Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks head to Princeton for 108th EIWA Championships
2/29/2012 2:28:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh joins the other 13 EIWA member institutions in Princeton, N.J. for the 108th EIWA Championships, hosted by Princeton at Jadwin Gym. The EIWA is the nation's oldest wrestling conference, with Lehigh being the historically dominant team, having won 197 individual titles and 34 team championships. Lehigh finished second at last year's tournament and will look to win its first team title since 2006, but the Mountain Hawks will have to deal with the five-time defending league champion Cornell Big Red, plus a slew of other tough contenders. Also at stake are 46 automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
Six Mountain Hawks are ranked in the latest polls conducted by Amateur Wrestling News, and InterMat, while five Lehigh grapplers are ranked by W.I.N. Magazine. Last week the NCAA unveiled its third and final set of coaches' panel rankings, with eight Mountain Hawks recognized in the top 33 at their weight class. Senior Zach Rey and junior Robert Hamlin lead the way for the Mountain Hawks, coming 
in at No. 2 at 285 and 184 respectively.
in at No. 2 at 285 and 184 respectively.Eight Lehigh wrestlers are ranked in the top six in the final EIWA regular season rankings. Seven of the eight are ranked in the top three of their respective weight classes with senior Brandon Hatchett currently the only Mountain Hawk ranked No. 1 at his weight class.
Junior Robert Hamlin is enjoying another outstanding season, with a sparkling 23-1 record and No. 2 national ranking at 184. The first NCAA wrestling All-American from the state of Vermont, Hamlin enjoyed a spectacular sophomore season that saw him win an EIWA Championship and advance to the NCAA finals at 184. Hamlin went 32-3 last season and has won eight straight bouts since suffering his only loss of the season back on January 8. He won the UB Open in November and in December became the fourth Lehigh Undergraduate to win a Midlands title. Hamlin owns a 73-16 career record, and has placed 4th and 1st in two previous EIWA tournament appearances.
True freshman Mason Beckman has impressed in his move up to 133. Beckman went 3-2 at the Midlands in his first event up at the new weight class. He owns wins over nationally-ranked Aaron Kalil of Navy and Steven Keith of Harvard. Beckman has won 12 of his last 13 bouts at 133, including a first period fall from neutral against Keith back on February 12. He is now 23-7 on the season and is ranked 16th by Amateur Wrestling News. Beckman is one of four true freshmen who have competed in duals for Lehigh this season and one of two who will compete at the EIWA Championships (Nate Brown is the other).
They will look to join Matt Fisk (2006), David Craig (2007), Frank Cagnina (2011) and Steve Dutton (2011) as recent true freshman NCAA qualifiers for the Mountain Hawks.
The EIWA received 46 automatic bids to the NCAA Championships when the NCAA announced its qualifier allocations last week. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data including Division I winning percentage, RPI and a coaches ranking. Under this system, the number of automatic qualifiers varies in each weight class within the EIWA. Wrestlers who fail to qualify this weekend will be eligible for one of 40 at-large berths which will be announced on Wednesday, March 7.
This year the nation's oldest college wrestling conference holds its 108th championships. Lehigh has historically dominated the EIWA's, having won 34 team titles including five straight from 2002-2006. The Mountain Hawks have won at least one individual title in each of the last 12 EIWA tournaments. Lehigh had one champ (Hamlin) and two runners-up (Cagnina, Rey) in 2011. Lehigh qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships last year, and has qualified at least five wrestlers in each of the last 12 EIWA tournaments.
Tournament seeds and brackets will be announced Friday evening.
The 108th EIWA Championships get underway Saturday at 9 a.m. from Princeton's Jadwin Gym. The tournament will proceed through the completion of the semifinals Saturday evening. Sunday's two sessions feature consolations and placement matches beginning at 10 a.m. and the championship finals at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon's final session will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as Lehighsports.com.
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Event:
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108th EIWA Championships
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Dates:
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March 3-4, 2012
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March 3 Schedule:
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Session 1: Prelims, quarters, consolations: 9 a.m.
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Session 2: Semifinals: 2:30 p.m.
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March 4 Schedule:
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Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Place finals: 10: a.m.
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Session 4: Finals: 3 p.m.
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Location:
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Princeton, N.J.
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Arena:
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Jadwin Gym (6,854)
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Lehigh's dual record:
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12-5, 7-1
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History:
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Lehigh has won 34 team championships, most of any EIWA school
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TV:
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None
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Radio:
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Live coverage of the finals on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with Steve Lomangino
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Internet Broadcast:
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Princeton will stream video of the entire tournament through its website. Lehigh's audio broadcast of the finals will be streamed live at Lehighsports.com.
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