#7 Oklahoma State vs #15 Lehigh Preview & Predictions
#7 Oklahoma State vs #15 Lehigh Preview & Predictions
A full preview and predictions for the dual meet between Oklahoma State and Lehigh on November 12.
Oklahoma State will travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to take on Lehigh in what should be a fantastic EIWA match of the week on November 12. Check out the projected lineups below with a full preview of every match for this outstanding showdown between 2, top-15 teams.
Projected Lineups:
125: #14 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma State vs #20 Jaret Lane, Lehigh
133: #2 Daton Fix, Oklahoma State vs #22 Connor McGonagle, Lehigh
141: #18 Carter Young, Oklahoma State vs #HM Malyke Hines, Lehigh
149: HM Victor Voinovich, Oklahoma State vs HM Manzona Bryant/Max Brignola, Lehigh
157: HM Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State vs #9 Josh Humphreys, Lehigh
165: Travis Mastrogiovanni/Jalin Harper, Oklahoma State vs #18 Brian Meyer, Lehigh
174: #4 Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State vs HM Jake Logan, Lehigh
184: #21 Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State vs #13 Tate Samuelson, Lehigh
197: #21 Luke Surber, Oklahoma State vs #6 Michael Beard, Lehigh
285: Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State vs Elijah Jones, Lehigh
Of the 10 above matches, 8 of them have the potential to be a ranked showdown. On top of that 17 of the 20 total wrestlers in this dual are also featured in our Division 1 rankings. That's just another way of saying - this dual is going to be great from top to bottom! Check out a breakdown of each match below.
125: #14 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma State vs #20 Jaret Lane, Lehigh
Mastrogiovanni and Lane met last season with Mastro coming out on top in a 5-1 decision. Because of that, Mastrogiovanni should be considered the favorite in this matchup and is an All-American contender this year for the Cowboys. Despite going 1-2 at NCAAs last season, Mastro only lost to eventual All-Americans Patrick McKee and Michael DeAugustino. On top of that, he had notable wins in the regular season over Joey Prata, Patrick McKee, Brody Teske, and Noah Surtin. While Lane is an underdog in this matchup, he shouldn’t be underestimated. Last year he took out eventual All-American Brandon Kaylor in his opening match of the season, 9-5.
Prediction: Mastrogiovanni by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 3, Lehigh 0
133: #2 Daton Fix, Oklahoma State vs #22 Connor McGonagle, Lehigh
Daton Fix is a 3-time NCAA runner-up and will once again be a title contender this year at 133 pounds. In this match against Connor McGonagle, expect Fix to push for bonus points and look to end the match early with a fall or tech fall. Last season, Fix was able to secure 17 of his total 25 wins by bonus points with 6 falls, 5 techs, and 6 majors.
Prediction: Fix by tech fall
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 8, Lehigh 0
Daton Fix's win over Austin DeSanto at the 2022 Bout At The Ballpark:
141: #18 Carter Young, Oklahoma State vs HM Malyke Hines, Lehigh
The matchup at 141 between Carter Young and Malyke Hines should be a great one and tell us which of these competitors is ready to challenge for All-American honors this year. Hines is moving up from 133 where he was a two-time national qualifier and had notable wins over Micky Phillippi and Devan Turner.
Young had his ups and downs last season as a true freshman. He was able to qualify for the NCAA tournament but went 0-2 losing to tough opponents in Grant Turner and Stevan Micic. Young has reportedly grown into the weight class and we should see significant improvements from last season.
Prediction: Young by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 11, Lehigh 0
Malyke Hines' win over Micky Phillippi last season:
149: HM Victor Voinovich, Oklahoma State vs HM Manzona Bryant/Max Brignola, Lehigh
Victor Voinovich was the #12 recruit in the class of 2021 and put together a 17-1 record in his redshirt year. Despite the great record, Voinovich faced only one 2022 national qualifier last season which also happened to be his only loss on the year - a 7-0 decision to Josh Finesilver. That makes it tough to project what Oklahoma State fans can expect from Voinovich this year in the starting spot.
Lehigh will roll out either Bryant or Birgnola to face Voinovich on November 12. Bryant started the year last season for the Mountain Hawks at 149 but Brignola took over the starting spot and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Both had their bright spots - Brignola won two open tournaments and finished third at EIWAs while Bryant had notable wins over Max Murin and Beau Bartlett. Brignola also started the first dual of the year for Lehigh against Oregon State and defeated Bryant and defeated Noah Tolentino, 10-5. Brignola and Bryant are both quality options for Lehigh and capable of taking out Voinovich in this dual.
