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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – While only seniors Matt Kyler and Richard Starks are guaranteed a spot at the NCAA Championships in two weeks, Army did place six wrestlers at the 106th annual EIWA Championships.
Kyler finished first and Starks rebounded to finish third and earn one of the qualifying spots allocated to the EIWA.
Collin Wittmeyer (fifth at 184), Orion Ross (seventh at 285), Travis Coffey (eighth, 133) and Casey Thome (eight, 141) also placed for the Black Knights but are considered long shots for one of the available 46 at-large spots.
“We have much higher team goals and much higher individual goals,” said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. “Knowing what we had and our youth, I thought the guys executed. We need to wrestle better in the close matches and get tougher and a tournament like this is a great way to do that. Our guys will be better for having wrestled here.”
NCAA BOUND: The 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 18-20 at Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Each bracket will have 33 entrants.
BARBEE EIWA SUCCESS: Army head coach Chuck Barbee is in the midst of his 10th season and has now coached 50 EIWA placewinners during his tenure.
FOUR TIMES: Cornell racked up 160.5 points to win its fourth straight EIWA championship. Pennsylvania finished second with 113 points, followed by Lehigh (109.5), Bucknell and American.
Army finished in a tie for eighth with Columbia after gathering 65 points.
CHAMPS: Cornell was the only team with multiple individual champions. The Big Red crowned champions at 125, 133, 141, 174 and 197 pounds. Army (149), Harvard (157), Bucknell (165), American (184) and Lehigh (285) represented the other winners.
AWARDS: Mack Lewnes of Cornell won the Coaches Trophy as outstanding wrestler … Cornell coach Rob Koll, who led his team to a fourth straight championship, was named the EIWA Coach of the Year … Troy Nickerson of Cornell won the John Fletcher Memorial Award for most team points in an EIWA career … T he Billy Sheridan Memorial Award for most falls in the least amount of time in the championship bracket was Lehigh’s Matt Fisk … The Good Sportsmanship Award, as voted on by the tournament referees, was Princeton.
DEFENDERS: All five defending champions reached the finals but only four -- Cornell’s Troy Nickerson (125), Mack Lewnes (174) and Cam Simaz (197) and American’s Michael Cannon (184) -- won a second consecutive title. Navy’s Bryce Saddoris finished second at 157 pounds.
FINALS REPLAY: While lehighsports.com streamed all the wrestling live, Fox College Sports Atlantic will replay the finals on March 9 at 8 p.m. Visit www.foxcollegesports.com to find FCS on your cable system.
SAME TIME: Both Army wrestlers in the consolation semifinals had their matches called at the same time. Richard Starks and Collin Wittmeyer were wrestling next to each other which made it easier for the Army staff to keep an eye on both bouts
41: The EIWA was allocated 41 spots for the NCAA Championships. The following wrestlers earned a spot while an additional 46 at-large selections will be determined by the NCAA Wrestling Committee next week.
125 (4): Troy Nickerson (Cornell), Garret Frey (Princeton), Steven Keith (Harvard), Joseph Langel (Rutgers)
133 (5): Mike Grey (Cornell), Matthew Fisk (Lehigh), David Marble (Bucknell), Cortlandt Choate (Brown), Bryan Ortenzio (Penn)
141 (3): Kyle Drake (Cornell), Jordan Lipp (American), Zack Kemmerer (Penn)
149 (4): Matt Kyler (Army), Kevin LeValley (Bucknell), Glenn Shober (Navy), Cesar Grajales (Penn)
157 (4): J.P. O’Connor (Harvard), Bryce Saddoris (Navy), Daryl Coccozzo (Rutgers), Steve Fittery (American)
165 (6): Andrew Rendos (Bucknell), Brandon Hatchet (Lehigh), Eren Civan (Columbia), Justin Kerber (Cornell), Robby Neil (Navy), Stephen Burak (Penn)
174 (4): Mack Lewnes (Cornell), Scott Giffin (Penn), Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), Shane Riccio (Bucknell)
184 (4): Michael Cannon (American), Louis Caputo (Harvard), Steve Bosak (Cornell), David Craig (Lehigh)
197 (4): Cam Simaz (Cornell), Micah Burak (Penn), Richard Starks (Army), Danial Mitchell (American)
285 (3): Zachery Rey (Lehigh), Dominick Russo (Rutgers), Josh Arnone (Cornell)
QUALIFIER BREAKDOWN: Cornell ran away with the team title and will send an EIWA-best eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Penn advanced six wrestlers, Lehigh five with Bucknell and American each sending four. Harvard, Rutgers and Navy advanced three, Army two and Princeton, Brown and Columbia one.
