photo courtesy of Navy athletics
Conference season is upon us. This week we have five DI conferences in action and each day, we’ll bring a new preview. After starting with the Pac-12, we’ll go cross-country to preview the EIWA.
This will be a new-look EIWA tournament as it does not include the Ivy League schools and Franklin & Marshall, who have schools that have opted out of winter sports. Keeping national title contender Cornell and new power Princeton on the sidelines changes the conference’s entire dynamic. Despite the absence of the Ivy’s, the NCAA still used the school’s past history in determining NCAA qualifier allocations. That led to plenty of hand-wringing nationwide and a few weight classes that will award more automatic berths at nationals, than ranked wrestlers at the weight. All-in-all, 45 automatic bids to St. Louis will be handed out Friday as the EIWA Championship is decided.
The big question is, without Cornell and Princeton, who comes away with the conference championship? Perennial power Lehigh doesn’t necessarily have the star power they usually have, but they still have a strong nucleus capable of winning a title for head coach Pat Santoro. Speaking of head coaches, Navy has a new one in Cary Kolat. The Kolat effect has already taken place in Annapolis and the Midshipmen finished the season ranked 20th in the dual meet format. With an increased recruiting presence already intact, Navy could end up much higher in the future. Rival Army West Point, is consistently good and could challenge for the title with a break or two. Other programs like Binghamton, Drexel and Hofstra, may not be ready to contend for the championship, but are much improved and dangerous.
Below, we’ve gone through each weight class and previewed its competitors and made predictions for the top four placewinners, along with national qualifiers, and the team race.
When: Friday, February 26th
Where: Manheim, Pennsylvania
How to Watch: FloWrestling
125 lbs
1st - #32 Jaret Lane (Lehigh)
2nd - #33 Logan Treaster (Navy)
3rd - #16 Gage Curry (American)
4th - #30 Dylan Ryder (Hofstra)
5th - #31 Micah Roes (Binghamton)
6th - Brandon Seidman (Bucknell)
7th - Bryce Cockrell (Long Island)
8th - Ryan Chauvin (Army West Point)
9th - Kyle Waterman (Drexel)
10th - Cole Meyer (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Right off the bat, we’ve got a weight class where anything can happen. Five ranked wrestlers are in the field and only three automatic bids are up for grabs. This is in contrast to many other weights in the conference which benefited from the NCAA allocations. The wild card at 125 lbs is the status of third-seeded Gage Curry. The three-time national qualifier is far and away the most credentialed wrestler in this weight, finishing third in the conference in 2019 and fourth last season. The only problem is that his program has been unable to compete thus far in 2021. There is sure to be some rust. Can he shake that and prevail in a solid field? Aside from Curry, this group features three wrestlers that come into the EIWA meet unbeaten, Jaret Lane, Dylan Ryder, and Micah Roes. Lane spent 2019-20 at 133 lbs, but has made the cut and logged falls in three of his five wins. Ryder had a strong 15-7 campaign last season, but ultimately missed out on an at-large berth. In one of his three victories this season, Ryder pinned 2019 EWL champion Willy Gerard (Bloomsburg). The true freshman Roes announced his presence early by pinning Jonathan Tropea (Rider) to lead Binghamton to a dual win in his Bearcat debut. Second-seeded Logan Treaster’s only setback of the year was a 1-0 loss to Lane. The unranked wrestler that may be able to shake things up is sixth-seeded Brandon Seidman. Brandon is currently 5-1 and has wins over the seventh and eighth seeds.
TOM Predictions
1st) Lane (Lehigh)
2nd) Trester (Navy)
3rd) Curry (American)
4th) Roes (Binghamton)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jared Lane (Lehigh), Logan Treaster (Navy), Gage Curry (American)
133 lbs
1st - #31 Malyke Hines (Lehigh)
2nd - #22 Darren Miller (Bucknell)
3rd - Anthony Sobotker (Binghamton)
4th - Chandler Olson (Drexel)
5th - Garrett Lambert (Hofstra)
6th - Mark Montgomery (Army West Point)
7th - Jacob Allen (Navy)
8th - Devin Matthews (Long Island)
9th - Kyle Randall (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
133 lbs is a bit of an odd weight class with only two ranked wrestlers in the hunt for three automatic qualifying bids. The higher ranked is the two-seed, Darren Miller; however, he was beaten in his most recent appearance by the sixth seed, Mark Montgomery. Miller’s biggest win of the season came when he knocked off Tony Madrigal (Oklahoma), the returning 16th seed for the 2020 national tournament. The top seed belongs to Lehigh’s redshirt freshman Malyke Hines. Hines is 3-1 on the year, with his only loss coming to #4 Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh). The Mountain Hawk bumped up to 141 lbs, to register his best win of the year, a 9-7 decision over two-time national qualifier Zack Trampe (Binghamton). Zack’s teammate, Anthony Sobotker, has the three seed after a 3-1 regular season. His only loss came against another Lehigh wrestler, Mitchell Polito. Chandler Olson had a promising freshman campaign disrupted due to injuries in 2019-20, but he has picked up well this year. He is 4-1 with wins over three opponents in this field. One of them is Garrett Lambert, a senior that locked up the fifth spot by pinning Army West Point’s Montgomery. Both Montgomery and rival Jacob Allen could be dangerous from the sixth and seventh spot. We’ve already discussed Montgomery’s win over Miller, while Allen has a 6-4 mark on the year.