Prediction: Bryant/Brignola by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 11, Lehigh 3
Brignola's win over Tolentino:
157: HM Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State vs #9 Josh Humphreys, Lehigh
Sheets and Humphreys have wrestled 3 times since 2019 with Humphreys holding the series lead, 2-1. They last wrestled last year where Humphreys won a competitive 7-3 decision. In this matchup, we should expect a similar outcome with Humphreys as the favorite. Humphreys is a punishing top wrestler capable of racking up riding time and working for turns. In order for Sheets to win this bout, he’ll need to win the takedown battle and avoid getting caught underneath.
Prediction: Humphreys by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 11, Lehigh 6
Sheets shows off his top work in his win over Isaiah Crosby in his opening match of the season:
165: Travis Mastrogiovanni/Jalin Harper, Oklahoma State vs #18 Brian Meyer, Lehigh
Brian Meyer is a two-time NCAA qualifier and had notable wins last season over Anthony Valencia and Jake Wentzel. That makes Meyer a significant favorite over the two potential starters for Oklahoma State - Mastrogiovanni and Harper. Mastro was the #39 recruit out of the class of 2021 but had only 4 matches all of last season. Harper is entering his 5th year in Stillwater but doesn’t have any wins over past national qualifiers. 165 is wide open for the Cowboys this year and will be a roster battle to watch throughout the season.
Prediction: Meyer by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 11, Lehigh 9
174: #4 Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State vs HM Jake Logan, Lehigh
Dustin Plott and Jake Logan have met only once in their college career - last year during dual meet competition where Plott won 5-3. Plott then went on to finish his season strong earning 6th place All-American honors at the NCAA tournament. However, Logan struggled toward the end of the season and failed to qualify for NCAAs after placing 5th at EIWAs. Plott is the favorite in this one but if Logan is wrestling his best, he’s capable of “stealing” this match for the Mountain Hawks.
Prediction: Plott by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 14, Lehigh 9
184: #21 Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State vs #13 Tate Samuelson, Lehigh
The new season marks big changes for both Wittlake and Samuelson. Wittlake is up two weights after starting at 165 for 3 years and Samuelson has made the move across the country from Wyoming to Lehigh.
This will be a fascinating matchup for both sides and will answer valuable questions. Will Wittlake’s abilities translate up at 184? Is Samuelson an All-American contender this year? On top of those questions, this matchup is a key “swing match” that could wind up determining who wins this dual.
Prediction: Samuelson by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 14, Lehigh 12
197: #21 Luke Surber, Oklahoma State vs #6 Michael Beard, Lehigh
Like at 184, Surber and Beard will showcase a new weight and team in the 2022-23 season. With the absence of AJ Ferrari, Luke Surber has dropped down after spending at year at heavyweight. Word out of the Oklahoma State room is that Surber looks better than ever at the new weight and should turn some head this year as he looks to contend for All-American honors.
However, the real story here is Michael Beard’s debut season for Lehigh. After spending 2 years at Penn State, and earning 7th place All-American honors in 2021, Beard is looking to make a name for himself as a Mountain Hawk. Beard has three years of eligibility left and should be considered a title contender in a deep 197-pound weight class.
Prediction: Beard by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 14, Lehigh 15
Michael Beard's win over Tanner Harvey in his opening match of the 2022 season:
285: Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State vs Elijah Jones, Lehigh
After 9 weights, I have the dual coming down to heavyweight (if they start at 125 of course)! Doucet and Jones are largely unproven on the collegiate level and are set to man the starting spot for the first time in both of their careers. Doucet was 8-2 last year in open tournaments while Jones was 5-3 (wrestling at 197). On paper, this is an incredibly challenging match to pick but I give a slight edge to Doucet.
Prediction: Doucet by decision
Team score prediction: Oklahoma State 17, Lehigh 15
I have each team winning 5 matches with Daton Fix’s bonus points being the difference maker for Oklahoma State. With “toss-up” matches throughout this dual, I’d be surprised to see all of my picks hit. However, I won’t be surprised if this is a phenomenal dual meet between two teams looking to rise in the ranks!