EAST STROUDSBURG, PA - Winning EIWA team titles has become a habit for the Lehigh wrestling team, which enters the 2007 EIWA Championships with a five-year winning streak at this major conference tournament. However, the Mountain Hawks will be focusing on other things than keeping the streak alive this weekend.

"I knew we were having a transitional team this year," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "We are not reloading. With teams like Lehigh, with our academic standards, we will have cycles. You get some great wrestlers and they succeed together, then you cycle through new ones. I knew it was going to be tough. I didn't know what to expect."

You might call this season a mixed bag for Lehigh. The team ended with 14-9 dual meet record and a No. 24 national ranking. Included were conference losses to Navy and Penn, and conference wins over Cornell, Harvard, American, Army, Brown and Columbia. The Cornell win, considered an upset, surprised the pundits and added more intrigue to the conference championships this weekend.

"As it turned out, we were pleased to have 14 wins, and disappointed with our nine losses. We only got blown out twice. It was the first time we lost to Navy in 11 years, and the first loss to Penn in about five years. But when we beat Cornell, all the stars were aligned and it went well. The biggest surprise was our loss to Cal-Fullerton," said Strobel.

Last year, a healthy portion of the Lehigh lineup graduated. This season, Lehigh lost their starter at 165 pounds to academic issues, There was also a setback when 149-pounder Trevor Chinn, an EIWA runner-up last year, was injured and could not complete the season. 

Chinn's replacement, Jeff Santo, was having a solid year, earning a No. 4 spot in the final EIWA rankings. However, just this morning, Santo was pulled from the lineup because of a skin condition, forcing Strobel to enter Kevin Vinh, a backup at 125 and 133 pounds, at 142 this weekend.

Then there was a complete turnover of the Lehigh coaching staff. Two of Strobel's assistants last year took head coaching jobs at other EIWA schools. Chris Ayres is the coach for Princeton and Jason Kutz in the coach at East Stroudsburg. 

Lehigh hired Tim Dernlan as an assistant coach, moving over from Penn State, and added former star Jon Trenge to the staff. John Clark, who wrestled for Ohio State, became the volunteer coach.

"It wasn't just having new guys and a young team," said Strobel. "It has been a whole new coaching staff. Every other year here, I have had at least one coach who has been with me as a coach before. The coaches molded together well during the season."

Lehigh has only one top seed at the EIWAs this weekend, true freshman David Craig at 184 pounds. Considered the nation's top recruit, Florida native Craig decided to skip taking a redshirt year this season and test himself right away.

"When we recruited him, it was a mutual thing, to decide to redshirt or if he was ready. About October, he said he was ready. It was a god-send. If we didn't have David Craig, we would have gotten 14 wins," said Strobel.

"He has beaten everybody in the conference who is seeded, but they were close wins. It's not like he is an overwhelming favorite. He is talented, has a lot of technique and hates to lose. He finds a way to win," said Strobel.

Lehigh has a pair of No. 2 seeds in Matt Ciasulli at 141 pounds and Paul Weibel at 285 pounds. Three others are seeded No. 3 this weekend, Matt Fisk at 125 pounds, Dave Nakasone at 157 pounds and Matt Cassidy at 197 pounds. 

Strobel takes great pride in the achievements of them all, but points out the unexpected success of senior Weibel.

"Weibel has had an interesting season. He lost some matches he could have won. He got pinned a few times. Right now, he is seeded second, and that is quite an accomplishment," said Strobel.

"The other day, he asked me, 'Coach, did you think I would be a four-year starter?' I said I thought he would be a workout partner and a sometime starter. He was actually a bigger recruit for football than wrestling. But with hard work and a great attitude, he has become an accomplished wrestler," said Strobel.

This season has been a challenge for Strobel, but one that has also been rewarding.

"It has been fun to watch and see the development of the kids," said Strobel. "Many of them were not highly acclaimed recruits. They have worked hard and are doing well."

On paper, especially with the loss of Santo today, Lehigh is considered a longshot to win the tournament this year. 

"Cornell is the favorite, with a lot of pressure to win. They were favorites the last two years also," said Strobel. "Navy has a balanced team. They could place in every weight class. That is a lot of team points. That is how we won as a team in the past."

That did not stop Strobel from talking to his team about trying to win the EIWAs this weekend and continue their amazing streak of success.

"We would like to win," said Strobel. "We talked about that as a team yesterday and during the year. Our goals are always to dominate the East and to win the Easterns. If everybody does their job, we could win it. But at this point, it boils down to individuals who must do their job. We talked about how this could be done. But after that, we won't talk about the team race during the tournament. It is now up to the individuals."

So what is Strobel looking for from his team this weekend?

"Hopefully, the seeds live up to their spots. That means we qualify a bunch for the nationals. If we had Santo, we could have a real chance to win it. I just want to see them wrestle well, beat their seeds and then let the chips fall where they may."

With the overall quality of the EIWA Conference, the five-year streak is something of pride for Strobel and all of the Lehigh fans, even if it does not continue on Saturday night.

"We were underdogs the last two years. Those were unexpected wins," said Strobel. "It has only been done once before by Lehigh. In 1939, they won five in a row. I think that Cornell did it once, back in the teens. I think of some of the great teams from this conference, and they did not get near winning five in a row."