2024-25 EIWA Preview - Part Two

By, Austin Sommer, EIWA Sports Information Director

Hopefully you enjoyed the EIWA Preview Part One. Now let’s explore the upper weights from 165lbs up to the big boys at 285lbs. There is a lot of talent in the upper weights to discuss!

165lbs: Looking at last year’s bracket, we will see a handful returning wrestlers who stood on the EIWA podium. Gunner Filipowicz of Army was 4th after dropping his first match – good enough to earn a trip to NCAAs. Noah Mulvaney was 6th at EIWAs, topping off his incredible freshman campaign with a trip to nationals as well. Drexel’s Chad Walsh was 7th in the bracket but failed to qualify for NCAAs.

The top contenders
By process of elimination, the two returning qualifiers in Mulvaney and Filipowicz are the probably the top two here. The exciting thing about these two is that they are both sophomores – so expect them to duke it out for a few more years. Walsh slides in right behind them, as he was a potential at-large bid last season. He fell just short of making the trip to NCAAs. Another wrestler in this tier with Walsh is Kyle Mosher. He was top 12 in the conference last year wearing a Columbia singlet. This year, he will be repping Hofstra. He had some solid wins a season ago.

Nationally Ranked Wrestlers
Noah Mulvaney – Bucknell #13
Gunner Filipowicz – Army #16
Cody Walsh – Drexel #31

Darkhorses and Newcomers
There are so many unknowns at this weight, making it tough to pick a Darkhorse. Carter Baer was at 157lbs for Binghamton and saw some success. The move up a weight class may elevate his performance. Lehigh has a plethora of freshman options at this weight. Between Richie Grungo, Dom Federici, and Zeke Dubler someone will make an impact on the podium. Thayne Lawrence may give this weight a shot after being at 174lbs previously for Lehigh. Someone will step up before March rolls around. American has two New Jersey freshman battling it out here as well. Austin Craft and Liam Packer will be in action until it gets sorted out. Coach Kolat of Navy was really high of Dylan Elmore. He will be the likely candidate for the Midshipmen. Overall, this weight class has many unknowns – so let’s let it play out for a month or so to allow them to develop.

174lbs: Only two podium finishers return from last season’s EIWA tournament. Myles Takats of Bucknell was 6th and is the highest placer expecting to compete this season. Danny Wask of Navy was 7th place at conferences before ending the season as a top 12 finisher in the nation – one match short of the NCAA podium. Multiple time NCAA qualifier, Brevin Cassella will move up from 165lbs this year. The Binghamton Bearcat started the season here a year ago, but eventually made the move back down. Let’s see if the move is permanent this year.

The top contenders
Wask, Takats, and Cassella are probably the top 3 at the moment, in no particular order. Cassella finished top 16 last season down a weight, and Wask was top 12 at this weight. With the amount of talent in this bracket, this will be an entertaining conference tournament. Dalton Harkins of Army has been in and out of rankings – mostly at 165lbs in previous years. He’s looking for his first qualification to NCAAs. Lehigh’s transfer, Rylan Rogers, comes in from the University of Michigan as a very highly touted recruit in high school. If he can produce at the level he’s capable of, expect him in the top 4.

Nationally Ranked Wrestlers
Brevin Cassella – Binghamton #16
Danny Wask – Navy #22
Myles Takats – Bucknell #29

Darkhorses and Newcomers
We have quite a few dark horses here that can make a claim to be in the “contenders” category. Until we see the proof on the mat, they will remain here. First, Jasiah Queen of Drexel. Last season, he showed his insane skills on his feet – but the inexperience of college wrestling shined through. His redshirt freshman season will show vast improvement. Plus, he loves scoring points. Darrien Roberts will represent Morgan State after spending some time at the University of Oklahoma where he has 45 career wins in four seasons. He’s had a handful of wins over NCAA qualifiers in his career. He adds to the depth of this weight class.

If you are looking for a dark horse in this weight class, let me recommend Caleb Campos of American. If he is the guy for American, expect fireworks. He was 14-3 last year as a redshirt. He was raw at 165lbs two years ago. Another year to develop will lead to a major breakthrough year for Campos.

184lbs: This weight class had perhaps the most wrestlers vacate it following last season. Three podium finishers graduated, two will be using a redshirt/deferment year, while two more will move to the Ivy Championships. This leaves one lone place winner returning for 2024-25. He is Anthony D’Alesio of LIU. He made history after being the first LIU Shark to become an NCAA qualifier at the D1 level. Will he be the first LIU wrestler to claim an EIWA title this season?

