Friday, March 3
Lewisburg, Pa.
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
at
EIWA Championships
Lehigh heads to Bucknell for 113th EIWA Championships beginning Friday
3/1/2017 2:04:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
Lehigh Tournament Notes | EIWA Championships Home | Video | Finals Audio
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh joins the other 15 EIWA member institutions in Lewisburg, Pa. for the 113th EIWA Championships at Sojka Pavilion. The EIWA is the nation's oldest wrestling conference, with Lehigh being the historically dominant team, having won 207 individual titles and 34 team championships. The Mountain Hawks went 10-4 in the dual season and were 7-1 against conference foes. Lehigh capped the dual season with a 23-10 win over Rutgers in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Mountain Hawks were ranked 11th in the final NWCA/USA Today Top 25. Lehigh has finished second to Cornell in each of the last three EIWA tournaments and will try to deny the Big Red an 11th straight team title, while trying to win its first EIWA crown since 2006. Also at stake are 43 automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
Eight Mountain Hawks appear in the latest rankings by InterMat, led by freshman Jordan Kutler, who is ranked fourth at 157. Kutler, junior Darian Cruz (125) and sophomores Ryan Preisch (174) and Scott Parker (133) are ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. Eight Mountain Hawks are also ranked by Amateur Wrestling News, with freshman Cole Walter representing Lehigh at 165, while senior Mitch Minotti appears in InterMat's rankings. Seven Mountain Hawks are ranked by FloWrestling and the Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Preisch, Darian Cruz and Parker, seniors Randy Cruz, Laike Gardner and Doug Vollaro are ranked across the board.
For the second consecutive year, Lehigh and Rutgers were paired together in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. After losing last year's dual in Piscataway, N.J., Lehigh exacted revenge with a 23-10 win over the Scarlet Knights Feb. 17 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won seven bouts, getting major decision wins from junior Darian Cruz and senior Mitch Minotti plus an overtime win from freshman Andrew Price at 184 to clinch the match. The win clinched Lehigh's 18th consecutive season with at least 10 dual meet wins.
With Darian Cruz winning last year's 125-pound EIWA title, he and brother Randy became the sixth set of brothers in Lehigh wrestling history to win individual EIWA championships. This year they will have an opportunity to become just the second set of brothers to win EIWA titles in the same tournament, joining Mike and Mark Lieberman, who both won EIWA titles in 1975. The Cruz brothers wrestled 29 duals together over the last two seasons (with both men wrestling in all 14 duals this season), breaking the record for dual competition by brothers of 27, previously held by Eric and Ed Erikson from 1947-49.
Senior Randy Cruz is the lone returnee among Lehigh's three All-Americans from the 2016 NCAA Championships. After coming up one win shy of All-America honors as a sophomore, Cruz went 26-10 last year and placed eighth at 141. In the All-American round, Cruz used a punishing ride and four point near fall to defeat Ohio State's Micah Jordan 6-2. Cruz is also a two-time EIWA Champion who in 2013 became Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. The Bethlehem native owns an 18-6 record in his senior season, including a 7-3 win over N.C. State's Kevin Jack in a battle of returning All-Americans at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. He leads active Lehigh wrestlers with a 97-37 career mark that includes 18 wins by fall. Cruz registered his first fall of the season against Virginia Tech. He is 12-1 in three previous EIWA Tournament appearances and needs three more victories to become the 15th Lehigh wrestler to reach the 100-win mark.
Lehigh's EIWA lineup features three freshmen with deferred freshmen Jordan Kutler and Cole Walter competing at 157 and 165, respectively, and true freshman Kyle Gentile getting the nod at 184. Six freshmen saw action during the dual meet season. While true freshmen have been regular contributors for the Mountain Hawks in recent years, none of the 10 true freshmen on last year's roster saw varsity action in 2015-16. Gentile and Joe Lobeck saw varsity action this season. Eleven Lehigh wrestlers have won EIWA titles as freshmen, most recently Randy Cruz in 2013. Prior to that, Cory Cooperman, Derek Zinck and Troy Letters won titles as freshmen in 2003.
