Penn, Lehigh set to challenge Cornell for EIWA team title, March 7-8
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by John Harman
Ten defending or returning EIWA champions return to the mats March 7-8 for the 105th annual EIWA Championships at the Penn Palestra. They will be hard put to exceed the drama that ensued a year ago when Cornell successfully defended their 2007 team championship by the slimmest margin possible…just a half point.
Cornell appears to be the early favorite to win three straight, but upsets and injuries, always a factor in tournaments like this, make the Quakers, along with a resurgent Lehigh squad, possible challengers for the team title.
If recent history is any guide, Cornell should be a shoo-in, as team titles have been running in streaks since 1996, when the Quakers began a historic four straight winning streak under former coach Roger Reina, who will be inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame on Sunday. After single titles by Lehigh and Harvard, the Mountain Hawks won five straight from 2002 to 2006. The Big Red, shooting for their third consecutive crown, hold the all-time record of six straight titles from 1912-1917.
Ten individual championships are up for grabs, along with 38 automatic qualifying berths to the NCAA Championships in St Louis two weeks hence. Editor's Note: The automatic qualifiers as announced on February 26 is updated in this story.
It's expected that Cornell, Lehigh, Penn and Navy will each have eight wrestlers seeded in the top six of their weight classes, with Cornell probably grabbing three #1 seeds.
Cornell is lead by three elite wrestlers who will be heavily favored to win individual titles. They are junior Troy Nickerson (125), a previous EIWA champion and NCAA runnerup; senior Jordan Leen (157), a defending NCAA and EIWA champion; and junior Mack Lewnes (165), a defending EIWA champion who placed fourth in the nation as a sophomore.
In addition, the Big Red have senior Steve Anceravage (174), a former champion at 165 who has never placed worse than third in the EIWA. Mike Grey placed third a year ago as a freshman, and may get the #2 seed at 133, while sophomore Justin Kerber (184) is the likely #2 seed behind Harvard's Louis Caputo. Senior heavyweight Zach Hammond is a former EIWA runnerup who has been somewhat hobbled by injuries over his career.
Freshman Cam Simaz, originally slated for a backup role at 184, has stepped up to fill the shoes of the injured Josh Arnone, and will likely be seeded #2 at 197.
If that sounds like a formidable lineup, it is, and Lehigh and Penn will be hard pressed to push Cornell for the title.
Lehigh has had an outstanding dual meet season, compiling a record of 23-1 with a win over Penn the final week of the season, but the Mountain Hawks didn't wrestle Cornell this season.
Like Cornell, the Mountain Hawks have eight wrestlers who are likely to place in this tournament. But they have only two men who have ever reached the final round. They are junior Matt Fisk (133) and senior Trevor Chinn (149). Their only solid possibility at getting a #1 seed is junior David Craig (184), who has recently cracked the Top Eight nationally.
Other high seeds will go to junior Seth Ciasulli, (141) and freshman Zach Rey at heavyweight. Another freshman, Joe Kennedy, will be in the title hunt at 197, while sophomore Alex Caruso looks like the #4 seed at 174. Another likely #4 seed, junior Mike Galante, wrestling in the tough 165-pound weight class, will likely have to get past Lewnes to make the finals.
Penn is a solid team that has lost only to Ivy league champion Cornell and Lehigh conference duals. They have two defending EIWA champions, in junior Rollie Peterkin (125) and senior Cesar Grajales (149). In addition, the Quakers have two-time former champion Matt Dragon, a junior returning to the mats after deferring eligibility for a year, and senior Zack Shanaman, who was a finalist at 165 last year.
Senior Rick Rappo is a title threat at 141, as is senior Trey McLean at heavyweight. Junior Thomas Shovlin could improve upon his third place finish a year ago, while sophomore Scott Giffin could place high at 174.
Navy placed third in 2008, and had high hopes for the current season. But the Mids have been hit hard with injuries, and senior Scott Steele, ranked Top Four in the nation at heavyweight, is out for the season.
But the Mids are a strong team that could still battle for second or third place, lead by senior Joe Baker, undefeated at 133 after missing the middle of the season with an injury. Sophomore Bryce Saddoris was third at 149 last year, and has 33 wins in a very tough weight class. Freshman Prescott Garner, who was not expected to start, has 13 pins at 125, and another freshman, Luke Rebertus will be looking for a high place at 174.
