No. 16 Oklahoma will travel to Pennsylvania to face Lehigh on Friday, and Virginia to take on No. 9 Virginia Tech on Sunday.
Jan. 24, 2013
NORMAN, Okla. -- The 16th-ranked University of Oklahoma wrestling squad travels east to Pennsylvania and Virginia this weekend to battle against Lehigh and No. 9 Virginia Tech.
The Sooners (6-4, 2-1 Big 12) will begin the weekend in Bethlehem, Pa., when they face the Mountain Hawks (5-5, 2-3 EIWA) on Friday at the Stabler Arena. Wrestlers will take to the mat at 6 p.m. CT. Following its Friday dual, Oklahoma will head south to Blacksburg, Va., to wrestle top-10 foe Virginia Tech (11-2, 4-0 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
Lehigh boasts three top-15 wrestlers on its roster according to InterMat.com in No. 3 157-pounder Joey Napoli, No. 13 174-pounder Nathaniel Brown and No. 3 184-pounder Robert Hamlin.
With Napoli in the top-25, fans are set for one top-20 matchup on the night with Oklahoma's No. 17, 157-pounder Matt Lester in the Crimson and Cream.
OU leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 13-3-1, including a 22-16 victory in Norman last season.
Virginia Tech splits the weekend with a trip to College Park, Md., on Friday night against ACC opponent Maryland, before hosting Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon in Cassell Colisum.
Heading into Friday's dual against Maryland, the Hokies are on a seven-match win streak in dual competition. At home Virginia Tech is almost perfect, with a 5-1 record on the season after a loss to then No. 5 Ohio State and wins over No. 19 Virginia and No. 25 Wisconsin.
The Hokies are led by five top-20 wrestlers, including No. 18 133-pounder Eric Spjut, No. 12 141-pounder Zach Neibert, No. 6 149-pounder Nick Brascetta, No. 7 157-pounder Jesse Dong, and No. 5 165-pounder Peter Yates.
Sunday's match will include some highly anticipated matchups for the Sooners, as No. 9/11 Cody Brewer will take to the mat against Spjut; No. 1 Kendric Maple will face his sixth top-15 opponent in just a matter of seven matches with Neibert; No. 9 Nick Lester will attempt to continue a four-match win streak when he faces Brascetta; No. 17/18 Matt Lester will take on his second consecutive ranked opponent with Dong, and No. 4 Bubby Graham looks to take down Yates in his second-to-last dual of his senior year.
OU and Virginia Tech met for the first time last season with a 19-12 Sooner win in Norman.
Following this weekend's action, Oklahoma will head to Columbia, Mo., for its final dual of the 2012-13 season against No. 5 Missouri.
| Probable Participants |
Hometown (Year) |
2012-13 Record |
| Kyle Garcia (125) |
Chocktaw, Okla. (Fr.) |
10-8 |
| Cody Brewer(133) |
Kansas City, Mo. (RFr.) |
16-4 |
| Kendric Maple(141) |
Wichita, Kan. (RJr.) |
19-0 |
| Nick Lester(149) |
St.Louis Mo. (RJe.) |
13-5 |
Matt Lester (157) OR Justin DeAngelis (157)
|
St. Louis, Mo. (RJr.)
Tulsa, Okla. (RSo.)
|
12-5
11-3
|
| Bubby Graham (165) |
Annapolis, MD (RSr.) |
16-2 |
| Matt Reed(174) |
Wichita, Kan. (Fr.) |
12-10 |
| Nolan McBryde (184) |
Keller, Texas (Fr.) |
3-6 |
| Brad Johnson(197) |
Lockport, Ill. (Fr.) |
11-11 |
| Keldrick Hall(HWT) |
Dallas, Texas (Sr.) |
8-11 |
|
