2023-24 EIWA Preview (Part One)

American University Projected Line-Up 125: Jack Maida (#29) or Shamil Kalmatov 133: Maximilian Leete or Raymond Lopez 141: Ethan Szerencsits 149: Antonio Segura or Devon Capato 157: Jack Nies or Ryan Zimmerman 165: Caleb Campos or Breon Phifer 174: Lucas White 184: Connor Bourne 197: Carsten Rawls or Liam Volk-Klos HWT: Will Jarrell or Isaac Righter Overview If this lineup looks familiar, that’s because it is pretty much the line-up they rolled out at EIWA’s last year. The Eagles had a historic turnaround season last year. In 2022, they finished with a 1-12 dual meet record while going winless against conference opponents in five matches. Last season’s record was 8-12 with an arguably tougher schedule than years prior. Their conference record was 3-5 a season ago as well. It’s not hard to see the improvement in just one year. Coach Borrelli and staff will continue to turn this program around. New Faces This is one of the few programs where the coaching staff remains unchanged. Consistency will take this team a long way, which can be used as a positive recruiting tactic. Knowing the coaches are there for the long haul makes most athletes sleep easier at night. We mentioned the lineup is identical to last year - but there is one major change. Jack Maida was the lone qualifier for American last year. This was at 133 lbs, however. This year, we’ll see him down at 125 lbs. With a new weight class, we may see a slow start until he adjusts properly - as is the case whenever a wrestler drops down a weight class. Key Dates 11/2 - Maryland (#22) comes into town for the season opener. It will be a good test to see where they stand 1/12 and 1/14 - A road trip to California to wrestle Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Central Michigan, and Campbell (#28). American defeated the latter three teams a season ago – all by 1 point. Expect similar results 2/4 – Newly added program Morgan State comes to town. It’s always exciting to see a new program Find the entire schedule here Army West Point Projected Line-Up 125: Ethan Berginc (#25) 133: Ryan Franco 141: Julian Sanchez 149: Trae McDaniel (#30) 157: Nate Lukez (#23) 165: Dalton Harkins (#33) 174: Ben Pasiuk (#11) 184: Daniel Lawrence 197: Wolfgang Frable 285: Austin Kohlhofer Overview The Black Knights, also known as “America’s Team,” have five individually ranked wrestlers, led by three returning NCAA Qualifiers in Berginc, Lukez, and Pasiuk. Pasiuk has been to nationals three times already, with a top-16 finish as his best performance in 2021. With this projected lineup, we will see 8 returning starters for Army. Last year’s squad finished in sixth place at EIWAs thanks to eight placewinners. This team has the tools to improve on that finish and sneak its way into the top 5. New Faces One new face you will see is Steve Bleise on the coaching staff. He was a 3X NCAA Qualifier for Minnesota and Northern Illinois across three weight classes (141, 149, and 157). He joined the staff in August and has been excellent ever since. This team has a ton of young talent that will probably see some mat time. Coach Scott Green has been a force on the recruiting trail in between settling food debates on social media and foraging for mushrooms. All kidding aside, this program is here to stay. With assistant Jimmy Overhiser recently accepting a job at Tarleton State in Texas, there is a new opening on staff that Coach Ward will need to fill. Be on the lookout for a new addition to staff in a few weeks or so once applications are in and interviews are had. Key Dates 11/1 – Opening the season versus Campbell (#28) at Fort Liberty. A great early match-up to potentially jump into the top 30 with a win 11/19 – Black Knight Invite includes Big 10 teams like Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan State; plus Northern Colorado and others 2/17 – They square off against rival Navy in Annapolis late in the season Find the entire schedule here Binghamton Projected Line-Up 125: Carson Wagner 133: Micah Roes 141: Nate Lucier 149: Michael Zarif 157: Carter Baer 165: Brevin Cassella (#22) 174: Will Ebert 184: Jacob Nolan (#13) 197: Dimitri Gamkrelidze 285: Cory Day (#25) Overview The Bearcats return all three EIWA place winners, who were all NCAA qualifiers last season. It’s no surprise these three guys are in the rankings with Cassella (#22), Nolan (#13), and Day (#25). This squad has a nice mix of upperclassmen along with young talent. Expect the upperclassmen to help lead this team and improve on their 11th-place finish a season ago at EIWAs, which they feel was an underachievement. New Faces Many new faces will be seen on the coaching staff. Recent graduate, Anthony Sobotker, was named to the staff and will give a helping hand to the lightweights. He was exciting to watch with some flashes of exciting upper body techniques. Lou DePrez was one of Binghamton’s best to ever represent the Bearcats on the mat. He’ll now be on staff as an assistant. He was added to the staff the second-semester last season after an injury ended his final year of eligibility. The athletes looked up to him as a competitor, and teammate. Expect the same, just in an elevated role. Coach Borshoff is currently in the process of hiring a new assistant coach. Expect more on this once the hire is officially made. This assistant will replace Fred Garcia – who has taken a role at Cleveland State. The line-up above only shows one new face. Cason Wagner at 125 lbs will be a true freshman. He’s a Northampton, PA grad who placed four times at the state championships. He’s a scrappy wrestler who will have success as he grows into the weight. Key Dates 11/17 – Taking on #6 NC State in a tough early season matchup. 