Seven of the ten Mountain Hawks expected to compete in the EIWA Tournament have competed in the tournament before. Senior Randy Cruz (1, 1, 3) is a three-time place-winner and two time champion. Classmates Laike Gardner and Ben Haas, along with junior Darian Cruz are appearing in their third tournaments. Darian Cruz owns an EIWA title and six of Lehigh's seven returnees have qualified for the NCAA Championships at least once. Both Cruz brothers, plus Gardner and sophomore Ryan Preisch placed at last year's tournament, while senior Doug Vollaro and sophomore Scott Parker both made their last appearances in 2015. Senior Ben Haas competes for the first time at 197 after competing at 165 in both 2013 and 2014. Freshmen Jordan Kutler, Cole Walter and Kyle Gentile are new to the EIWA Tournament for Lehigh.
The EIWA received 43 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. Wrestlers who fail to qualify this weekend will be eligible for one of 49 at-large berths which will be announced on Wednesday, March 8.
This year the nation's oldest college wrestling conference holds its 113th championships. Lehigh has historically dominated the EIWA's, having won 34 team titles including five straight from 2002-2006. Cornell is bidding for its 11th straight team title. The Mountain Hawks have won at least one individual title in each of the last 17 EIWA tournaments. Two of Lehigh's EIWA Tournament entrants have won EIWA titles (Darian Cruz – 2016 and Randy Cruz – 2013, 2015).
Lehigh qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships last year, and has qualified at least five wrestlers in each of the last 17 EIWA tournaments.
Tournament seeds and brackets will be announced Thursday evening following the seeding meeting.
The 113th EIWA Championships get underway Friday at 11 a.m. from Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. Friday's opening session will feature the first round in both the championship bracket and consolations. Session two, set for 6 p.m. Friday will feature the championship quarterfinals and a round of consolations. Session three, featuring the championship semifinals plus consolation third round, consolation semifinals and seventh place matches, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. The final session, featuring matches for first, third and fifth place, will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday and will be preceded by the EIWA Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The EIWA has partnered with Flowrestling to provide streaming video coverage of the entire tournament via its subscription-based Flo Pro service.
Lehigh will provide audio coverage of Saturday's final session on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh joins the other 15 EIWA member institutions in Lewisburg, Pa. for the 113th EIWA Championships at Sojka Pavilion. The EIWA is the nation's oldest wrestling conference, with Lehigh being the historically dominant team, having won 207 individual titles and 34 team championships. The Mountain Hawks went 10-4 in the dual season and were 7-1 against conference foes. Lehigh capped the dual season with a 23-10 win over Rutgers in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Mountain Hawks were ranked 11th in the final NWCA/USA Today Top 25. Lehigh has finished second to Cornell in each of the last three EIWA tournaments and will try to deny the Big Red an 11th straight team title, while trying to win its first EIWA crown since 2006. Also at stake are 43 automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
Eight Mountain Hawks appear in the latest rankings by InterMat, led by freshman Jordan Kutler, who is ranked fourth at 157. Kutler, junior Darian Cruz (125) and sophomores Ryan Preisch (174) and Scott Parker (133) are ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. Eight Mountain Hawks are also ranked by Amateur Wrestling News, with freshman Cole Walter representing Lehigh at 165, while senior Mitch Minotti appears in InterMat's rankings. Seven Mountain Hawks are ranked by FloWrestling and the Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Preisch, Darian Cruz and Parker, seniors Randy Cruz, Laike Gardner and Doug Vollaro are ranked across the board.
For the second consecutive year, Lehigh and Rutgers were paired together in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. After losing last year's dual in Piscataway, N.J., Lehigh exacted revenge with a 23-10 win over the Scarlet Knights Feb. 17 inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won seven bouts, getting major decision wins from junior Darian Cruz and senior Mitch Minotti plus an overtime win from freshman Andrew Price at 184 to clinch the match. The win clinched Lehigh's 18th consecutive season with at least 10 dual meet wins.
With Darian Cruz winning last year's 125-pound EIWA title, he and brother Randy became the sixth set of brothers in Lehigh wrestling history to win individual EIWA championships. This year they will have an opportunity to become just the second set of brothers to win EIWA titles in the same tournament, joining Mike and Mark Lieberman, who both won EIWA titles in 1975. The Cruz brothers wrestled 29 duals together over the last two seasons (with both men wrestling in all 14 duals this season), breaking the record for dual competition by brothers of 27, previously held by Eric and Ed Erikson from 1947-49.
