2024-25 EIWA Preview - Part One
Austin Sommer, EIWA Sports Information Director https://eiwawrestling.org/landing/index
The 121st EIWA Championships, to be held at Lehigh on March 7 and 8 will look a little different without the six Ivy League Schools. They exited the EIWA to form the Ivy League Conference for 2024-2025. There are now twelve member schools: American, Army West Point, Binghamton, Bucknell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Hofstra, Lehigh, Long Island University, Morgan State, Navy, and Sacred Heart.
125lbs: This weight class cleared out drastically from a season ago. With the Ivy schools departing, and some other various weight changes – there is only one returning place finisher from last season. Robbie Sagaris of LIU placed 7th in a deep bracket. On paper, this is not the deepest bracket. We should not expect many allocations to NCAAs here, but I’d love to be proven wrong! Last year’s champion, Luke Stanich of Lehigh, will be up to 141lbs and likely redshirt. Army’s Ethan Berginc was 3rd and will be moving up to 133lbs this season. Jack Maida of American was 8th and will be moving up as well. Stating this weight class has cleared out was not an exaggeration!
The top contenders: Sagaris, mentioned above, is a contender. He’s a veteran who has shown steady improvement every year. Whoever will represent Lehigh will be a factor in this bracket as well. Drexel will have two good options in Giampietro and Pleasant. Binghamton’s Carson Wagner had a solid freshman campaign last year and will look to make noise here. Army’s Charlie Farmer should find himself in a good position to qualify for NCAAs. He won a U23 Pan-Am freestyle gold this off-season. Now that he’s the starter, we will only improvement.
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Charlie Farmer – Army #20
Sheldon Seymour – Lehigh #24
Darkhorses and Newcomers: There are a few high-level freshmen here. American’s JJ Peace was a 4x state champ in South Carolina, while earning All-American honors in several tournaments in high school. Developing with Coach Dance will make him a dangerous opponent for most. Ty Kapusta is a potential starter for Bucknell. He owns 3 PIAA medals, which typically translates well at this level. Lehigh has two freshmen in Mason Ziegler and Matty Lopes. Ziegler is a 3X PIAA placer, while Lopes is a 2X Beast of the East champ. F&M’s James Garcia placed at PA states twice. Look for him to compete if he earns the starting role.
One newcomer I’m anxious to see is Braxton Appello. The former Ohio State commit is now at Sacred Heart. He saw success at the high school level coming out of Nazareth (Pa.) in District 11. He now has a chance to be a starter and add to his college resume.
133lbs: Last year’s champion, Ryan Crookham of Lehigh, is returning here and will be the heavy favorite to repeat. As the top-ranked wrestler in the country, he will have a huge target on his back. He will look to improve upon his 3rd place finish at NCAAs. Along with Crookham, five other wrestlers have been to the NCAA tournament. Last year, Kurt Phipps finished one match away from the podium. The Bucknell senior will look to end his career as an All-American.
The top contenders: At this moment, Crookham and Phipps are probably the top two. Four other previous qualifiers will look to make the trip to Philadelphia for NCAAs. American’s Jack Maida will be in the mix here, utilizing his skills in the top position. Army’s Ethan Berginc is a grinder who was at 125lbs for two seasons – qualifying for NCAAs both times. Micah Roes of Binghamton qualified in 2021, looking to return. Another previous qualifier, Navy’s Brendan Ferretti, is very talented as well. Mason Leiphart of F&M hasn’t qualified yet – surprisingly – even though he’s one of the leaders in tech falls every year. Once he adds a few things to his repertoire, he will be very dangerous!
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Ryan Crookham – Lehigh #1
Kurt Phipps – Bucknell #12
Ethan Berginc – Army #31
Darkhorses and Newcomers: To add to the talent listed above, Drexel will be represented by either Kyle Waterman or John Hildebrandt. Both guys will be on the EIWA podium, the only question is where? Sacred Heart’s Andrew Fallon was 6th at EIWAs last season. He missed NCAAs via tiebreaker match. He will look to be the team’s first qualifier since 2021. The last dark horse at this weight is Chase Liardi of Hofstra. Previously at Ohio State, he will be in the mix here under his new head coach, Jamie Franco. There are not notable newcomers in this bracket – at least at the moment. Someone can breakout during the year.
141lbs: This season will include last year’s top two place winners, plus the 4th place finisher. Navy’s Josh Koderhandt was a match away from the podium at NCAAs after cruising to an EIWA title. His finals opponent was Dylan Chappell of Bucknell. Malyke Hines of Lehigh was fourth. They all were NCAA qualifiers. Binghampton’s Nate Lucier was 8th at EIWAs. Braden Basile from Army was 3rd at 133lbs and will now try his luck up a weight.
The top contenders: Koderhandt seems to be the favorite here. Chappell and Hines will be right on his tail. Hines has been at NCAAs multiple times and reached the blood-round one year. Braden Basile will be in this mix as well – he had a fantastic post season last year as a freshman ending the year in the top 16. Basile can be dangerous when he’s on. Look for him to make noise.
