Lehigh Rallies to Overtake No. 10 Wrestling in Virginia

Jan. 9, 2010

HAMPTON, Va. – Leading 16-0 after four bouts versus No. 11 Lehigh at the Virginia Duals, the 10th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling team (7-1-1) witnessed the third-seeded Hawks mount a furious comeback by winning the final six matchups to steal the semifinal battle, 18-16.

Second-seeded Oklahoma, who suffered its first dual loss of the season, falls to the consolation bracket to face No. 14 Penn State Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. CT.

True freshman and 13th-ranked Jarrod Patterson (19-3) continued his dominance at the tournament, claiming his third win on the weekend at 125 pounds with a 4-2 decision over John McDonald to put OU up 3-0 over Lehigh.

Freshman Kendric Maple gave Oklahoma a huge bolt of momentum at 133 pounds by posting a pin over Mitch Berger (1:34) to give the Sooners a 9-0 team advantage. Maple (16-4) came out of redshirt this weekend and is 2-1 in his first three duals.

Fifth-ranked Zack Bailey (13-5) made it a 12-0 lead with a 5-1 decision over Seth Ciasulli at 141 pounds. Fourth-ranked Sooner Kyle Terry (15-2) would then record Oklahoma's last victory of the match with a 10-2 major decision over Brian Tanen at 149 pounds, giving OU a 16-0 lead.

The Hawk rally began at 157 pounds when Sean Bilodeau edged OU's Chad Terry, 8-7, followed by a Mike Galanfe win over No. 16 Tyler Caldwell (16-5) at 165 pounds, 6-5.

Lehigh's Robert Hamlin cut Oklahoma's lead to 16-9 by handing No. 8 Jeff James (14-5) a 6-2 defeat at 174 pounds and David Craig topped John Weakly (0-1), 6-2, at 184 pounds. It marked Weakly's first action as a Sooner after transferring from Ohio State.

Joe Kennedy then handed No. 3 Eric Lapotsky (15-3) his second straight loss at the tournament with a 4-1 decision at 197 pounds.

Heavyweight Zach Rey gave Lehigh its first lead of the match, 18-16, by posting a 3-2 decision over No. 12 Nathan Fernandez (19-5).

Oklahoma and Penn State will battle for third place while Lehigh will take on Oklahoma State in the championship. The Nittany Lions own a 14-10-1 lead in the all-time series against the Sooners.

MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS

125 - Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) over John McDonald (Lehigh) Dec 4-2
133 - Kendric Maple (Oklahoma)over Mitch Berger (Lehigh) Pin 1:34
141 - Zack Bailey (Oklahoma) over Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) Dec 5-1
149 - Kyle Terry (Oklahoma) over Brian Tanen (Lehigh) Maj 10-2
157 - Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) over Chad Terry (Oklahoma U) Dec 8-7
165 - Mike Galanfe (Lehigh) over Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) Dec 6-5
174 - Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) over Jeff James (Oklahoma) Dec 6-2
184 - David Craig (Lehigh) over John Weakly (Oklahoma) Dec 6-2
197 - Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) over Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma) Dec 4-1
HWT - Zach Rey (Lehigh) over Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) Dec 3-2

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Lehigh Rallies to Overtake No. 10 Wrestling in Virginia

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