Lehigh University
EIWA Finals
Ciasulli, Craig win titles; Lehigh second at EIWAs
3/8/2009 8:30:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
 |
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Juniors Seth Ciasulli and David Craig captured individual championships as Lehigh finished in second place at the 105th EIWA Championships, which wrapped-up Sunday night at the Palestra. Ciasulli won a 4-3 decision over top seed Corey Jantzen of Harvard at 141, while Craig defeated Justin Kerber of Cornell 4-0 at 184 to lead the Mountain Hawks, who amassed 103 team points and qualified a total of seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.
“I’m happy for our guys,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “They worked hard and left if all out on the mat. For doing that, I’m pleased with the result. All year long our focus has been on the NCAA Championships, so now we will go to St. Louis and see if we can get some guys on the podium.”
Ciasulli was the first Lehigh wrestler to take the mat on Sunday night. He gave up a first period takedown to Jantzen, but responded with a reversal to tie the match at two after one period. After taking the lead with a second period escape, Ciasulli rode Jantzen long enough to gain a riding time advantage in the third period, which proved to be the difference in the match. Ciasulli joins his brother Matt ’07 as EIWA 141 pound champions.
Craig, the No. 1 seed at 184, scored an early first period takedown in his match with Kerber and never looked back adding a second period escape and riding time en route to the victory. He did not allow a point in his four matches this weekend, which included two falls and three bonus wins.
The third Lehigh finalist on Sunday night, freshman Zach Rey, fell just short in his bid for an EIWA title at heavyweight. Rey lost 6-1 in sudden victory to No. 1 seed Ryan Flores of Columbia. Rey had several quality shots in regulation but could not convert, as Flores finally picked up the only takedown of the bout in the sudden victory period and added a three-point near fall before the match was stopped.
Earlier Sunday, five additional Lehigh wrestlers earned places among the top six in their respective weight classes, with four of the five qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Juniors Matt Fisk and Mike Galante placed third at 133 and 165 respectively, while senior Chinn bounced back from a semifinal loss to place fourth at 149. Sophomore Alex Caruso battled back through the consolations to take fourth at 174, while freshman John McDonald placed sixth at 125.
In all, 38 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament were handed out, with Lehigh claiming seven of them. The NCAA will announce the remaining 52 at-large bids on Wednesday.
In the team race Cornell ran away with its third straight team title, with seven finalists, four champions and 138 team points. Bucknell and Penn tied for third behind Cornell and Lehigh with 79 points, while Navy rounded out the top five.
The Mountain Hawks added two additional pieces of hardware as the tournament’s referees awarded Lehigh the team Sportsmanship Award, while Santoro was voted by his peers as the EIWA Coach of the Year after leading the Mountain Hawks to a 23-1 dual record and second place at the championships.
The Fletcher Trophy for most career team points went to Cornell senior Steve Anceravage, while his Big Red teammate Troy Nickerson captured the Sheridan Trophy for most falls in the shortest time. The Coaches Trophy, given to the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler, was awarded to the 149 pound champion Bryce Saddoris of Navy.
Next up for Lehigh’s seven qualifiers is the NCAA Championships, March 19-21 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Championship Finals
|
Weight |
Match-up |
Result |
|
Score/Time |
|
125 |
Troy Nickerson (Cornell) |
dec. |
Rollie Peterkin (Penn) |
5-2 |
|
133 |
Joe Baker (Navy) |
dec. |
Mike Grey (Cornell) |
5-3 |
|
141 |
Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) |
dec. |
Corey Jantzen (Harvard) |
4-3 |
|
149 |
Bryce Saddoris (Navy) |
dec. |
Matt Kyler (Army) |
5-4, t.b. |
|
157 |
Jordan Leen (Cornell) |
dec. |
J.P. O’Connor (Harvard) |
8-2 |
|
165 |
Mack Lewnes (Cornell) |
dec. |
Andy Rendos (Bucknell) |
5-3 |
|
174 |
Michael Cannon (American) |
dec. |
Steve Anceravage (Cornell) |
3-1, s.v. |
|
184 |
David Craig (Lehigh) |
dec. |
Justin Kerber (Cornell) |
4-0 |
|
197 |
Cam Simaz (Cornell) |
Forfeit |
Richard Starks (Army) |
|
|
285 |
Ryan Flores (Columbia) |
dec. |
Zach Rey (Lehigh) |
6-1 s.v. |
Final Team Scores
|
Team |
Points |
|
1. Cornell |
138 |
|
2. Lehigh |
103 |
|
T3. Bucknell |
79 |
|
T3. Penn |
79 |
|
5. Navy |
70 |
|
6. American |
68 |
|
7. Army |
50 |
|
8. Harvard |
48.5 |
|
9. Rutgers |
47.5 |
|
10. Columbia |
43 |
|
11. Brown |
34.5 |
|
12. ESU |
15.5 |
|
13. F&M |
8.5 |
|
14. Princeton |
3 |
Watch the Lehigh - EIWA Post-Match Extra