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Josh Koderhandt – Navy #9
Malyke Hines – Lehigh #20
Braden Basile – Army #22
Dylan Chappell - #24
Darkhorses and Newcomers: The Darkhorse here is a multi-time EIWA place finisher in Justin Hoyle of Hofstra. He sat last season due to injury. He’s a sixth-year senior who is looking to qualify for NCAAs for the first time.
149lbs: This weight class saw five of the top eight leave with the Ivy Leagues, plus one more due to graduation. The highest placer who will be returning is Kelvin Griffin of Lehigh. His 3rd place finish was enough to earn a trip to NCAAs in his redshirt freshman campaign. Drexel’s Dom Findora ended his freshman year with a sixth-place finish at EIWAs. Look for him to jump a level or two this season with a year of experience under his belt.
The top contenders: Lehigh shows a handful of options at this weight with Griffin being one of them. Whoever ends up being the guy here will be a top contender. Trae McDaniel, of Army West Point, has to be considered one of the favorites after a 4th place finish at this weight in 2023. An injury last season kept him off the mat. Mentioned above, Findora of Drexel, should be on this list as well. This weight class is not the deepest, as the preseason rankings only include two ranked wrestlers.
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Trae McDaniel – Army #30
Kelvin Griffin – Lehigh #32
Darkhorses and Newcomers: Hofstra’s Noah Tapia had some solid wins last season, although he failed to place at EIWAs. I would consider him a darkhorse to keep an eye on. Look for a rebound year from him. Bucknell’s Braden Bower spent most of the season at 141lbs but wrestled tough the last month at 149lbs after moving up. He can be a darkhorse if he gets the nod over another darkhorse threat from the Bison, Aiden Davis. F&M’s Josh Hillard can end the match early with a pin if he catches you sleeping. We’ll see how he does as the full-time starter this year.
157lbs: This is another instance where only two placers will return from a season ago. Brignola of Lehigh is slated to redshirt this season, but his runner-up finish last year is the highest returning finisher. This leaves Hofstra’s Jurius Clark as the only wrestler who made the podium at EIWAs who will be back again. This class was hit hard by the departure of the Ivies and graduation.
The top contenders: Luke Nichter of Drexel may be one of the favorites. A redshirt season last year allowed him to grow into the 157lbs weight class. He hopes to return to NCAAs once again. He is one of the more exciting wrestlers in the conference. Navy has a pair of wrestlers who may compete here in Charlie Evans and Jonathan Ley. Army’s Dakota Morris had great wins up at 165lbs. This makes him a threat at this weight for sure. This weight is wide open if Brignola is taking his redshirt.
Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Max Brignola – Lehigh #20 (likely to redshirt)
Darkhorses and Newcomers: One potential Darkhorse is Fin Nadeau. The Binghamton sophomore is improving every match it seems. If Kade Wirnsberger earns the spot for Bucknell, he could be a contender to win the bracket. If that name sounds familiar - Kade’s dad is the head coach at Bucknell. Felix Lettini is at Sacred Heart, after spending two seasons at Wisconsin and wrestling at 141lbs. A new weight class and school will be a nice change of scenery for him.
As a newcomer, Kaden Milheim of American is a guy who will turn some heads after an impressive redshirt campaign. He will need to earn his spot in the line-up first. Lehigh has a trio of young potential starters who will be a newcomer to watch. Logan Rozynski was a Blair Academy prep standout with a 101-9 career record. Jadon Skellenger is an Idaho product who excels in Greco and has been on multiple world teams because of it. Finally, Griffin Gonzalez is the oldest of the three. The redshirt freshman was a two-time PIAA place finisher. Expect one of these guys to step up in Brignola’s absence.
