2021 MatMen Open runner-up Ryan Miller (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Below is a recap of last week's EIWA action, with individual highlights worth noting.
Notable News
Penn showed they are a Top 3 school in the state of Pennsylvania.
Cornell placed 5th at the Scuffle with half of their starters missing
Lehigh has some serious depth, as 4 non-starters placed at the Matmen Open
American – no action last week
Army – no action last week
Binghamton – no action last week
Brown
The Bears competed at the Matmen Open in Chicago.
Timothy Levine (141) had 3 wins during his tournament, with a loss against Carmen Ferrante (#32) of Penn. He had the most wins for the Bears.
At 149lb, Ricky Cabanillas went 2-2 on the weekend while Blake Saito wrestled to a 1-2 mark.
Cade Wilson was 2-2 at 197lb.
Although they had no place winners, there is some silver lining to be found here. Brown had a handful of wrestlers lose in the blood round. This is an accomplishment for a young team at a tough event like this. I am excited to see where this team is once dual meets start this week.
Bucknell
The Bison traveled to Chicago to compete in the Matmen Open. They walked away with two place winners.
At 133lb, Kurt Phipps came away with 8th place. His most notable win was over Michael Colaiocco (#13) of Penn. He had a nice weekend.
Zach Hartman earned a fifth-place finish. He beat Lucas Revano (#29) twice. His lone losses were to Dean Hamiti (#17) of Wisconsin and Izzak Olejnik (#18) of NIU.
Brandon Seidman was 2-2 on the weekend. His latest loss was to Gage Curry (#26) of Pitt by 2-0 decision.
At 157lb, Nick Delp had a nice win over Robert Kanniard (#29) of Rutgers
Mason McCready won three of his five matches at 197lb.
I like how the Bison performed. Phipps continues to impress. Delp just had a win over a ranked opponent, while Depron had one just a week ago. We did not see Miller compete, who currently holds a spot at 18th in the rankings. This team is looking strong from 133 to 165. I am expecting them to wrestle very well second semester.
Columbia – no action last week
Cornell (#9)
The Big Red sent a bunch of wrestlers to the Southern Scuffle, but there were some star-studded names who did not make the trip. They still walked away with six placewinners.
Greg Diakomihalis placed 7th at 125lb. He avenged a loss to Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech in his final match.
At 141lb, Josh Saunders lost first round and rallied off four straight wins, including one over Angelo Martinoni (#22) of CSU-Bakersfield. Due to injury, Saunders finished 8th place.
Hunter Richard (157lb) had a great turnout, ending his performance with fourth place. Both of his losses came to Jarrett Jacques (#23) of Missouri. Richard's key win was over returning All-American Brock Mauller of Missouri.
Andrew Berreyesa earned himself a 7th place finish at 174lb. His record on the weekend was 5-2.
At 184lb, Jonathan Loew (#13) defeated Isaiah Salazar (#29) of Minnesota in the semi-finals by major decision. He was upset by Kyle Cochran (#32) of Maryland in the finals.
At heavyweight, Lewis Fernandes (#18) had quite a weekend with two falls, a major, and six-point victory. He ultimately dropped his finals match to Wyatt Hendrickson (#7) of Air Force.
The Big Red still finished in 5th place as a team at the Southern Scuffle, without the fire power of half their starters. Ranked wrestlers like Vito, Yianni, Ramirez, Foca, and Cardenas all missed action. A 5th place finish just shows the depth of this team. Like I mentioned in the last recap, they are the EIWA favorites at the moment.
Drexel
The Dragons sent a half-full line up to the Southern Scuffle.
Tyler Williams (149) secured the most wins by a Dragon, going 2-2 on the day.
At 165lb, Evan Barczak (#30) had a 1-2 showing, losing to Facundo of Penn State 3-1.
Also at 165lb, Jack Janda also wrestled to a 1-2 record, losing both matches by decision.
Josh Stillings went 1-2 on the day as well
The Dragons are a little dinged up still. Plus, some sickness over the holidays led to the less-than-full roster they had at the Scuffle. This may not be the showing the Dragons wanted, but with the way this year has been going, it was good to get some of the non-starters quality matches at this event. They will be back to full strength in a few weeks, just in time to end the season on a positive note.
Franklin & Marshall
The Diplomats traveled to Chicago to compete in the Matmen Open.
At 125lb, Gio Diaz went 1-2 on the day.
Wil Gil (141lb) secured two wins, while losing two decisions. His final loss came to Parker Filius (#14) of Purdue
Chase McCollum (157lb) and Noah Fox (174lb) each had a single win in his performance.
At 174lb, John Crawford ended his day with a 2-2 record, dropping two decisions.
The Diplomats were without a few starters also. The injury bug has been hitting everyone this season. The Dips will be back, as they still have a few guys who can scrap – this hasn't changed. They have a long list of conference duals coming up. This will give us a better idea of where this team stands within the EIWA conference.
Harvard
The Crimson saw action in Chicago at the Matmen Open.
Philip Conigliaro (#14) earned a silver medal. On his way to the finals, he defeated Izzak Olejnik (#18) of Northern Illinois and returning NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel (#8) of Pitt.
At 125lb, Diego Sotelo made it to the bloodround before losing in overtime to Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh.