Here is our annual weight-by-weight preview.
125 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers =3. This is a possible final between two former champions. Nickerson is 16-0, and defeated Peterkin 8-4 in the dual, which will give Cornell the top seed. Bucknell freshman Derek Reber owns a 5-2 win over Thomas Williams of American, and Williams edged Garner 8-7. Garner, who pinned Peterkin is dangerous despite these losses, and could contend for third place.
133 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Baker is 11-0 and the defending champion, so he will be the easy #1 seed. Bucknell junior David Marble is a two-time qualifier who placed second ahead of Grey last March, and the coaches will have to decide who gets the #2 seed. That deliberation will include Fisk, who has an 8-3 win over Marble. Challenges will come from Bryan Ortenzio of Penn and former qualifier Jasen Borshoff of American.
141 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 2. The big question here is the health of Harvard sophomore Corey Jantzen, who lost most of January and February with an injury after defeating the defending national champion at the Las Vegas Invitational. If he's in the Crimson lineup, he'll be likely to get the #1 seed. Otherwise it will be a Ciasulli, who beat Rappo 2-0 on the last week of the dual meet season. Rutgers freshman Trevor Melde could make a bid here, along with Casey Thome of Army and Matt Mariacher of American.
149 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 6. This is arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament. Army junior Matt Kyler, who was champion at 141 last year, has 17 pins, two wins (4-2 and 1-0;tb) over Saddoris and a 3-1 win over Chinn, so he will get the top seed. After that, it's up for grabs as the next four contenders, Kyle Borshoff of American, Chinn, Grajales and Saddoris have all beaten each other. Bucknell sophomore Kevin LeValley served notice that he deserves consideration when he upset Borshoff 4-1 in a late season dual. Seemingly left out in the cold is talented Harvard freshman Walter Peppelman, who gave Grajales all he could handle out in Las Vegas.
157 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Harvard junior J. P. O'Connor is a two-time EIWA runnerup at 149 who moved up a weight this season and beat Leen in a tiebreaker back in December. Two-time champion Dragon has been beaten by identical 4-1 scores by both O'Connor and Leen, so he will get the #3 seed. Leen also beat talented Rutgers freshman Scott Winston, who has 31 wins. Navy's Joel Ahern and Columbia's Derek Sickles will attempt to join the elite group of four.
165 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 3. Lewnes is undefeated at 31-0, and defending champion, so he will be the #1 seed. Bucknell junior Andy Rendos, a two-time qualifier, has lost only to Lewnes. Galante and Shanaman will likely vie for the #3 seed. Looking to break into the Top 4 will be Navy sophomore Matt DeMichiel and Rutgers senior Matt Pletcher.
174 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 6. Former champion and two-time finalist Anceravage will get the top seed. But American junior Mike Cannon is undefeated at 26-0, and will make a formidable finals opponent. The #3 seed will go to Giffin, who beat Caruso 7-5 in the dual, while Rebertus and Bucknell junior Shane Riccio will vie for the #5 seed. Keep an eye on Justin Herbert, a senior from Franklin & Marshall who has broken the school record for pins, including a late season fall over Caruso.
184 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Harvard junior Louis Caputo is a former champion who was out of the tournament last season with an injury. He was beaten 3-2 by Craig, who will probably get the top seed. Caputo and Kerber will vie for #2, with seniors Matt Gevelinger of Brown and Casey Caldwell of Navy in contention for the fourth slot. Bucknell sophomore David Thompson could be a factor here.
197 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 2. This is a very even weight class. Army junior Richard Starks is the likely #1 seed, based on a 5-3 win over Simaz back in December. Starks and Simaz have both beaten Kennedy, who has a 2-1 win over Navy's Phil Neese. East Stroudsburg junior Shane Mallory and Penn's Shovlin will be in contention here.
285 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Columbia sophomore Ryan Flores is a returning finalist with 14 pins whose likely opponent will be Zach Rey. Penn's McLean is also capable of producing pins, while ESU's junior Chris Birchler could get the #4 seed based on a February 7-3 win over Army senior Mike Sprigg.
