WEST POINT, N.Y. – Another Lehigh wrestling dual came down to the final bout. This time around, junior Max Brignola successfully defended a Nate Lukez shot for the final 30 seconds of the third period to pick up a 7-6 decision, securing a 21-16 win for the 15th-ranked Mountain Hawks over Army West Point Sunday at Christl Arena.
 
The Mountain Hawks won six bouts, but three of Army's four wins produced bonus points, leaving the final result in doubt until the final bout at 157.
 
Lehigh wins its fifth straight dual to improve to 5-3 overall and 5-0 against EIWA opponents. Army West Point suffers its first EIWA loss and falls to 5-4.
 
"That was a character builder today," Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. "We knew this was going to be a really tight dual. A lot of guys stepped up today. Sheldon (Seymour) had a great win. Jack Wilt had a huge win. Those were matches we knew we had to win. They both stepped up and did a great job."
 
The dual started at 165 where the host Black Knights raced to an 8-0 lead behind back-to-back major decisions. Dalton Harkins won the opening bout 12-2 over junior Jake Logan at 165 and then 16th-ranked Ben Pasiuk won 16-6 over sophomore Connor Herceg at 174.
 
Sophomore Jack Wilt put Lehigh on the board and started a four-match Mountain Hawk run with an 8-5, sudden-victory win over Dillon Sheehy at 184. Sheehy scored the first takedown to lead 3-1 after one period but Wilt evened the bout at 5-5 following a second period takedown and third period escape. In sudden victory, Wilt connected on a shot and was after fighting for control with his leg trapped underneath, was awarded the winning takedown 1:14 into sudden victory.
 
"Jack is gaining confidence every week," Santoro said. "You can see it. He loves being out there. That's a really big plus for him against a really hard kid to wrestle."
 
Junior Michael Beard followed Wilt with his 12th technical fall of the season, defeating Wolfgang Frable 19-3 in 5:10 to tie the dual at 8-8 after four bouts. Beard is now 19-1 on the season at 197.
 
Sophomore Nathan Taylor gave Lehigh a 12-8 lead halfway through the dual with a 15-3 major decision over Lucas Stoddard at 285.
 
After a brief intermission, sophomore Sheldon Seymour completed the run with a 4-1 win over 31st-ranked Ethan Berginc at 125. The match was tied 1-1 late in the third period. Following an unsuccessful Army challenge, Seymour scored the decisive takedown on a double leg shot in the final 10 seconds to knock off the ranked Black Knight.
 
The Mountain Hawks were without top-ranked first-year Ryan Crookham at 133, so first-year Ethan Smith stepped in to face Conor Collins. Smith was aggressive on his feet, but Collins found ways to score off Smith's shots and also worked a couple of turns in a 16-1 technical fall, bringing Army within 15-13 with three bouts remaining.
 
Junior Malyke Hines delivered Lehigh's fifth win with a 9-4 decision over Rich Treanor at 141. Hines followed an escape with a takedown in both the second and third periods, plus riding time, to offset a Treanor takedown in the third.
 
Needing one more win to lock up the dual, first-year Kelvin Griffin dropped a 6-4 decision to Matt Williams at 149. A takedown and a strong ride staked Griffin to a 3-0 lead after one period. Williams battled back with a pair of stalling points, plus a third period escape, before securing the winning takedown late in the third period.
 
With Lehigh's lead cut to 18-16, Brignola squared off against Lukez. Brignola scored the first takedown of the bout in the second period, but trailed 5-3 after two periods when Lukez struck late. Brignola escaped early in the third and then scored his second takedown to go ahead 7-5 in the third period. Lukez escaped to get within one and attempted to secure the go-ahead takedown, but Brignola was successfully able to scramble and defend and did not give up the takedown as time expired.
 
"Max just dug deep," Santoro said. "He did a lot of scrambling at the end. He just kept fighting, which he always does. That's just who he is."
 
The Mountain Hawks return to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall Friday night to host Bucknell on Legacy of Champions Night. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
 
The 2023-24 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
 
No. 15 Lehigh 21, Lehigh 16
165 – Dalton Harkins (Army) major dec. Jake Logan (Lehigh) 12-2
174 – Ben Pasiuk (Army) major dec. Connor Herceg (Lehigh) 16-6
184 – Jack Wilt (Lehigh) dec. Dillon Sheehy (Army) 8-5, sv
197 – Michael Beard (Lehigh) tech fall Wolfgang Frable (Army) 19-3, 5:10
285 – Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) major dec. Lucas Stoddard (Army) 15-3
125 – Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) dec. Ethan Berginc (Army) 4-1
133 – Conor Collins (Army) tech fall Ethan Smith (Lehigh) 16-1, 6:11
141 – Malyke Hines (Lehigh) dec. Rich Treanor (Army) 9-4
149 – Matt Williams (Army) dec. Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh) 6-4
157 – Max Brignola (Lehigh) dec. Nate Lukez (Army) 7-6
 
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