 20.

Muddled weights

Sanderson has some difficult decisions to make at three weights.

Tyler Saltsman and Bryan Pearsall at 133, Colby Pisani and Adam Lynch at 141 and David Erwin and Justin Ortega at 174 will travel to Lehigh. The results of last week’s intrasquad match proved inconclusive as Saltsman defeated Pearsall in overtime, Lynch won by injury default and Ortega defeated Erwin, a two-year starter who missed last season with a shoulder injury.

“We have several guys preparing to compete and we will make the decisions as we get a little closer to the dual meet,” Sanderson said.

Solidified starters include Brad Pataky (125), Frank Molinaro (149), Cyler Sanderson (157), Dan Vallimont (165), J.R. Brown (184), Clay Steadman (197) and Cameron Wade (heavyweight).

Open time

Many of Penn State’s redshirts and reserves will begin their seasons at this weekend’s Washington and Jefferson Open. The group will head to East Stroudsbug on Nov. 21 and Lock Haven on Nov. 28 before returning to Rec Hall for the Nittany Lion Open on Dec. 6.

“The more, the merrier,” Sanderson said. “We want these guys competing and we obviously want them to want to compete.”