TOM Predictions
1st) Miller (Bucknell)
2nd) Hines (Lehigh)
3rd) Olson (Drexel)
4th) Sobotker (Binghamton)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Darren Miller (Bucknell), Malyke Hines (Lehigh), Chandler Olson (Drexel)
141 lbs
1st - #10 Cody Trybus (Navy)
2nd - #18 Zack Trampe (Binghamton)
3rd - #23 Lane Peters (Army West Point)
4th - Tyler Williams (Drexel)
5th - Vinny Vespa (Hofstra)
6th - Connor McGonagle (Lehigh)
7th - Drew Witham (Long Island)
8th - Kurt Phipps (Bucknell)
9th - Jordan Carlucci (Sacred Heart)
10th - Patrick Ryan (American)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
Now we start getting into the heart of the Navy lineup where the Midshipmen are expected to flex their muscles. 2020 EIWA Champion Cody Trybus is back and looking to repeat. Cody is a perfect 9-0 this season with four bonus-point wins and a season-opening win over national qualifier Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh). He currently sits at tenth in the national rankings. Next up is Zack Trampe, who has qualified twice while at 133 lbs. Trampe comes into the tournament with a 3-1 mark, but has yet to face any of the three wrestles immediately below him. He majored Army West Point’s Logan Brown, but did not see third-seeded Lane Peters. Lane is a battle-tested senior that has competed at EIWA’s on two occasions, but is still trying to book his first trip to nationals. With a 4-1 record and a #23 rankings, it looks like Peters could be well on his way. The fourth seed belongs to Tyler Williams, who was pinned by ninth-seeded Jordan Carlucci, but majored the five, Vinny Vespa. The Carlucci loss is the only one of the season for Williams in five bouts. Vespa has a record below .500, but has wins over Carlucci and seventh-seeded Drew Witham. A dangerous sixth seed is freshman Connor McGonagle. Though only 1-3, McGonagle’s record is slightly misleading. All three losses were by a two-point margin, or less, to opponents ranked in the top-23.
TOM Predictions
1st) Trybus (Navy)
2nd) Peters (Army West Point)
3rd) Trampe (Binghamton)
4th) McGonagle (Lehigh)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Cody Trybus (Navy), Lane Peters (Army West Point), Zack Trampe (Binghamton), Connor McGonagle (Lehigh), Tyler Williams (Drexel)
149 lbs
1st - #18 PJ Ogunsanya (Army West Point)
2nd - #19 Casey Cobb (Navy)
3rd - #8 Kizhan Clarke (American)
4th - #26 Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh)
5th - #29 Luke Nichter (Drexel)
6th - #33 Greg Gaxiola (Hofstra)
7th - Matthew Kolonia (Bucknell)
8th - Michael Zarif (Binghamton)
9th - Chris Gomez (Long Island)
10th - Seth Brown (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
Another deep weight class, one with more ranked wrestlers than available spots at nationals, is 149 lbs. Like 125 lbs, we have a wrestler from American that otherwise would have been a favorite slotted in at number three. Kizhan Clarke had a remarkable year in 2019-20, posting 37 wins against seven losses and a fifth-place showing at the Midlands. He slipped a bit, but finished fourth in the conference, but still garnered the 15th seed at nationals. If close to midseason/postseason form, Clarke can win the title. The top seed belongs to undefeated PJ Ogunsanya, who has wins over a pair of past national qualifiers this year. One of those came at the expense of Casey Cobb in the Star Match. Cobb made the NCAA Tournament last season at 133 lbs, but has seen no problems moving up two weights. His loss to Ogunsanya is his only of the year. Both Ogunsanya and Cobb own 2021 wins over Jimmy Hoffman. Jimmy has wrestled a tough schedule and all three of his losses have come against high-quality competition. He could have a nice test in the quarters with undefeated true freshman Luke Nichter. Without a long season, it’s been difficult to gauge precisely where Nichter fits in the conference and nationally, but he does own a win over Hofstra veteran Greg Gaxiola. Greg has competed in a pair of Big 12 tournaments while competing for Fresno State and is 2-1 in limited competition this year. A low seed to be aware of is Matthew Kolonia, who is seventh. Kolonia is a senior that was 18-9 last season, but 2-2 now.
