The Brown & White

The Mountain Hawks rolled to a 23-14 victory against in-state rival Penn State University Friday night in Stabler Arena.

Lehigh claimed victories in six of the night's 10 matchups.

The win lifted Lehigh's record to 2-0 and dropped Penn State's to 0-1 on the season.

Nationally ranked senior captain Seth Ciasulli scored big points for the Hawks at 141, tallying his first pin of the season against junior Adam Lynch within the first period of the bout.

Ciasulli's fall was the first of the season for Lehigh.

"It's the best feeling I ever felt," Ciasulli said. "It's pretty much the reason why I wrestle."

"Seth loves to pin," said Head Coach Pat Santoro. "That kid has a good future in front of him."

Stabler Arena held the second largest crowd in its history, creating an electric atmosphere with a total of 5,254 fans.

Assistant Coach John Hughes said the team was not affected by having so many spectators.

"We competed in the National Tournament, so our guys' nerves are fine - larger crowds just give more incentive to perform well," Hughes said.

Sophomore John McDonald started the action off for the Hawks at 125 against No. 8 junior Brad Pataky.

Each of McDonald's four points came off escapes.

Pataky racked up one escape and five takedowns to earn the major decision win, giving the Nittany Lions an early four-point lead.

The second matchup of the night featured No. 12 senior captain Matt Fisk and sophomore Tyler Saltsman at 133.

Fisk charged ahead of Saltsman with one escape, three takedowns and two near falls to seal the 14-1 victory and tie the overall score at four.

Cries of outrage could be heard from the Lehigh fan section twice throughout the closing periods as parents and alumni protested the referee's judgments of not granting Fisk the pin.

"They were looking for the pin, and I was hoping for that pin," Fisk said. "Either the ref was out of position or he just didn't see it. That's how wrestling goes - you've just got to keep rolling with the punches."

The 149 matchup pitted sophomore Brian Tanen against sophomore All-American Frank Molinaro, who is ranked sixth nationally.

Tanen tallied three escapes, but Molinaro countered with an escape and five takedowns to win the major decision 12-3.

A close match followed at 165 with senior Mike Galante, ranked 12th nationally, taking on senior All-American Dan Vallimont, ranked ninth nationally.

Galante had two escapes, but Vallimont also earned an escape and a pair of takedowns to win 5-2 and put the Nittany Lions up 14-10.

Red-shirt freshman Robert Hamlin next took on fifth-year senior David Erwin at 174.

Despite being younger and less experienced than his opponent, Hamlin battled heartily in his Stabler Arena debut.

An explosive first period left Hamlin with two escapes, two takedowns and a near fall.

He put up three more takedowns and another escape in the subsequent periods to seal his 17-8 major decision victory and tie the overall score at 14.

"Robert Hamlin at 174 wrestled freaking awesome," McDonald said. "He proved himself on the mat. I can't say enough about him."

The final match of the night at 285 was the second to feature two nationally ranked athletes as No. 6 sophomore Zach Rey took on No. 20 sophomore Cameron Wade.

Rey tallied a reversal and a takedown, besting Wade's pair of escapes to win 5-2 and sealing the Hawks' 23-14 victory.

"Any time you beat a good team, it's a good thing," Santoro said. "A few guys really came out and wrestled their hearts out."

Two years ago, Lehigh was shut out by Penn State 37-0 in Stabler Arena. Last year, Lehigh barely edged out Penn State 17-16.

This season, Penn State welcomed Cael Sanderson as the new head coach of the wrestling program.

In 2004, Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal in the 84 kg, and his personal collegiate dual record of 159-0 was named the No. 2 most outstanding achievement in collegiate sports history by Sports Illustrated.

Despite the impressive new coaching staff for the Nittany Lions, Fisk said the Hawks did not do anything special to prepare exclusively for Penn State.

"We treat every opponent like a national championship team," Fisk said.

The depth of the wrestling team appears to be creating a challenging atmosphere for new and old teammates alike.

"Absolutely, we're bringing in a lot of talented recruits, which helps the talent pool - guys work hard in the room everyday battling for a roster spot," Hughes said.

McDonald said if the Hawks do what he knows they are capable of, this season will be a successful one.

"We just have to show up and wrestle our match," McDonald said. "I think we have one of the best teams in the country this year. I don't see many teams beating us this year."

Hughes said the victory over Penn State is the first step toward achieving the team's goal.

"Each week we look to get better and better, after finishing No. 27 last season and being ranked No. 17 this season, we feel a top-10 finish is definitely within our reach," Hughes said.

Ciasulli said the team has a very simple game plan for this season.

"Win a lot of matches we're supposed to win, win a lot of matches we're not supposed to win - that's the plan," Ciasulli said.

On Sunday, Lehigh kept their momentum going and defeated the Pittsburgh University Panthers 24-9 at home in Leeman-Turner Arena.

The Hawks next hit the mat at Ohio State on Friday. The first match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.