BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It came down to the final match, but despite Columbia Wrestling (1-2, EIWA 1-1) taking No. 17 Lehigh (7-4, 3-0 EIWA) to the wire, the Lions fell in a tough heartbreaker, 20-16, nearly pulling off the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association upset at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Friday night.
 
The match was decided in the final bout, and it took a win at 285 for Lehigh to hold off the charging Lions, as Columbia snagged five wins off the No. 17 team in the country.
 
"This team showed the rest of the country something tonight," said Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli.  "We had a lot of opportunities to ice the match and we left a lot of points on the table.  But ultimately, I'm not surprised by this performance, myself and the staff know how tough this team is, and I can't even begin to say how proud I am of these guys."
 
Columbia got wins from No. 20 Joe Manchio (125), No. 19 Matt Kazimir (141), Danny Fongaro (149), No. 22 Joshua Ogunsanya (165) and Nick Fine (174), but the Lions left a few bonus points on the mat and with the final three weight classes going to Lehigh, it was enough for the Mountain Hawks to pull back the Lions and get the team points they needed to win the dual.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The match opened at 125 pounds, and Manchio got the Lions off to a strong start as he battled against No. 15 Jaret Lane in the first of two matches on the night between two ranked opponents.  Manchio controlled the action, and thanks to Columbia's 125-pounder muscling out the riding time, he earned a 4-3 decision, and it gave the Lions a quick 3-0 lead.
 
At 133 pounds, Angelo Rini faced No. 19 Malyke Hines, and both wrestlers traded takedowns throughout the match.  In the end, Hines would get what he needed, winning the match via decision, 12-9, to knot up the team score at 3-3.
 
Columbia quickly regained the lead in the next match, as Kazimir worked Connor McGonagle from the opening whistle, earning an 11-1 major decision.  Kazimir's win gave the Lions much needed bonus points, and it pushed their early lead to 7-3.
 
In the next match, Columbia continued its winning ways, as Fongaro's engine was too much for Paul Watkins, and the Lion 149-pounder took his match via decision, 9-3, pushing Columbia's lead to 10-3 after the opening three matches.
 
Columbia fell in the next match at 157 pounds, but it was not without a fight as Andrew Garr battled from the start, before falling via technical fall to No. 8 Josh Humphreys, 17-2.  Following the match at 157 pounds, Columbia still held a slight lead at 10-8 as the match began to turn the page to the back end.
 
The Lions got back to their winning ways at 165 pounds, as Ogunsanya took care of No. 25 Brian Meyer, 7-2, in the second match of the night featuring a pair of ranked grapplers. 
 
Following Ogunsanya's victory at 165 pounds was Fine's battle against No. 33 Jake Logan.  And thanks to a second period of control where Fine rode out Logan, the Lion first-year came away with a 4-3 win via decision, pushing Columbia's lead to 16-8.
 
The win for Columbia would unfortunately be the last, as the next two matches gave Lehigh the chance to climb back into the dual.  At 184 pounds, Brian Bonino ran out of time and could not get the takedown he needed to beat AJ Burkhart, as the Lehigh 184-pounder won via decision 4-2.
 
With two matches left, Columbia still held a slight 16-11 lead, but at 197 pounds the Lions could not finish off Lehigh.  In that match, Sam Wustefeld fell to JT Davis via decision 2-0, and the loss for Columbia put the score at 16-14 and gave Lehigh a chance to win the match.
 
In the final match of the night, Lehigh would get the points they needed, as No. 7 Jordan Wood pinned Jalen Stephens at 2:50 giving Lehigh six points and a 20-16 victory.
 
NO. 17 LEHIGH 20, COLUMBIA 16
Bethlehem, Pa. (Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall)
 
125 | No. 20 Joe Manchio (COL) def. No. 15 Jaret Lane (LEH) dec. 4-3
133 | No. 19 Malyke Hines (LEH) def. Angelo Rini (COL) dec. 12-9
141 | No. 19 Matt Kazimir (COL) def. Connor McGonagle (LEH) maj. 11-1
149 | Danny Fongaro (COL) def. Paul Watkins (LEH) def. 9-3
157 | No. 8 Josh Humphreys (LEH) def. Andrew Garr (COL) TF 17-2
165 | No. 22 Joshua Ogunsanya (COL) def. No. 25 Brian Meyer (LEH) dec. 7-2
174 | Nick Fine (COL) def. No. 33 Jake Logan (LEH) dec. 4-3
184 | AJ Burkhart (LEH) def. Brian Bonino (COL) dec. 4-2
197 | JT Davis (LEH) def. Sam Wustefeld (COL) dec. 2-0
285 | No. 7 Jordan Wood (LEH) def. Jalen Stephens (COL) F (2:50)
 
NEXT UP: The Lions remain busy, as they head to Stillwater, Oklahoma to face No. 4 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. EST to wrap up the weekend.
 
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