12/1 – 12/2 – Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite is a tough in-season tournament. Success here lands you in the rankings 2/16 – Travel to #19 Northwestern for a dual Find the entire schedule here Brown University Projected Line-Up 125: Jared Brunner or Shane Hanson-Ashworth 133: Hunter Adrian 141: Ian Oswalt 149: Sam McMonagle 157: Blake Saito 165: Keegan Rothrock or Mason Spears 174: Harrison Trahan or Jonathan Conrad 184: James Araneo or Nick Olivieri 197: Lear Quinton or Araneo / Olivieri 285: Alex Semenenko Overview The Bears return one place finisher from a season ago, where Hunter Adrian was eighth at EIWAs. Coach Jordan Leen took over right before the season began last year, and we can only assume the team will improve in due time. People across the nation have the same feeling, as Leen was a homerun hire. A lot of the names in the lineup above were starters a season ago. With some new faces on staff, the sky is the limit for this team. New Faces Ty Walz was named as an assistant in August of 2023. He spent nearly a decade at Virginia Tech as an athlete and coach. He was a multiple-time All-American and won numerous medals at the world level. He’s a fantastic addition to the upper weights in Providence. Micky Phillippi was named to the staff as well. He spent his wrestling career at Pitt, where he was coached by Leen. Although he never made the podium, he had a very successful collegiate career barely missing the podium on four occasions. Phillippi will add coaching depth to the lower weights. Gage Curry is also making the move from Pitt to Brown, along with Leen and Phillippi. Curry was a 4X NCAA Qualifier between American and Pitt. He spent his career at 125 lbs, which will give the smaller guys in the room another great coach and mentor. Key Dates 11/5 – Opening up at the Clarion Open 11/19 – Black Knight Invite includes Big 10 teams like Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan State; plus Northern Colorado and others 12/22 – The first annual Sheridan Invitational hosted by Lehigh. 1/1 – Southern Scuffle. Earning a place finisher here will be a great jumpstart into the second semester Find the entire schedule here Bucknell University Projected Line-Up 125 Ethan Lebin 133 Kurt Phipps (#21) 141 Dylan Chappell (#24) 149 Braden Bower 157 Nick Delp 165 Chase Barlow 174 Noah Mulvaney 184 Logan Deacetis (#24) 197 Nolan Springer HWT Dorian Crosby (#26) Overview The 2023 EIWA ninth-place finishers are looking to improve last year’s performance. The Bison will have a solid lineup with a mix of newcomers and experienced veterans. Four of the team’s five conference place finishers return to the team while all three NCAA qualifiers will be back again. Phipps will look to improve on his tough seventh-place finish from EIWAs a season ago. Dorian Crosby earned sixth place - good enough to earn a spot at NCAAs. The wrestler who surprised many people at conferences, Dylan Chappell, will look to be down at his natural weight this season. He took the conference by storm when he burst onto the scene with a runner-up finish at 149 lbs after beginning the season down at 133 lbs. He will replace multiple-time EIWA placewinner, Darren Miller, who graduated after an outstanding career at Bucknell. New Faces The Bison will have two new coaches this season. Longtime assistant, Kevin LeValley, has moved on to coaching on the club scene at PINnacle in Minnesota. Eric Morrill has gone onto California Baptist on the West Coast. Donny Ooton is a familiar face, as he was with the program in 2009 and 2010. He will step in as an assistant after spending time as an MMA fighter and coaching at both the club and scholastic levels in the state of Virginia. The Bucknell program is glad to have him back. Secondly, Thomas Flitz is coming to the conference after spending some time on staff at The University of Virginia. Before this, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier out of the SoCon powerhouse, Appalachian State. Wrestling at 174 lbs during his career, he will be a great addition to the upper middleweights. With the projected lineup, we may only see one new face - meaning they have not seen any collegiate action yet. Ethan Lebin is slated to be the starter at 125 lbs. After attending high school at Hempfield Area, he ended his PIAA career with two individual state medals while placing at Powerade twice. Having success in the WPIAL is a good indicator he will have success at the college level. Key Dates 11/10 – Traveling to take on Oklahoma State (#12) 11/16 – Minnesota (#16) will take on Bucknell in the Bison’s home opener 12/3 – Bucknell will travel to square off against Wisconsin (#25) Find the entire schedule here Columbia University (#30) Projected Line-Up 125: Nick Babin (#21) 133: Angelo Rini (#19) 141: Mason Clarke or Kai Owen 149: Richard Fedalen (#20) 157: David Berkovich or Jaden Le 165: Joshua Ogunsanya (#15) 174: Lennox Wolak (#15) 184: Aaron Ayzerov 197: Jack Wehmeyer 285: Billy McChesney or Nolan Neves Overview The Lions finished tied for fourth in the EIWA last season with a whopping eight placewinners, and six NCAA qualifiers. Babin, Rini, Ogunsanya, and Wolak will return. Kazimir was a former EIWA champ and is done competing due to graduation. Cesar Alvan will take an Olympic redshirt. This team will have many bright spots in their lineup. If the few young newcomers can prove that they can compete at a high level, this team will be challenging for a top-three finish at the conference come March. New Faces Columbia recently hired Jamie Franco as an assistant coach. Jamie competed for Hofstra until 2014, where he was a three-time NCAA qualifier. He was recently at his alma mater coaching for the past seven seasons as associate head coach. Expect an immediate impact from him on and off the mat. Mason Clarke or Kai Owen will be the next man up at the 141lbs weight class. Clarke is a senior who has sat behind Rini and 133lbs and Kazimir at 141lbs. These two weights have been some of the best for Columbia recently, so his experience in the room will be a factor in the line-up. Owen is a Wyoming Prep graduate, holding multiple All-American honors from his high school days. The sophomore is 10-6 in college thus far. Both wrestlers will have big shoes to fill in order to replace the former EIWA champ, Kazimir. Rich Fedalen is a sophomore expected to fill in at 149 lbs. Being a member of the U20 Greco team, he is as dangerous from the neutral position as they come. He was also a U20 Pan Am silver medalist, with a longer rap sheet of Greco success. He boasts an 11-4 record wrestling in opens thus far, which is enough to earn a preseason national ranking. Expect to see either Jaden Le or David Berkovich at 157 lbs. Berkovich has seen mat time in duals a few years back at 157 lbs, and wrestled in opens at 165 lbs. He’s a senior looking to fill this void as NCAA Qualifier Cesar Alvan takes an Olympic redshirt. Jaden Le is the other option. He has yet to see any dual meet action but carries a 15-9 record into the season. The California native had 732 takedowns in his high school career - which is an incredible number. Key Dates 11/17 – Michigan (#9) visits Columbia in an early season test 11/19 – Ohio State (#7) takes on Columbia two days after Michigan in a wild home-opening weekend 12/8 & 12/10 – The Lions travel to square off against Iowa (#8) and Northern Iowa (#20) in hostile environments Find the entire schedule here Cornell University (#2) Projected Line-Up 125: Brett Ungar (#10) or Greg Diakomihalis 133: Vito Arujau (#1) 141: Vince Cornella (#14) 149: Cole Handlovic or Colton Yapoujian 157: Meyer Shapiro 165: Julian Ramirez (#7) 174: Chris Foca (#2) 184: Jonathan Loew (#8) 197: Jacob Cardenas (#6) 285: Lewis Fernandes (#11) or Ashton Davis Overview The Big Red are poised to not only repeat as EIWA champions, but to repeat earning a trophy at NCAAs. They cleaned house at EIWAs with six champions, one runner-up, and a seventh-place finisher. They were down two expected starters at the time, making it even more impressive. Returning NCAA champion, Vito Arujau is slated to wrestle this season. It was speculated that he may use an Olympic redshirt to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games. This was discussed at length more recently after he won a world title in September. Speaking of world champs, Meyer Shapiro will be a freshman phenom with incredibly high expectations after he won a gold medal at the U20 world championships this past summer. This team is loaded with talent and will be in the mix for a top-three finish at NCAAs, even after losing four-time champion Yianni Diakomihalis to graduation. The schedule Cornell put together this year will is a very tough one - but they love the challenge and proving they belong in the trophy hunt conversation. New Faces Meyer Shapiro was briefly mentioned above. He is one of the rare new faces in the lineup. Being a true freshman, and having no collegiate action, he does not have credentials to be ranked. This will change shortly once the season begins, as he will be an immediate title contender. If you follow wrestling, you’ve most likely already heard about Shapiro. Ashton Davis will most likely see some mat time at heavyweight. The true freshman will step in for Fernandes as needed. Fernandes has been battling injuries the past few seasons, so there may be speculation he could be on a “pitch count,” potentially. Davis was a three-time state champion in Tennessee, but a multiple-time Fargo All-American. He will be ready to step in when needed. Key Dates 1/5 – Taking on Ohio State (#7) on the road 1/7 – Virginia Tech (#4) visits Cornell to round out the