Cornell recruit Mason Gibson (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)We often think of the Big Ten and, of late, the ACC when it comes to recruiting, but the EIWA has staked its claim to dominating the recruiting scene. For proof, five EIWA teams cracked the top 25 from InterMat this year, with another receiving an honorable mention. The Ivy League in particular has been impressive, as they accounted for three of those top-25 accolades. Those three, Cornell, Penn, and Princeton all have large groups of recruits set to compete. Each has recruits with past success in Fargo, and others capable of shining.
Here are the EIWA recruits, by team, to follow once the action gets underway in Fargo.
Army West Point
Samuel Cartella, Ohio (145) - Class of 2023
Andrew Christie, Pennsylvania (160) - Class of 2023
Cooper Haase, Florida (138) - Class of 2023
Chris Murphy, Connecticut (220)
Army West Point has been incredibly busy on the recruiting trail and will have a couple of studs on display. From the Class of 2022 is Chris Murphy, a fifth-place finisher at NHSCA Senior Nationals. The Class of 2023 will have a pair of top-200 recruits in Samuel Cartella and Cooper Haase, along with Andrew Christie. Cartella has placed three times at the National Prep Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish this year. Florida state champion Cooper Haase shined this spring with a championship at NHSCA Juniors. Finally, Andrew Christie is a two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier who made the AA finals this year.
Bucknell
Michael Bartush, Connecticut (220)
Kade Davidheiser, Pennsylvania (126) - Class of 2023
Aiden Davis, Michigan (145) - Class of 2023
Michael Duggan, Pennsylvania (152) - Class of 2023
Noah Mulvaney, Wisconsin (170) - Class of 2023
Myles Takats, Ohio (170) - Class of 2023
You might have overlooked it by focusing on the Big Ten schools, but Bucknell has really done an excellent job with their Class of 2023. The Bison staff has landed four top-100 recruits and three are expected to battle in Fargo. Most have excellent in-state credentials and are looking to make their first big splash nationally. The highest ranked is two-time Wisconsin state runner-up Noah Mulvaney. Noah was a freestyle state champion this spring. In 2021, Kade Davidheiser was a National Prep Open champion for The Hill School, becoming the first wrestler in 20 years to accomplish the feat. Aiden Davis is a two-time Michigan state champion and three-time finalist. Michael Duggan has finished third at Pennsylvania's AA level in each of the last two years. Ohio's Myles Takats made the jump from 126 to 170 between his sophomore and junior seasons and landed in the DI state finals. Representing the Bison in the Class of 2022 is Michael Bartush who finished his high school folkstyle career in the NHSCA Senior National finals.
Columbia
Richard Fedalen, Maryland (145)
Nolan Neves, Ohio (285)
The recruiting efforts at Columbia continue to shine year after year. This season the Lions were noted in InterMat's honorable mention section of the recruiting rankings. Two of the key components of head coach Zach Tanelli's Class of 2022, Richard Fedalen and Nolan Neves will be in Fargo. Fedalen is well-round, but has shined brightest in Greco. Fedalen was a UWW Junior Open champion in Greco this year and also reserved a spot on the Junior World team. Earlier this month, Fedalen won a Pan-American gold medal in U20. Fedalen also is strong in freestyle with four Fargo AA honors to his name, with two coming in each style. Nolan Neves won an Ohio DII state title this season after finishing third in 2021. During the regular season, Neves was fourth at the Walsh Ironman.
Cornell
Michael Dellagatta, New Jersey (195) - Class of 2023
Tyler Ferrera, New York (126) - Class of 2023
Mason Gibson, Pennsylvania (126) - Class of 2023
Kingsley Menifee, Virginia (195) - Class of 2023
Simon Ruiz (170) - Class of 2023
Ben Shvartsman, Illinois (160)
One of the largest groups of recruits heading to Fargo in the EIWA belongs to Cornell. They also have some of the wrestlers most likely to make deep bracket runs. One of the fastest risers in the national rankings, after a strong National Duals performance, is two-time New Jersey state third-place finisher Michael Dellagatta. Also from Jersey in the Class of 2023 is two-time finalist and one-time state champion Simon Ruiz. The most accomplished, to date, from this group, is Mason Gibson, who won a 16U Greco title last year and was third in freestyle. Gibson has also placed twice at UWW Cadets in freestyle. Recent commit, Kingsley Menifee of Virginia, was fourth in 16U Greco last year and had the same placement in UWW Cadets in Greco. Tyler Ferrera won his first New York title in 2022, after making the finals two years ago. The lone member of Cornell's Class of 2022 is Ben Shvartsman, who was an undefeated Illinois 2A state champion, as a senior.