SEEDS: All 10 #1 seeds advanced to the finals while just four second seeds reached the last match. Four three seeds and two seventh seeds comprise the 20 wrestlers in the finals. Only 133, 174, 184 and 285 featured matches with the top two seeds.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH: Because some weights have six NCAA allocations and with 46 at-large selections, seventh-place matches were held. It was incorrectly initially reported on Saturday that Travis Coffey, Casey Thome and Orion Ross’ seasons had ended. That was not accurate as Coffey, Thome and Ross all wrestled in the seventh-place consolation bout Sunday morning.
SUPPORT STAFF: Lt Col. Todd Messitt is serving as the Army wrestling team’s Officer Representative while Robby Vought is the athletic trainer.
107TH VERSION: The EIWA has not announced who will host next year’s EIWA Championships. The committee is expected to release the location in the near future.
BUSY STABLE: Stabler Arena was a busy place on Sunday. Not only did it serve as host of the 106th annual EIWA Championships, the cozy venue was quickly turned over to play host to a Lehigh vs. American men’s Patriot League playoff game at 8 p.m., five hours after the finals started and was scheduled to be shown live on CBS College Sports.
HALL OF FAMERS: The EIWA announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2010 before the finals. It includes Mike Lieberman, a national champion from Lehigh; Dr. David Hirsch, a three-time EIWA champion from Cornell; Pascal Perri, a decorated official who has worked 28 EIWA Tournaments; Dr. Vincent Zuaro, a former official who worked at 12 NCAA Championships and five Olympic games; and Reggie Jones, an official with 57 years of officiating experience at the scholastic and collegiate levels.
FIRST TIME: Andy Rendos of Bucknell won the 165-pound championship, becoming the Bisons’ first EIWA title winner.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – While only seniors Matt Kyler and Richard Starks are guaranteed a spot at the NCAA Championships in two weeks, Army did place six wrestlers at the 106th annual EIWA Championships.
Kyler finished first and Starks rebounded to finish third and earn one of the qualifying spots allocated to the EIWA.
Collin Wittmeyer (fifth at 184), Orion Ross (seventh at 285), Travis Coffey (eighth, 133) and Casey Thome (eight, 141) also placed for the Black Knights but are considered long shots for one of the available 46 at-large spots.
“We have much higher team goals and much higher individual goals,” said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. “Knowing what we had and our youth, I thought the guys executed. We need to wrestle better in the close matches and get tougher and a tournament like this is a great way to do that. Our guys will be better for having wrestled here.”
NCAA BOUND: The 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 18-20 at Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Each bracket will have 33 entrants.
BARBEE EIWA SUCCESS: Army head coach Chuck Barbee is in the midst of his 10th season and has now coached 50 EIWA placewinners during his tenure.
FOUR TIMES: Cornell racked up 160.5 points to win its fourth straight EIWA championship. Pennsylvania finished second with 113 points, followed by Lehigh (109.5), Bucknell and American.
Army finished in a tie for eighth with Columbia after gathering 65 points.
CHAMPS: Cornell was the only team with multiple individual champions. The Big Red crowned champions at 125, 133, 141, 174 and 197 pounds. Army (149), Harvard (157), Bucknell (165), American (184) and Lehigh (285) represented the other winners.
AWARDS: Mack Lewnes of Cornell won the Coaches Trophy as outstanding wrestler … Cornell coach Rob Koll, who led his team to a fourth straight championship, was named the EIWA Coach of the Year … Troy Nickerson of Cornell won the John Fletcher Memorial Award for most team points in an EIWA career … T he Billy Sheridan Memorial Award for most falls in the least amount of time in the championship bracket was Lehigh’s Matt Fisk … The Good Sportsmanship Award, as voted on by the tournament referees, was Princeton.