For or those who like to plan ahead, the 2010 EIWA Championships have been tentatively awarded to Lehigh University for the first weekend in March.
Cornell appears to be the early favorite to win three straight, but upsets and injuries, always a factor in tournaments like this, make the Quakers, along with a resurgent Lehigh squad, possible challengers for the team title.
If recent history is any guide, Cornell should be a shoo-in, as team titles have been running in streaks since 1996, when the Quakers began a historic four straight winning streak under former coach Roger Reina, who will be inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame on Sunday. After single titles by Lehigh and Harvard, the Mountain Hawks won five straight from 2002 to 2006. The Big Red, shooting for their third consecutive crown, hold the all-time record of six straight titles from 1912-1917.
Ten individual championships are up for grabs, along with 38 automatic qualifying berths to the NCAA Championships in St Louis two weeks hence. Editor's Note: The automatic qualifiers as announced on February 26 is updated in this story.
It's expected that Cornell, Lehigh, Penn and Navy will each have eight wrestlers seeded in the top six of their weight classes, with Cornell probably grabbing three #1 seeds.
Cornell is lead by three elite wrestlers who will be heavily favored to win individual titles. They are junior Troy Nickerson (125), a previous EIWA champion and NCAA runnerup; senior Jordan Leen (157), a defending NCAA and EIWA champion; and junior Mack Lewnes (165), a defending EIWA champion who placed fourth in the nation as a sophomore.
In addition, the Big Red have senior Steve Anceravage (174), a former champion at 165 who has never placed worse than third in the EIWA. Mike Grey placed third a year ago as a freshman, and may get the #2 seed at 133, while sophomore Justin Kerber (184) is the likely #2 seed behind Harvard's Louis Caputo. Senior heavyweight Zach Hammond is a former EIWA runnerup who has been somewhat hobbled by injuries over his career.
Freshman Cam Simaz, originally slated for a backup role at 184, has stepped up to fill the shoes of the injured Josh Arnone, and will likely be seeded #2 at 197.
If that sounds like a formidable lineup, it is, and Lehigh and Penn will be hard pressed to push Cornell for the title.
Lehigh has had an outstanding dual meet season, compiling a record of 23-1 with a win over Penn the final week of the season, but the Mountain Hawks didn't wrestle Cornell this season.
Like Cornell, the Mountain Hawks have eight wrestlers who are likely to place in this tournament. But they have only two men who have ever reached the final round. They are junior Matt Fisk (133) and senior Trevor Chinn (149). Their only solid possibility at getting a #1 seed is junior David Craig (184), who has recently cracked the Top Eight nationally.
Other high seeds will go to junior Seth Ciasulli, (141) and freshman Zach Rey at heavyweight. Another freshman, Joe Kennedy, will be in the title hunt at 197, while sophomore Alex Caruso looks like the #4 seed at 174. Another likely #4 seed, junior Mike Galante, wrestling in the tough 165-pound weight class, will likely have to get past Lewnes to make the finals.
Penn is a solid team that has lost only to Ivy league champion Cornell and Lehigh conference duals. They have two defending EIWA champions, in junior Rollie Peterkin (125) and senior Cesar Grajales (149). In addition, the Quakers have two-time former champion Matt Dragon, a junior returning to the mats after deferring eligibility for a year, and senior Zack Shanaman, who was a finalist at 165 last year.
Senior Rick Rappo is a title threat at 141, as is senior Trey McLean at heavyweight. Junior Thomas Shovlin could improve upon his third place finish a year ago, while sophomore Scott Giffin could place high at 174.
Navy placed third in 2008, and had high hopes for the current season. But the Mids have been hit hard with injuries, and senior Scott Steele, ranked Top Four in the nation at heavyweight, is out for the season.
But the Mids are a strong team that could still battle for second or third place, lead by senior Joe Baker, undefeated at 133 after missing the middle of the season with an injury. Sophomore Bryce Saddoris was third at 149 last year, and has 33 wins in a very tough weight class. Freshman Prescott Garner, who was not expected to start, has 13 pins at 125, and another freshman, Luke Rebertus will be looking for a high place at 174.
Here is our annual weight-by-weight preview.