first weekend of the new year 1/28 – Missouri (#3) visits Cornell in a top-3 battle 2/17 – Cornell travels to NC State (#6) in a late season match-up Find the entire schedule here Drexel University Projected Line-Up 125: Gabe Giampietro 133: Kyle Waterman (#27) 141: Jordan Soriano 149: Luke Nichter (#29) 157: Tyler Williams 165: Cody Walsh or Jasiah Queen (#34 on 2023 Big Board) 174: Mickey O’Malley (#16) 184: Justin Griffith 197: Ibrahim Ameer 285: Santino Morina Overview The Dragons are coming off of a 10th-place finish at EIWAs at the conclusion of last season. This is the first season, in what seems to be a decade, where we will not see Evan Barczak in the lineup. Nichter and O’Malley are the only wrestlers with NCAA Championship appearances. Waterman has been on the EIWA podium in the past, as has Williams at 157 lbs. Drexel’s young talent will look to shine this year. O’Malley has four NCAA Tournament appearances and finished in the top -12 last year. Will this be the year Coach Azevedo earns his first All-American as the head coach at Drexel? New Faces Expect Gabe Giampietro to man the 125 lbs class. He was .500 last year in his redshirt season. Being undersized, he took a few lumps. Expect a stronger wrestler to put up similar results to his high school success – where he was a four-time Delaware state champion and Beast of the East runner-up. Jasiah Queen will see some time in the line-up at 165 lbs. He will be a true freshman coming off a fantastic high school season, which included a runner-up finish at the New Jersey state championships and Beast of the East tournament. He was a top-35 overall recruit in last year’s MatScouts Senior Big Board. Another overall Big Board prospect will man the 184 lb weight class. The 73rd-ranked pound-for-pound recruit, Justin Griffith, was a three-time Delaware state champ and medalist at the Beast of the East. He was crowned champion of The Escape the Rock tournament. He will replace Brian Bonino, who finished in the top 12 last year as a graduate student. Lastly, Ibrahim Ameer came to the Dragons as a JUCO national runner-up last season. The former Cloud CC wrestler is expected to make an immediate impact after proving he can compete at the national level. The jump to the Division 1 level will come easier in comparison to last year’s high school wrestlers. Key Dates 11/19 – The Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania 12/ 9 – Wisconsin (#25) comes to visit the Dragons for a dual 1/21 – Stanford will travel to Drexel for a dual. It includes somewhat of a homecoming for previous Princeton coach, Chris Ayres Find the entire schedule here Franklin & Marshall College Projected Line-Up 125: Mason Leiphart 133: Gio Diaz or Aidan O'Shea 141: Pat Phillips 149: Josh Hillard or Bryce Kresho 157: Luke Bender or Nick Alvarez 165: Dom Wheatley or Noah Bash 174: Noah Fox or RJ Moore 184: James Conway 197: John Crawford (#30) 285: Chase Thompson Overview The Diplomats return two place finishers from EIWA’s a season ago. Mason Leiphart earned eighth at 125lbs place while James Conway earned seventh at 184 lbs. F&M returns many starters with multiple years of experience while introducing some new blood into their lineup. Leiphart led the entire NCAA with tech falls last season, expect more of the same from him this season. Crawford began his career as low as 165 lbs and has filled into 197 lbs nicely. He is the lone ranked wrestler at the moment thanks to some quality wins last season. The Dips will be wrestling their historical 100th season this year. New Faces Pat Phillips is in a new weight class this season. He saw success at 133 lbs the past few years. Bulking up to 141 lbs may do him some good to avoid a hard cut. His abilities from the top position will make him a podium threat at EIWAs. Do not be shocked to find him in the national rankings this year, potentially earning a trip to NCAAs. Luke Bender comes from Delaware, where he earned two state titles. He was also an NHSCA Senior National champion. He will be in a battle for the 157 lbs spot. We will see him in the mix to be a starter in the middleweights. Dom Wheatly is a Nazareth, PA native. He is another freshman looking to earn the starting spot in the middleweights. The two-time state place finisher had an impressive high school career and will try to keep the momentum rolling at the 165-pound weight class. For the first time since 2016, F&M will have a heavyweight not named “Pelusi” rounding out the line-up. Both Antonio and Vincenzo graduated with multiple NCAA appearances between them. Chase Thompson will have some large shoes to fill - pun intended. The big man from Florida has placed at Fargo and is ready to step in. Key Dates 11/4 – Southeast Open will kick off their season. 12/29 – 12/30 – Midlands is arguably the toughest in-season tournament. The Dips could see some place-winners here 1/5 – The F&M Open attracts many talented wrestlers, including high school studs and red shirts. Find the entire schedule here

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2023-24 EIWA Preview (Part One)

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