TOM Predictions
1st) Ogunsanya (Army West Point)
2nd) Cobb (Navy)
3rd) Clarke (American)
4th) Nichter (Drexel)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: PJ Ogunsanya (Army West Point), Casey Cobb (Navy), Kizhan Clarke (American), Luke Nichter (Drexel)
157 lbs
1st - #25 Holden Heller (Hofstra)
2nd - #14 Markus Hartman (Army West Point)
3rd - #24 Parker Kropman (Drexel)
4th - #22 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy)
5th - Nick Delp (Bucknell)
6th - Luca Frinzi (Lehigh)
7th - Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart)
8th - Rhise Royster (Long Island)
9th - Matt Swanson (Binghamton)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
Hofstra had a number one seed here with junior Holden Heller. Holden is undefeated in 2021 and has bonus-point wins in three of his five matches. One of those came in his first appearance of the year when he pinned returning Midlands finalist Markus Hartman. Hartman will grab the second seed as that was his only setback of the year. His second-team All-American mention by the NWCA, made Markus the program’s first AA since 2008 and only under head coach Kevin Ward. A second past national qualifier at this weight is Parker Kropman, who made the tournament in 2019. He’ll assume the third seed and is currently undefeated at 4-0. Behind him is perhaps the top freshman in the conference, Andrew Cerniglia. Andrew is also unbeaten and he has been able to put up points on the scoreboard. In his five collegiate bouts, Cerniglia’s “lowest” scoring output has been nine points. He’s a threat, but hasn’t faced any top-tier competition yet. Another true freshman in the field is fifth-seeded Nick Delp. Nick is 4-4 with a win over seventh-seeded Nick Palumbo on his resume. Palumbo is one of the wrestlers from Sacred Heart that could break their long NCAA qualifier-less drought. Another competitor capable of breaking into the top-five is Luca Frinzi of Lehigh. Frinzi was 7-9 while redshirting in 2019-20 at 165 lbs, but is 2-1 this season at 157.
TOM Predictions
1st) Cerniglia (Navy)
2nd) Hartman (Army West Point)
3rd) Heller (Hofstra)
4th) Kropman (Drexel)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Andrew Cerniglia (Navy), Markus Hartman (Army West Point), Holden Heller (Hofstra), Parker Kropman (Drexel), Luca Frinzi (Lehigh)
165 lbs
1st - #10 Zach Hartman (Bucknell)
2nd - #9 Tanner Skidgel (Navy)
3rd - #19 Ricky Stamm (Hofstra)
4th - #29 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton)
5th - #31 Evan Barczak (Drexel)
6th - Brian Meyer (Lehigh)
7th - Will Schmidt (Sacred Heart)
8th - Clayton Fielden (Army West Point)
9th - Ryan Ferro (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
We have the possibility of seeing the best final of the entire tournament at 165 lbs, as Zach Hartman and Tanner Skidgel are on a collision course for the finals. The two met last year in the championship bout and it was Skidgel who was victorious 4-2. Hartman is currently undefeated with a 5-2 win over #22 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) as the best win on his record. Skidgel fell to #8 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) in the first bout of the year, but has been perfect since. Only one of Skidgel’s nine wins saw him fail to capture bonus points. Looking to spoil the Hartman/Skidgel rematch is third-seeded Ricky Stamm. Ricky had a breakout year in 2019-20, finishing fifth in the conference and qualifying for nationals for the first time. He has outclassed his competition in 2021 with a seven-point win accounting for his closest match of the year. Also unbeaten is Binghamton’s true freshman Brevin Cassella. Brevin has yet to face the upper-echelon of the weight but has been able to grind out wins along the way. Evan Barczak is fresh off a redshirt year that saw him go 18-5 and win the Appalachian Open. After a loss in tiebreakers to Jake Silverstein (Rider), he gets the fifth seed, an opponent that Cassella defeated. A tough schedule has led Lehigh sophomore Brian Meyer to a 1-4 record, but he can break into the top-five. Last season, Meyer was 13-17 and went 1-2 at the EIWA Tournament.