125 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers =3. This is a possible final between two former champions. Nickerson is 16-0, and defeated Peterkin 8-4 in the dual, which will give Cornell the top seed. Bucknell freshman Derek Reber owns a 5-2 win over Thomas Williams of American, and Williams edged Garner 8-7. Garner, who pinned Peterkin is dangerous despite these losses, and could contend for third place.
133 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Baker is 11-0 and the defending champion, so he will be the easy #1 seed. Bucknell junior David Marble is a two-time qualifier who placed second ahead of Grey last March, and the coaches will have to decide who gets the #2 seed. That deliberation will include Fisk, who has an 8-3 win over Marble. Challenges will come from Bryan Ortenzio of Penn and former qualifier Jasen Borshoff of American.
141 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 2. The big question here is the health of Harvard sophomore Corey Jantzen, who lost most of January and February with an injury after defeating the defending national champion at the Las Vegas Invitational. If he's in the Crimson lineup, he'll be likely to get the #1 seed. Otherwise it will be a Ciasulli, who beat Rappo 2-0 on the last week of the dual meet season. Rutgers freshman Trevor Melde could make a bid here, along with Casey Thome of Army and Matt Mariacher of American.
149 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 6. This is arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament. Army junior Matt Kyler, who was champion at 141 last year, has 17 pins, two wins (4-2 and 1-0;tb) over Saddoris and a 3-1 win over Chinn, so he will get the top seed. After that, it's up for grabs as the next four contenders, Kyle Borshoff of American, Chinn, Grajales and Saddoris have all beaten each other. Bucknell sophomore Kevin LeValley served notice that he deserves consideration when he upset Borshoff 4-1 in a late season dual. Seemingly left out in the cold is talented Harvard freshman Walter Peppelman, who gave Grajales all he could handle out in Las Vegas.
157 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Harvard junior J. P. O'Connor is a two-time EIWA runnerup at 149 who moved up a weight this season and beat Leen in a tiebreaker back in December. Two-time champion Dragon has been beaten by identical 4-1 scores by both O'Connor and Leen, so he will get the #3 seed. Leen also beat talented Rutgers freshman Scott Winston, who has 31 wins. Navy's Joel Ahern and Columbia's Derek Sickles will attempt to join the elite group of four.
165 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 3. Lewnes is undefeated at 31-0, and defending champion, so he will be the #1 seed. Bucknell junior Andy Rendos, a two-time qualifier, has lost only to Lewnes. Galante and Shanaman will likely vie for the #3 seed. Looking to break into the Top 4 will be Navy sophomore Matt DeMichiel and Rutgers senior Matt Pletcher.
174 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 6. Former champion and two-time finalist Anceravage will get the top seed. But American junior Mike Cannon is undefeated at 26-0, and will make a formidable finals opponent. The #3 seed will go to Giffin, who beat Caruso 7-5 in the dual, while Rebertus and Bucknell junior Shane Riccio will vie for the #5 seed. Keep an eye on Justin Herbert, a senior from Franklin & Marshall who has broken the school record for pins, including a late season fall over Caruso.
184 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Harvard junior Louis Caputo is a former champion who was out of the tournament last season with an injury. He was beaten 3-2 by Craig, who will probably get the top seed. Caputo and Kerber will vie for #2, with seniors Matt Gevelinger of Brown and Casey Caldwell of Navy in contention for the fourth slot. Bucknell sophomore David Thompson could be a factor here.
197 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 2. This is a very even weight class. Army junior Richard Starks is the likely #1 seed, based on a 5-3 win over Simaz back in December. Starks and Simaz have both beaten Kennedy, who has a 2-1 win over Navy's Phil Neese. East Stroudsburg junior Shane Mallory and Penn's Shovlin will be in contention here.
285 pounds
Automatic Qualifiers = 4. Columbia sophomore Ryan Flores is a returning finalist with 14 pins whose likely opponent will be Zach Rey. Penn's McLean is also capable of producing pins, while ESU's junior Chris Birchler could get the #4 seed based on a February 7-3 win over Army senior Mike Sprigg.
For or those who like to plan ahead, the 2010 EIWA Championships have been tentatively awarded to Lehigh University for the first weekend in March.
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