The top contenders:
D’Alesio comes in as one of the contenders at this weight. He’s only one of two in the conference at this weight with any NCAA experience. The other is Drexel’s Giuseppe Hoose. Hoose is technically a newcomer, as he’s using his 7th year of eligibility with previous stints at Hofstra, Buffalo, and Oklahoma. He was a qualifier in 2023 while at Buffalo. Lehigh has a trio of options at this weight who will look to be in the mix. The same applies to Bucknell – most notably Logan Deacetis, who placed 7th at 197lbs last season. This weight is pretty wide open. Expect some dogfights throughout the season here.

Nationally Ranked Wrestlers
Mikey Bartush – Bucknell - #31
Anthony D’Alesio – LIU - #32

Darkhorses and Newcomers
The first darkhorse to mention is Lehigh’s Caden Rogers. Rogers was a standout in high school who has been plagued by injury. If he earns his spot in the line-up and stays healthy, he has the potential to be the favorite to win the bracket. Do not sleep on a guy like Lucas White from American. He will give some guys fits with his mat skills. Another one to look out for is Hofstra’s Ross McFarland. He’s been around forever, it seems. Experience in a wide open weight class can only be a positive. Army has two freshman in this weight class in Jake Gilfoil and David Barrett. Army always produces tough wrestlers, making them each a newcomer to watch for.

197lbs: Speaking of weight classes that emptied out… 197lbs is a shell of what it was a year ago. Lehigh’s Michael Beard won the conference and went on to earn All-American honors two weeks later. The other seven place finishers will be out of the conference due to various reasons. He’s the lone returner from last season.

The top contenders:
Beard is the heavy favorite in this weight class. Its hard to imagine anyone else beating him. Beard’s goal of being an NCAA Champion makes repeating as an EIWA Champ just a steppingstone. Drexel will send out another 7th year guy in Mickey O’Malley at this weight. He’s been as high as a top 12 finisher at 174lbs a few years ago. Last season, he missed with an injury and decided to bulk up two weights. He’s someone who can scramble well and has been known to toss some guys around from feet to back. Will it be enough to overcome a guy like Beard? Most likely not, but we see things happen that aren’t supposed to all the time. This is what makes the sport great.

Nationally Ranked Wrestlers
Michael Beard – Lehigh - #6
Mickey O’Malley – Drexel - #22

Darkhorses and Newcomers
Unfortunately, there are not enough results to claim a Darkhorse at this weight class just yet. One newcomer here comes from Bucknell. Dillon Bechtold will be a true freshman this season after a successful PIAA high school career, including a state championship to top it off. During his senior year, he was 42-0 with 41 bonus point wins. He ended his career with 83 pins. It will be fun to watch him compete. Secondly, Payton Thomas of Navy could be one to watch. He was a ranked in the top-10 during his senior season two years ago coming from Moore High School in Oklahoma. This will be his first year on the roster after a year at the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS).

285lbs: Last year, this weight class qualified all eight place finishers to NCAAs, and EIWA 9th place earned the first alternate bid. This year, it remains one of the deepest brackets in the EIWA. Nathan Taylor of Lehigh was on autopilot to his championship – earning a technical fall, a major, and two falls. Both Cory Day of Binghamton and Lucas Stoddard of Army will be back this season, finishing 5th and 6th, respectively. American’s Will Jarrell was the 9th place winner mentioned above. This will be another fun year to watch the big boys!

The top contenders
Based on last year’s results, Taylor will be the heavy favorite. Stoddard’s progress throughout the season was quite impressive. That carried into this offseason when he won a U23 gold medal in freestyle at the Pan-Ams. Him, along with, Day will be looking to knock off Taylor. Obviously, Will Jarrell will be in this mix as well. His style is similar to Day’s – very tough on top and not overly sized. Jarrell has proven he can compete with All-Americans when he defeated Campbell’s Ghadiali – who earned 8th at NCAAs.

Nationally Ranked Wrestlers:
Nathan Taylor – Lehigh – #8
Cory Day – Binghamton – #17
Lucas Stoddard – Army – #20
Will Jarrell – American – #27

Darkhorses and Newcomers
As a newcomer, Brody Kline of F&M fits the mold. He placed twice at Pennsylvania states, earning him a top 250 ranking in the pound-for-pound 2024 senior class. The Berks Catholic product will look to make a name for himself. A darkhorse worth mentioning is Jamie Ferere. He was 21-7 last year while wrestlng in mostly opens. His season included a win over Bucknell’s Dorian Crosby, whom was an NCAA qualifier. Ferere has shown he is capable to make NCAAs. Now, he’ll need to do it as the starting heavyweight at Navy.