DEFENDERS: All five defending champions reached the finals but only four -- Cornell’s Troy Nickerson (125), Mack Lewnes (174) and Cam Simaz (197) and American’s Michael Cannon (184) -- won a second consecutive title. Navy’s Bryce Saddoris finished second at 157 pounds.
FINALS REPLAY: While lehighsports.com streamed all the wrestling live, Fox College Sports Atlantic will replay the finals on March 9 at 8 p.m. Visit www.foxcollegesports.com to find FCS on your cable system.
SAME TIME: Both Army wrestlers in the consolation semifinals had their matches called at the same time. Richard Starks and Collin Wittmeyer were wrestling next to each other which made it easier for the Army staff to keep an eye on both bouts
41: The EIWA was allocated 41 spots for the NCAA Championships. The following wrestlers earned a spot while an additional 46 at-large selections will be determined by the NCAA Wrestling Committee next week.
125 (4): Troy Nickerson (Cornell), Garret Frey (Princeton), Steven Keith (Harvard), Joseph Langel (Rutgers)
133 (5): Mike Grey (Cornell), Matthew Fisk (Lehigh), David Marble (Bucknell), Cortlandt Choate (Brown), Bryan Ortenzio (Penn)
141 (3): Kyle Drake (Cornell), Jordan Lipp (American), Zack Kemmerer (Penn)
149 (4): Matt Kyler (Army), Kevin LeValley (Bucknell), Glenn Shober (Navy), Cesar Grajales (Penn)
157 (4): J.P. O’Connor (Harvard), Bryce Saddoris (Navy), Daryl Coccozzo (Rutgers), Steve Fittery (American)
165 (6): Andrew Rendos (Bucknell), Brandon Hatchet (Lehigh), Eren Civan (Columbia), Justin Kerber (Cornell), Robby Neil (Navy), Stephen Burak (Penn)
174 (4): Mack Lewnes (Cornell), Scott Giffin (Penn), Robert Hamlin (Lehigh), Shane Riccio (Bucknell)
184 (4): Michael Cannon (American), Louis Caputo (Harvard), Steve Bosak (Cornell), David Craig (Lehigh)
197 (4): Cam Simaz (Cornell), Micah Burak (Penn), Richard Starks (Army), Danial Mitchell (American)
285 (3): Zachery Rey (Lehigh), Dominick Russo (Rutgers), Josh Arnone (Cornell)
QUALIFIER BREAKDOWN: Cornell ran away with the team title and will send an EIWA-best eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Penn advanced six wrestlers, Lehigh five with Bucknell and American each sending four. Harvard, Rutgers and Navy advanced three, Army two and Princeton, Brown and Columbia one.
SEEDS: All 10 #1 seeds advanced to the finals while just four second seeds reached the last match. Four three seeds and two seventh seeds comprise the 20 wrestlers in the finals. Only 133, 174, 184 and 285 featured matches with the top two seeds.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH: Because some weights have six NCAA allocations and with 46 at-large selections, seventh-place matches were held. It was incorrectly initially reported on Saturday that Travis Coffey, Casey Thome and Orion Ross’ seasons had ended. That was not accurate as Coffey, Thome and Ross all wrestled in the seventh-place consolation bout Sunday morning.
SUPPORT STAFF: Lt Col. Todd Messitt is serving as the Army wrestling team’s Officer Representative while Robby Vought is the athletic trainer.
107TH VERSION: The EIWA has not announced who will host next year’s EIWA Championships. The committee is expected to release the location in the near future.
BUSY STABLE: Stabler Arena was a busy place on Sunday. Not only did it serve as host of the 106th annual EIWA Championships, the cozy venue was quickly turned over to play host to a Lehigh vs. American men’s Patriot League playoff game at 8 p.m., five hours after the finals started and was scheduled to be shown live on CBS College Sports.
HALL OF FAMERS: The EIWA announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2010 before the finals. It includes Mike Lieberman, a national champion from Lehigh; Dr. David Hirsch, a three-time EIWA champion from Cornell; Pascal Perri, a decorated official who has worked 28 EIWA Tournaments; Dr. Vincent Zuaro, a former official who worked at 12 NCAA Championships and five Olympic games; and Reggie Jones, an official with 57 years of officiating experience at the scholastic and collegiate levels.
FIRST TIME: Andy Rendos of Bucknell won the 165-pound championship, becoming the Bisons’ first EIWA title winner.
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