Matchup Favor:
125: Seymour just beat Babin in a match where he got the only two takedowns. It was not a close match at all. Seymour got to Babin's legs easily and rode him hard. He never went under so Babin didn't get the chance to work on top. Seymour is good and has many good results against common opponents. He is more dynamic on his feet than Babin is so a different gameplan will be needed for Nick to win this time. However, I am not putting too much stock into any 125lb match this year. I think Babin is good enough to potentially flip this result. TOSS UP
133: Crookham majored Vinnie last year and has only gotten better since that match. I hope Vinnie can hold this to a major at worst but I could see Crookham widening the gap. LEHIGH FAVORED
141: It is so hard to gauge where Anthony stands in relation to other guys who are good. Hines and Ant only have Koderhandt as their official common opponent. However, Santaniello wrestled Carter Bailey (the backup 141 at Lehigh) at Journeyman and beat him 4-2. Bailey is a really solid wrestler and that win gives me some confidence in Anthony overall, but based on his lack of results and the fact that his best career win is against the backup to Hines, while Hines is a 4x NQ and has finished in the blood round before I will have to favor Hines, but Anthony winning would not shock me at all. LEHIGH FAVORED
149: This match is one where both teams have two realistic options for 149. Last year Solomon snuck out a close one against Matt Repos who I wouldn't expect to go in this match. If both teams send their starters I expect we see Griffin vs Solomon which is a clash of styles that would likely create a very exciting match. If Brown or Munch gets thrown in the mix that adds interesting elemetns of a rookie and a vet. There is so many possibilities that I am just saying it is a tossup match unless someone unexpected wrestles. TOSS UP
157: The two options for Lehigh are both younger guys. Rozynski won the Princeton Open that had both these wrestlers in it. This included a TF over the Lehigh wrestler who beat Gonzalez. However he has not competed since then which suggests they are at least considering saving his 5 dates for redshirt. Gonzalez never took higher than 7th at PIAAs but has many good wins across those seasons. He lost to Jack Pletcher at PIAAs in 2022. Evans won that bracket. Rozynski is someone who has made jumps has he moves up weights. He took 2nd at National Preps at 144 in March and is now competing up at 157. I am curious to see who goes for Lehigh and hope Evans can continue his good performances from early in the season. However, he is not too proven so I will hedge this as a toss up. TOSS UP
Half Way:
0 Pitt Favored, 3 Toss up, 2 Lehigh Favored
There is a chance this dual starts out really good for us, and it could also start REALLY BAD. This is what makes this dual potentially so exciting.
165: This is a match I don't even know how to preview. Thayne has been at 174 until this season while Laffey has been at 149 and 157. Normally guys coming up have a gas tank advantage so I hope Laffey can use that. If it is MacKay going in this match he also has no common opponents or anything for me to compare against Lawrence. Lawrence has faced better competition so far this season than the other two, but that is out of MacKay and Laffey's control. I think they could both pull this one off. TOSS UP
174: I don't know who is going for Lehigh, but this is a weight where they clearly have a best option. If Schope or Grungo go I would expect a dominant win for Luca. He TF Schope at Journeyman. Grungo is a 165 that has no results that suggest this match would be close. Rylan Rogers however is a former top recruit with good results in the past at 184 and 197. He has one competition this year, where he took 3rd at the Princeton Open in a bracket I would expect Luca to win. However, if he does go I would keep this as a tossup because of his pedigree and the fact that it was his first competition at a new weight. TOSS UP
184: Reece should beat both of these guys. Wilt is a tough competitor who keeps matches close, but nothing so far in his careers suggests he can beat someone of Reece's caliber. Rogers wrestled in the dual last season and lost 4-1 to Heller. He is 1-0 on the season with a 1-0 win in their last dual. Regardless of who he faces I expect it to be a closer match but one that Reece will win. PITT FAVORED.
197: This is the match of the night. If one where to look at all results against common opponents this would be an obvious toss up match with one wrestler being more proven and having slightly better results. However, last year in the dual, Beard absolutely massacred Stout and TechFalled him. I think Mac is a lot better than he looked in that match and that he will keep it closer than that. But I do not think this match can be anything but a Beard favor until Mac proves otherwise. LEHIGH FAVORED
285: This would have been the match of the night if this dual was a few weeks earlier or in the second semester. Taylor who Pitzer is 2-0 against is however out for the season with injury. His replacement through the portal Trephan (who Dayton is 0-2 against) will not be competing for the Mountain Hawks till second semester. Therefore Pitzer gets a true freshman that he should really put it on. Lachman is a good kid and better than his PIAA results indicate but I would expect Pitzer to go to work on top against him. PITT FAVORED
Second Half:
2 PITT FAVORED, 2 TOSS UP, 1 LEHIGH FAVORED
The buffer of Pitzer at heavyweight may be the difference in the dual. 165 and 174 could go either way and depending on what bonus happens at 184 and 197 it could come down to Dayton putting up 5 or 6.
Overall:
2 Pitt Favored, 5 Toss up, 3 Lehigh Favored
This match will be decided from 149-174 where I have every match as a toss up. If one side can win three of these they all but clinch themselves the dual barring any upsets. Excited to see this match and hope both teams send all their starters out.