TOM Predictions
1st) Skidgel (Navy)
2nd) Hartman (Bucknell)
3rd) Stamm (Hofstra)
4th) Cassella (Binghamton)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Tanner Skidgel (Navy), Zach Hartman (Bucknell), Ricky Stamm (Hofstra), Brevin Casella (Binghamton), Evan Barczak (Drexel)
174 lbs
1st - #12 Michael O’Malley (Drexel)
2nd - #32 Ross McFarland (Hofstra)
3rd - #33 Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point)
4th - Jacob Nolan (Binghamton)
5th - Jake Logan (Lehigh)
6th - Vincent Andreano (Bucknell)
7th - Tim Fitzpatrick (American)
8th - Dean Caravela (Navy)
9th - Thomas DiGennaro (Long Island)
10th - Pat O’Donnell (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
The critics of the system used to dole out automatic qualifying bids in 2021 will probably point to this weight class as the most glaring flaw in the process. In a typical year, this weight class would have only received one automatic bid. They have been allotted five. That’s not the fault of the wrestlers participating, so let’s look at who will compete for the spots. #12 Michael O’Malley is a strong favorite. He has three falls in five bouts and is the only member of this bracket that has previously qualified for nationals. One of the two wrestlers to keep O’Malley to a regular decision is the second seed Ross McFarland. Ross made in through a tough battle for the 174 lb spot for the Pride. His loss to O’Malley accounts for his only one of the year in five total matches. The third-ranked wrestler at this weight is freshman Ben Pasiuk. Ben won his spot late in the season and only has two matches on the year. In both bouts, Pasiuk downed his opponent via major decision. Another unbeaten entrant at this weight is Jake Logan, the fourth-seed. Logan has wins against Army West Point and Lehigh, but neither of those wrestlers will represent their school on Friday. Lehigh’s rep is Jake Logan, who is 2-4 and trying to snap a three-match losing skid. One of the factors that led to Logan’s placement was a 7-4 win over eighth-seeded Dean Caravela. Vincent Andreano has a strong record at 5-1 but suffered a loss to Army’s Brad Laughlin, an opponent that Nolan and one of Logan’s teammates defeated. Despite his two conference losses, a 7-3 Caravela could be dangerous from the eighth seed.
TOM Predictions
1st) O’Malley (Drexel)
2nd) Pasiuk (Army West Point)
3rd) McFarland (Hofstra)
4th) Logan (Lehigh)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Michael O’Malley (Drexel), Ben Pasiuk (Army West Point), Ross McFarland (Hofstra), Jake Logan (Lehigh), Dean Caravela (Navy)
184 lbs
1st - #3 Louie DePrez (Binghamton)
2nd - #11 David Key (Navy)
3rd - #33 Taylor Brown (Army West Point)
4th - Charles Small (Hofstra)
5th - Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart)
6th - Josh Stillings (Drexel)
7th - James Langan (Long Island)
8th - Frankie Guida (Bucknell)
9th - Dylan Ammerman (Lehigh)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (6)
Like 174, this weight is another that, well, let’s just say the EIWA benefitted from the qualifier allotment. 184 lbs is led by defending champion Louie DePrez. DePrez is the highest-ranked wrestler in the conference and has the highest probability of bringing home an NCAA title from St. Louis. While Louie hasn’t been able to face any of his NCAA title competition this season, he has been dominant in the matches he did wrestle. He crushed the field with a pair of falls and a major in four 2021 matches. Freshman David Key could end up representing the biggest challenge of the tournament for the Bearcat. Key went 24-2 while competing for the Naval Academy Prep School in 2019-20. Both of his losses that year came at the Southern Scuffle, where he finished fifth. At that tournament, Key pinned the eventual ninth seed at the NCAA Championships, Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State). His rival from Army West Point, Taylor Brown, has the third seed. Brown started his collegiate career at 141 lbs and moved up from 157 after last season. He’s shown no ill-effects from the bump in weight, going 4-2 overall. Former NJCAA national champion Charles Small has found his stride this year for Hofstra. Small has gone 4-1, with the only loss coming via injury default to Brown. Just a point separated Small from the fifth seed, Joe Accousti of Sacred Heart. Accousti is in his second year at SHU after transferring from Appalachian State. He is 3-2 on the year, but the Small loss is the only one that came during conference action. Right behind Accousti in dual competition is 2-3, Josh Stillings. A pair of wrestlers that competed primarily at 174 lbs may be able to break into the top-six in seventh-seed James Langan and eighth-seeded Frankie Guida. Langan is 4-5 with a win over Guida at the lower weight.
