2025-26 Preseason EIWA Conference Preview

Another wrestling season is upon us! Below is a season preview that includes all 12 EIWA teams. It includes a quick season outlook, coaching staffs, and projected line-ups with national rankings. Also included are some quotes from the coaches for some further insight. Enjoy! 

American 

The Eagles finished with eleven wins last season. They have not had double digit wins in a season since the 2010-11 campaign. They will be tested with out-of-conference duals against #15 West Virginia, #22 Purdue, and #24 Maryland. When you add the EIWA opponents of #7 Lehigh, #29 Navy, and #23 Army West Point into the mix, American will be battle-tested and ready for March. 

Max Leete will be returning from a fantastic redshirt season, where he was 26-5 with a 65% bonus rate. He secured 10 pins in only 8:39. He joins Jack Maida as the two NCAA qualifiers (NQ) in the line-up. 

Also noteworthy; American’s new wrestling facility will be open around Christmas time. The facility will include a new wrestling room, locker room, offices, and more. It’s a promising investment for the sport with administrative buy-in. 

Coach Borrelli enters his fifth season at the helm. Here is what he had to say this upcoming season, “I’m most excited about adding ten freshmen to the roster. We’ve had a limited number of roster spots in the past due to facility space. I love the excitement and enthusiasm from all 27 wrestlers on the team.” He continued, “Honestly, this is as good as any team I’ve ever coached. The balanced roster makes the room more competitive and helps push everyone” This is an important statement from Borrelli, as he was the Head Coach at Stanford previously. His highest finish with that team was 11th place at NCAAs with three All-Americans. 

When asked about wrestlers he is excited for, aside from leaders like Leete and Maida, Borrelli was very high on Caleb Campos. He explained how Caleb’s decision to move up to 184lbs after one season at 174lbs will help him excel. “Now that the weight cut is not a main focus for Caleb, he will be very tough this season.” Campos begins the season ranked in the top-30. Coach Borrelli was very high on Kaden Milheim, who will be coming down from 165lbs to 157lbs. He was also eager for the two potential heavyweights in Volk-Klos and Ulrich. “Our heavyweight has been Will Jarrell in the past. He was a leader on and off the mat. I’m excited to see these guys step up and anchor our team.”
 

Meet The Staff

Jason Borrelli – Head Coach

Alex Tirapelle – Associate Head Coach

Joey Dance – Assistant Coach 

Ganbayar Sanjaa – Assistant Coach

Projected Lineup (NQ = National Qualifier)

125lbs - JJ Peace / Coen Bainey

133lbs - #27 Max Leete (NQ) / Raymond Lopez

141lbs - Jack Maida (NQ)

149lbs - Gage Owen 

157lbs - Kaden Milheim

165lbs - Austin Craft 

174lbs - Hunter Hohman

184lbs - #29 Caleb Campos

197lbs - Caleb Close / Teage Calvin

HWT - Emmanual Ulrich / Liam Volk-Klos
 

Army West Point (#23)

The Black Knights went through a coaching change this off-season. Troy Nickerson was named the Head Coach in June. Nickerson, a New York native, will look to continue the success at West Point – which had the fifth-ranked recruiting haul for the 2026 class. This historic class includes (1) top-25 overall recruit and (6) top-100 recruits. The future is bright for the Black Knights. They will travel to take on #2 Nebraska in early November. Army will also host #27 Wisconsin before traveling to #26 Indiana and #14 Cornell. They have a solid EIWA schedule that includes duals with #7 Lehigh, #29 Navy, and Bucknell. 

One wrestler to highlight is Ethan Berginc at 133lbs. He is looking to become the fifth 4X NCAA qualifier in Army West Point history. He is also chasing 100 career wins. He will need 23 on the season to achieve this feat. 100 wins would put him 10th all-time in Army West Point’s incredible history. It’s evident to see the depth of the team looking at the projected line-up below. An interesting tidbit is that there are two NCAA qualifiers battling for a starting job at heavyweight. This will be something to monitor. 

A conversation with the new Head Coach, Troy Nickerson, began with him explaining “I am looking forward to the opportunity this season. We have a ton of support. The school is dedicated to winning. We will have 44 guys in the Princeton Open to kick off the season.”  