Drexel
Jordan Soriano, New York (138)
Drexel will be represented by Jordan Soriano, a 2022 New York State champion and a 2021 winner of the New York Open Championship. After the 2021 season, Soriano was third at NHSCA Junior Nationals.
Franklin & Marshall
Aidan O'Shea, Pennsylvania (132)
F&M has a recruit in Fargo with Aidan O'Shea, a 2022 AAA state qualifier. O'Shea went 35-9 as a senior and finished third in the region, allowing for his first state berth.
Lehigh
Kimo Leia, California (145)
Jared Schoppe, New Jersey (182) - Class of 2023
Luke Stanich, New Jersey (120) - Class of 2023
A pair of New Jersey state finalists have committed to Lehigh and will comprise the Mountain Hawks representation for the Class of 2023 in Fargo. Both Jared Schoppe and Luke Stanich are three-time New Jersey state placewinners, who make their first finals appearances in 2022. Schoppe was an All-American here last summer with a third-place finish in the 16U freestyle bracket. California state fourth-place finisher Kimo Leia is an incoming freshman for Lehigh, who has had past success in the FargoDome. He was fourth in Junior freestyle last year.
Navy
Dylan Elmore, Kansas (160) - Class of 2023
Ryder Rogotzke, Minnesota (182) - Class of 2023
The Class of 2023 is shaping up to be excellent for Cary Kolat and crew at the Naval Academy. We'll get a preview of some of their notables with Ryder Rogotzke and Dylan Elmore. Rogotzke was a 16U Greco All-American, with a sixth place finish in 2019. Last year, he made the Cadet Greco World Team and finished third in the freestyle trials. Rogotzke is currently ranked #12 overall in the Class of 2023. Elmore was fourth at UWW Cadet in Greco last year, then went on to take eighth in Junior freestyle. It wouldn't be a shock to see fourth All-American honors between these two.
Penn
Spencer Barnhart, Pennsylvania (138) - Class of 2023
Louis Colaiocco, New Jersey (152)
Matthew Cruise, Pennsylvania (285)
Zach Delsanter, Ohio (220) - Class of 2023
Reed Fullmer, Pennsylvania (152)
Jackson Polo, New York (145)
Brady Pruett, Maryland (126)
Jude Swisher, Pennsylvania (138)
Initially, it looked as if Penn's contingent would consist solely of their #18 ranked recruiting Class of 2022. Then the Quakers received a pair of recent verbals from Spencer Barnhart and Zach Delsanter, both rising seniors. Barnhart was a National Prep Open champion in 2021 and a runner-up in 2022. Delsanter was fourth in Ohio's largest classification wrestling for perennial power, St. Ed's.
Of the incoming freshmen, Jude Swisher was an All-American last year, taking fifth in Junior freestyle. He and Matthew Cruise are both top-three finishers from Pennsylvania's AAA classification. From the National Prep ranks, Brady Pruett and Reed Fullmer are both multi-time placers, while Louis Colaiocco did so for powerhouse Blair Academy in 2021. Finally, New York state champion Jackson Polo's best national-level credential is a third-place finish at NHSCA Sr's.
Princeton
Holden Garcia, Pennsylvania (170) - Class of 2023
Drew Heethuis, Michigan (126) - Class of 2023
Christopher Martino, Idaho (138)
Zander Silva, New Jersey (160) - Class of 2023
Ty Whalen, New Jersey (152)
The Tigers have a good mix of recruits from both the 2022 and ‘23 classes ready to pounce in Fargo. Christopher Martino has as much experience in the FargoDome as anyone. He has AA'ed five times during his high school career. The first four came at 88-94 lbs in 2018-19, while the most recent was at Junior 132 in 2021. His classmate, Ty Whalen, was third in Junior freestyle last summer, which happened to match his eventual placements at the Super 32 and Beast of the East. Though in the Class of 2023, Holden Garcia already has a Junior freestyle accolade next to his name. He was seventh at 160 last year. Garcia also finished eighth at UWW Cadet in Greco in 2021. Drew Heethuis is also a returning Junior AA, having placed seventh at 113 in freestyle last year. Though he doesn't have any past history of success in Fargo on his resume, a third-place finish at the 2022 New Jersey state tournament indicates that Zander Silva should do just fine.
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