Senior Randy Cruz is the lone returnee among Lehigh's three All-Americans from the 2016 NCAA Championships. After coming up one win shy of All-America honors as a sophomore, Cruz went 26-10 last year and placed eighth at 141. In the All-American round, Cruz used a punishing ride and four point near fall to defeat Ohio State's Micah Jordan 6-2. Cruz is also a two-time EIWA Champion who in 2013 became Lehigh's first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. The Bethlehem native owns an 18-6 record in his senior season, including a 7-3 win over N.C. State's Kevin Jack in a battle of returning All-Americans at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. He leads active Lehigh wrestlers with a 97-37 career mark that includes 18 wins by fall. Cruz registered his first fall of the season against Virginia Tech. He is 12-1 in three previous EIWA Tournament appearances and needs three more victories to become the 15th Lehigh wrestler to reach the 100-win mark.
Lehigh's EIWA lineup features three freshmen with deferred freshmen Jordan Kutler and Cole Walter competing at 157 and 165, respectively, and true freshman Kyle Gentile getting the nod at 184. Six freshmen saw action during the dual meet season. While true freshmen have been regular contributors for the Mountain Hawks in recent years, none of the 10 true freshmen on last year's roster saw varsity action in 2015-16. Gentile and Joe Lobeck saw varsity action this season. Eleven Lehigh wrestlers have won EIWA titles as freshmen, most recently Randy Cruz in 2013. Prior to that, Cory Cooperman, Derek Zinck and Troy Letters won titles as freshmen in 2003.
Seven of the ten Mountain Hawks expected to compete in the EIWA Tournament have competed in the tournament before. Senior Randy Cruz (1, 1, 3) is a three-time place-winner and two time champion. Classmates Laike Gardner and Ben Haas, along with junior Darian Cruz are appearing in their third tournaments. Darian Cruz owns an EIWA title and six of Lehigh's seven returnees have qualified for the NCAA Championships at least once. Both Cruz brothers, plus Gardner and sophomore Ryan Preisch placed at last year's tournament, while senior Doug Vollaro and sophomore Scott Parker both made their last appearances in 2015. Senior Ben Haas competes for the first time at 197 after competing at 165 in both 2013 and 2014. Freshmen Jordan Kutler, Cole Walter and Kyle Gentile are new to the EIWA Tournament for Lehigh.
The EIWA received 43 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. Wrestlers who fail to qualify this weekend will be eligible for one of 49 at-large berths which will be announced on Wednesday, March 8.
This year the nation's oldest college wrestling conference holds its 113th championships. Lehigh has historically dominated the EIWA's, having won 34 team titles including five straight from 2002-2006. Cornell is bidding for its 11th straight team title. The Mountain Hawks have won at least one individual title in each of the last 17 EIWA tournaments. Two of Lehigh's EIWA Tournament entrants have won EIWA titles (Darian Cruz – 2016 and Randy Cruz – 2013, 2015).
Lehigh qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships last year, and has qualified at least five wrestlers in each of the last 17 EIWA tournaments.
Tournament seeds and brackets will be announced Thursday evening following the seeding meeting.
The 113th EIWA Championships get underway Friday at 11 a.m. from Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion. Friday's opening session will feature the first round in both the championship bracket and consolations. Session two, set for 6 p.m. Friday will feature the championship quarterfinals and a round of consolations. Session three, featuring the championship semifinals plus consolation third round, consolation semifinals and seventh place matches, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. The final session, featuring matches for first, third and fifth place, will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday and will be preceded by the EIWA Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The EIWA has partnered with Flowrestling to provide streaming video coverage of the entire tournament via its subscription-based Flo Pro service.
Lehigh will provide audio coverage of Saturday's final session on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com.
| Event: | 113th EIWA Championships |
| Dates: | March 3-4, 2017 |
| March 3 Schedule: | Session 1: Championship first round and consolations, 11 a.m. Session 2: Championship quarterfinals and consolations, 6 p.m. |
| March 4 Schedule: | Session 3: Championship semifinals, consolation third round, semifinals and 7th place matches: 10 a.m. |
| Session 4: Championship finals (1st, 3rd, 5th): 4 p.m. | |
| Location: | Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Arena: | Sojka Pavilion (4,000) |
| Lehigh's dual record: | 10-4, 7-1 EIWA |
| History: | Lehigh has won 34 team championships, most of any EIWA school |
| TV: | None |
| Radio: | The final session will air on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) beginning at 3:45 p.m. |
| Internet Broadcast: | The EIWA has partnered with Flowrestling to provide streaming video of the entire tournament via Flowrestling's FloPro subscription-based service. Audio of Saturday's finals will be streamed on ESPNLV.com. |
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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