Lehigh Wrestling Rolls Indiana 36-8, Hands Brad Dillon His First Win as Head Coach
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Thirty-six points to eight. Eight of ten bouts. Six bonus-point wins. The No. 12 Lehigh wrestling team made short work of No. 25 Indiana on Saturday at Liberty High School, and the rout meant more than the margin.
The victory, which moved Lehigh to 1-1, was the first for head coach Brad Dillon ’04 since he took over the program — and it came just after a loss to No. 5 Virginia Tech. The Mountain Hawks closed the Journeymen WrangleMania event with three consecutive technical falls. Indiana never got close again.
Four Straight Bouts to Open, a Blip, Then Four More
Lehigh won the first four weight classes and built a lead Indiana could not dent. The Hoosiers answered with back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 pounds — the only bouts they would take — before the Mountain Hawks swept the final four to lock in the 36-8 final.
The tone was set at 125 pounds. Sophomore Mason Ziegler, scoreless through the first period with Gavin Jendreas, broke it open in the second: three takedowns and a four-point near fall on the way to a 20-6 major decision. True first-year Keanu Dillard followed with a grittier line — a 1-0 decision at 133 pounds, his first collegiate win, sealed with a third-period escape.
Stanich’s Fifth Tech Fall, Griffin’s Pin of a Ranked Opponent
The bonus points piled up fast. Junior Luke Stanich dispatched Joey Buttler 22-6 in just 5:42 — his fifth technical fall of the season. Senior Kelvin Griffin made it hurt more, pinning nationally ranked Tom Crook at 149 pounds to stretch the lead to 18-0 before Indiana got on the board.
After the Hoosiers’ pair of wins, Brady Collins restarted the surge with a 9-4 decision at 174 pounds. Then came the flourish: three technical falls, each by a 19-4 score, from senior Rylan Rogers at 184, first-year Cael Weidemoyer at 197, and graduate student Nathan Taylor at 285.
Journeymen Classic Sunday, Then a Trip to Rutgers
The momentum carries forward quickly. Lehigh sends a contingent to the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday at Freedom High School, then returns to dual action next Sunday with a 1 p.m. meet at Rutgers.
From a loss to the nation’s No. 5 team to a 28-point demolition of a ranked opponent a day later, the Mountain Hawks have their first win under Dillon ’04 — and a reminder of what the bonus-point ledger can do. The 2026-27 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