Projected Team Line-Ups
American
125lbs - Coen Bainey, Shamil Kalmatov, or JJ Peace
133lbs - Jack Maida, Max Leete, or Raymond Lopez
141lbs - Cael McIntyre or Elijah White
149lbs - Gage Owen, Antonio Segura, or Devon Capato
157lbs - Jack Nies, Kaden Milheim, or Mikey Glynos
165lbs - Austin Craft or Liam Packer
174lbs - Caleb Campos, Hunter Hohman, or Breon Phifer
184lbs - Lucas White
197lbs - Carsten Rawls or Liam Volk-Klos
HWT - Will Jarrell
Army
125lbs – Charlie Farmer
133lbs - Ethan Berginc
141lbs - Braden Basile
149lbs - Trae McDaniel
157lbs - Dakota Morris
165lbs - Gunner Filipowicz
174lbs - Dalton Harkins
184lbs - Jake Gilfoil or David Barrett
197lbs - Wolfgang Frable
HWT - Lucas Stoddard
Binghamton
125lbs - Carson Wagner
133lbs - Micah Roes
141lbs - Nate Lucier
149lbs - Caleb Sweet
157lbs - Fin Nadeau
165lbs - Carter Baer
174lbs - Brevin Cassella
184lbs - Will Ebert
197lbs - Cayden Bevis
HWT - Cory Day
Bucknell
125lbs - Kade Davidheiser or Ty Kapusta
133lbs - Kurt Phipps
141lbs - Dylan Chappell
149lbs - Braden Bower or Aiden Davis
157lbs - Cade Wirnsberger or Riley Bower
165lbs - Noah Mulvaney
174lbs - Myles Takats
184lbs - Mikey Bartush, Logan Deacetis, or Tyler Bienus
197lbs - Dillon Bechtold
HWT - Logan Shephard or Riley Godek
Drexel
125lbs - Desmond Pleasant or Gabe Giampietro
133lbs - Kyle Waterman or John Hildebrandt
141lbs - Jordan Soriano or Malachi Bordovsky
149lbs - Dom Findora
157lbs - Luke Nichter
165lbs - Cody Walsh
174lbs - Jasiah Queen
184lbs - Giuseppe Hoose
197lbs - Mickey O’Malley
HWT - Shane Whitney
F&M
125lbs - Jack Parker or Jimmy Garcia
133lbs - Leiphart Mason
141lbs - Bryce Kresho
149lbs - Josh Hillard
157lbs - Luke Bender or Jake Neill
165lbs - Josh Palmucci or Michael Duggan
174lbs - Dominic Wheatly or Nick Alvarez
184lbs - Jake Allred or Leo Varga
197lbs - RJ Moore
HWT - Brody Kline
Hofstra
125lbs - Dylan Acevedo -Switzer or Teague Strobel
133lbs - Chase Liardi
141lbs - Justin Hoyle
149lbs - Noah Tapia or Zach Reilley
157lbs - Jurius Clark
165lbs - Kyle Mosher
174lbs - Matt Waddell or Greyson Harris
184lbs - Ross McFarland
197lbs - Nik Miller
HWT - Danny Church
Lehigh
125lbs - Sheldon Seymour, Matty Lopes, or Mason Ziegler
133lbs - Ryan Crookham or Matty Lopes
141lbs - Malyke Hines or Carter Bailey
149lbs - Kelvin Griffin, Owen Reinsel, Matt Repos or Drew Munch
157lbs - Logan Rozynski, Jadon Skellenger, or Griffin Gonzalez
165lbs - Thayne Lawrence, Dom Federici, Richie Grungo, or Zeke Dubler
174lbs - Rylan Rogers, Jared Schoppe, or Thayne Lawrence
184lbs - Caden Rogers, Jaden Schoppe, or Rylan Rogers
197lbs - Michael Beard or JT Davis
HWT - Nathan Taylor or Calvin Lachman
Long Island
125lbs - Robbie Sagaris
133lbs - Kaelan Francios or Chris Betancourt
141lbs - Devin Matthews
149lbs - Drew Witham
157lbs - Brayden Roberts
165lbs - James Johnston or Donavon Smith
174lbs - Blake Bahna or Corey Connolly
184lbs - Anthony D’Alesio
197lbs - John Dusza
HWT - Aeden Begue or Chris Powell
Morgan State
125lbs - Julian Dawson or Javaan Yarbrough
133lbs - Shawn Ryncarz or Kevin Lopez
141lbs - Carter Nix, Myrin Nixon, or Treshaun Tecson
149lbs - Yannis Charles or Aaron Turner
157lbs - Eric Tecson or Josh Greenwood
165lbs - Cooper Lockhart or Sam Diggs
174lbs - Darrien Roberts
184lbs - Kingsley Menifee
197lbs - Nathatic Kendricks or Cameron Johnson
HWT - Xavier Doolin
Navy
125lbs - Dayton DelViscio or Nick Treaster
133lbs - Brendan Ferretti
141lbs - Josh Koderhandt
149lbs - Kaemen Smith or Nick Vafiadis
157lbs - Jonathan Ley or Charlie Evans
165lbs - Dylan Elmore or Tyler Sagi
174lbs - Danny Wask
184lbs - Zyan Hall
197lbs - Payton Thomas, Josh Anthony, or Cael Crebs
HWT - Jamie Ferere
Sacred Heart
125lbs - Braxton Appello
133lbs - Andrew Fallon
141lbs - Jake Ice
149lbs - Vincent Milazzo
157lbs - Felix Lettini
165lbs - Calvin Pineda
174lbs - Aidan Zarrella
184lbs - Hunter Perez
197lbs - Jake Trovato
HWT - Brendan Gilchrist
The 121st EIWA Championships will be held at Lehigh's Stabler Arena.
Friday, March 7, 2025
10:00am Preliminaries
12:00 pm Quarterfinals
4:00 pm Consolations
6:00 pm Semifinals
Saturday, March 8, 2025
10:00am Semifinal Cons.
12:00 pm Championship Finals & Hall of Fame Presentations
The EIWA will be publishing a weekly e-newsletter whenever there is breaking news relevant to college wrestling from one or more of its 17 member schools. Be sure to sign up (opt-in) for the newsletter HERE to receive more newsletters like this one!
You may cancel at any time!