TOM Predictions
1st) DePrez (Binghamton)
2nd) Key (Navy)
3rd) Small (Hofstra)
4th) Brown (Army West Point)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Louie DePrez (Binghamton), David Key (Navy), Charles Small (Hofstra), Taylor Brown (Army West Point), Frankie Guida (Bucknell), Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart)
197 lbs
1st - #22 Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh)
2nd - #20 JT Brown (Army West Point)
3rd - #21 Jake Koser (Navy)
4th - #29 Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel)
5th - Trey Rogers (Hofstra)
6th - Robert Hetherman (Sacred Heart)
7th - Mason McCready (Bucknell)
8th - Sam DePrez (Binghamton)
9th - TJ Frandan (Long Island)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (5)
The most difficult weight to seed had to be 197 lbs, at least among the top three. Jake Jakobsen, JT Brown, and Jake Koser have all exchanged wins with each other. Interestingly enough, none of these meetings have been “that” close. All have been by five-point margins or more. Jakobsen has the longest track record, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament on two occasions after finishing fifth in the conference in both trips. His 7-1 win over Brown accounted for his best victory of the year. Brown was a national qualifier last season after taking fourth in the EIWA. He had a head-to-head win over Jakobsen in the consolations. Koser just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Championships last season as a freshman. He did earn wins over both of the wrestlers seeded above him during the 2019-20 regular season. The third returning qualifier at this weight is Bryan McLaughlin of Drexel. McLaughlin earned a win over Koser at the conference meet, locking up his qualifier status. He is 4-1 this season, but did suffer a loss to then-unranked Austin Stith (George Mason). A narrow 3-2 loss to Brown was the only blemish on the season for Trey Rogers. The junior was able to roll through the rest of his schedule win bonus points in every other bout. A head-to-head win by Robert Hetherman (by fall) gives him the sixth seed over Mason McCready, who is 4-4.
TOM Predictions
1st) Brown (Army West Point)
2nd) Jakobsen (Lehigh)
3rd) McLaughlin (Drexel)
4th) Koser (Navy)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: JT Brown (Army West Point), Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh), Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel), Jake Koser (Navy), Trey Rogers (Hofstra)
285 lbs
1st - #9 Jordan Wood (Lehigh)
2nd - #21 John Birchmeier (Navy)
3rd - Robert Heald (Army West Point)
4th - #28 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra)
5th - Joe Doyle (Binghamton)
6th - Dorian Crosby (Bucknell)
7th - Tim Nagosky (Long Island)
8th - Sean O’Malley (Drexel)
9th - Mark Blokh (Sacred Heart)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
285 lbs is another weight where the EIWA might end up with an at-large berth, provided chaos at the weight class around the country is kept to a minimum. The clear-cut favorite is Jordan Wood, who is aiming for his fourth EIWA crown. The two-time All-American, Wood, was planning on taking a redshirt this year but came out at the end of January with falls in his first two appearances. Wood suffered a loss in his most recent outing, though it was out-of-conference and had no bearing on his seed. Behind Wood is sophomore John Birchmeier who went 5-0 this year. Birchmeier started his year off by pinning returning national qualifier, Tyler Bagoly (Clarion). He gets the second seed after he hung on to defeat Robert Heald in the Star Match. Heald gets the nod from Coach Kevin Ward as he has competed with 2020 national qualifier Ben Sullivan for the starting role for the better part of two seasons. Robert has fallen to Wood and Birchmeier but held serve against the rest of the conference. The biggest of those wins was a 4-3 decision over 2020 national qualifier Zachary Knighton-Ward. Ward earned an at-large berth in 2020 and was seeded 29th at the NCAA Tournament. As the fifth-seed, Joe Doyle will make his season debut. Though he did not make the 2020 national tournament, Doyle compiled a 21-14 record and notched wins over two qualifiers. He split matches on the year with Knighton-Ward. True freshman Dorian Crosby is another entrant capable of cracking the top four and securing a trip to St. Louis. He has wins so far over the seventh and ninth seeds.
TOM Predictions
1st) Wood (Lehigh)
2nd) Birchmeier (Navy)
3rd) Knighton-Ward (Hofstra)
4th) Heald (Army West Point)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jordan Wood (Lehigh), John Birchmeier (Navy), Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), Robert Heald (Army West Point)
Projected Team Race
1st) Navy
2nd) Army West Point
3rd) Lehigh
4th) Drexel
5th) Hofstra
6th) Binghamton
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