Kenny Herrmann at 141lb, went 2-2 in the event.
At 149lb, Lukus Stricker walked away with a 6th place finish. He had a 2-1 loss to Anthony Artalona (#27) of Penn
Mike Doggett lost in the bloodround at 174lb to Nick Incontrera (#21) of Penn .
Also, at 174lb, Josh Kim (#29) earned 8th place.
Harvard took a huge blow in December losing their highly ranked heavyweight for the year with an ACL injury. Conigliaro put the team on his back and stepped up and upset the returning NCAA runner-up in the semifinals. It was good to see Stricker come away with a podium placement, along with Kim. I feel like this team is getting better. They'll need some guys to step up to gain the points lost with the injury to Slavikouski at heavyweight.
Hofstra – no action last week
Lehigh (#21)
The Mountain Hawks took a short-handed team to the Matmen Open, as most competitors competed unattached.
Sheldon Seymour earned a 4th place finish at 125lb. In the process, he had ranked wins over Dylan Shawver (#25) of Rutgers and Gage Curry (#26) of Pitt.
At 133lb, Carter Bailey finished sixth place after pinning Sammy Alvarez (#12) of Rutgers in the quarterfinals.
Max Brignola walked away with a 5th place finish at 149lb. He had a close loss to Anthony Artalona (#27) of Penn.
At 285lb, Nathan Taylor lost to Luke Luffman (#17) of Illinois twice to earn 4th place in his bracket.
It's safe to say Lehigh has a lot of depth to their lineup. The four place winners at Matmen are non-starters for this team. Whatever the coaching staff is doing there, needs to be recognized. The jumps the younger wrestlers are making in that room are incredible. The Mountain Hawks will be in the running for the EIWA team title this year, and in the upcoming years.
Long Island – no action last week
Navy – no action last week
Penn
The Quakers sent their full line-up to the Matmen Open. The team walked away with 2nd place, overall.
Ryan Miller (#33 – 125) had himself a nice tournament. His semifinal win was over Dylan Shawver (#25) of Rutgers. He then lost to Justin Cardani (#29) of Illinois in the finals.
Also, at 125lb, Blair Orr walked away with 6th place. He had a loss to Shawver in his final match.
Carmen Ferrante (#32 – 141) also earned himself a 6th place finish.
CJ Composto had himself a coming-out party with a 2nd place finish at 141lb. He majored Parker Filius (#14) of Purdue, before upsetting Cole Matthews (#24) of Pitt in the semifinals.
At 149lb, Anthony Artalona (#27) earned 3rd place in his bracket. His lone loss came to Austin Gomez (#11) of Wisconsin.
Doug Zapf (#20) was the runner up at 157lb. He beat Alex Carida (#33) of Bloomsburg. His loss in the finals was to Elijah Cleary (#28) of Pitt.
Lucas Revano (#29 - 165) wrestled to a 6th place finish. He had two losses to Zach Hartman (#15) of Bucknell, and one to NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel (#8) of Pitt.
At 174lb, Nick Incontrera (#21) ended up with a 7th place finish. He lost to eventual champion Edmond Ruth 4-3. His big win was over Joshua Kim (#29) of Harvard.
Neil Antrassian earned 8th place at 184lb. His losses include Myles Amine (#2) from Michigan, Trey Munoz (#16) of Oregon State, and Gregg Harvey (#31) of Pitt. He had a nice win over Chris Weiler (#24) of Wisconsin.
Cole Urbas walked away with 5th place at 197lb. He had a loss to Braxton Amos (#26) of Wisconsin.
At 285lb, Ben Goldin had a loss to Luffman (#17) of Illinois. His 7th place match was a win over McDermott (#26) of Rutgers.
It's no secret that I've been on #TheMovement bandwagon for quite some time. We all know they've been red-hot on the recruiting trail, and we expect them to challenge for the EIWA title in a few years. But they are making their way to the top of the EIWA right now. Why wait? The team finished as the runner-up at the Matmen Open. The real question mark on this team is the 141lb weight class. Ferrante has had a great year so far, earning himself a spot in the national rankings. Recently, CJ Composto went on tear to finish in 2nd place at Matmen. Whoever ends up with this spot, the Quakers will be in good shape – either way.
Princeton
The Tigers sent a handful of wrestlers to the Matmen Open in Chicago.
At 133lb, Nick Kayal, Nick Masters, and Sean Pierson all each had one win.
Jacob Mann wrestled to a 2-2 record at 141lb, one coming via fall.
At 149lbs, Marshall Keller made the quarter finals, then lost in the blood round. His record was 1-2.
Jake Marsh, Blaine Bergey and Grant Cuomo both competed at 165lb. Bergey and Marsh both lost in the bloodround.
Nate Dugan upset All-American Jackson Turley (#16) of Rutgers to make the quarters. He lost in the bloodround at 174lb.
At 184lb, Kendall Elfstrum went 2-2 on the day.
Aiden Conner wrestled 197lb, posting one win on the day.
Jack DelGarbino also had one win at heavyweight.
The Tigers rested a bunch of their starters, including everyone listed in the rankings. Many of the wrestlers who wrestled, competed well. The Tigers will be back in action soon, with all of their fire power. Look for them to be in the trophy hunt at EIWA's once back to full strength.
Sacred Heart – no action last week
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