Regarding the 5th ranked recruiting class for the class of 2026, Nickerson said “I came in and immediately developed relationships with the committed recruits. Usually, when wrestlers commit to Army West Point, it is not just for the coach or wrestling. They commit to the bigger picture and long-term exposure for a long-term career. We are excited to continue recruiting at a high level.”  

Nickerson discussed the challenging schedule, “The goal is to get guys qualified (to the NCAA tournament) and you do that by seeking high quality competition. This helps them be ready in March. We travel to Nebraska in November for a dual. They will have a large crowd and will be ready and our guys are excited for it!” 

As mentioned, Ethan Berginc will be a leader on this team. Nickerson’s high praise was evident. “Ethan is rock solid. He has the skillset and can wrestle with the best and has beaten All-Americans in the past. The staff and I have been working with him on getting over the hump (becoming an All-American)”
 

Meet The Staff

Troy Nickerson – Head Coach 

Scott Green – Associate Head Coach

Steve Bleise – Assistant Coach

Alan Clothier – Assistant Coach 

Jeff Breese – Director of Wrestling Development 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - #21 Charlie Farmer (NQ)

133lbs - #23 Ethan Berginc (NQ) / Jake Crapps

141lbs - #22 Braden Basile (NQ) / Conor Collins

149lbs - Mason Barvitskie / Ryan Franco / Casper Stewart

157lbs - #32 Trae McDaniel (NQ) (2nd semester) / Kellen Smith / Micah Hanau / Oscar Aranda / Joe Antonio / Draven McCall 

165lbs - #15 Gunner Filipowicz (NQ)

174lbs - Cooper Haase / Dakota Morris / Hayden Hochstrasser

184lbs - Jake Gilfoil / Dave Barrett / Gage Laplante

197lbs - #21 Wolfgang Frable (NQ) / Reid Schroeder

HWT - #13 Brady Colbert (NQ) / Lucas Stoddard (NQ)

Binghamton 

The Bearcats were another team which saw a coaching change this summer. Ryan LeBlanc was named the Head Coach in late August. He came from The Citadel, where he helped steadily build the program during his five-year tenure. The Bearcats lost some firepower in the lineup with Brevin Cassella and Cory Day graduating, who have seven NCAA appearances between them. Cassella was an EIWA champion last year while sharing the Outstanding Wrestler Award with Lehigh’s Michael Beard. The team still returns five EIWA place finishers led by Carson Wagner who was third at 125lbs. Also returning is Nate Lucier (eighth at 141lbs), Carter Baer (fourth at 165lbs), Will Ebert (sixth at 184lbs), and Cayden Bevis (sixth at 197lbs). Wagner and Baer were each one win away from becoming NCAA qualifiers. 

Binghamton’s schedule is a grinder to open the season. It includes the Navy Classic, Journeymen Collegiate Classic, Black Knight Open, and Big Red Invitational before Thanksgiving. The F&M Open will be during the second semester along with numerous dual meets. They end the regular season with an away dual at #14 Cornell. 

Ryan LeBlanc is the newest head coach in the EIWA, taking over in August. He’s had just two months to get acquainted and settled in. LeBlanc stated, “First, I need to thank the rest of my staff, Lou DePrez, Brevin Cassella, and Micah Roes for keeping the team focused and kept the ball rolling. The former Binghamton wrestlers-now-coaches played a vital role in his first two months. LeBlanc continued, “I am super excited to be at Binghamton. The school has a great wrestling tradition and I’m looking to continue to add to it. My goal is to make sure my kids are wrestling hard, and they are fun to watch.” 

LeBlanc was high on his leaders - Carson Wagner, Carter Baer, Will Ebert, and Mikey Squires. “They all have huge upside. Wagner looks ready to go, and he’s finally full-sized 125lbs wrestler. I expect guys like (Nate) Lucier and (Fin) Nadeau to make improvements. There is room for them to compete at NCAAs. If all the pieces align, we will have a great dual meet team” 

The schedule was set before LeBlanc was hired, so he had no input into creating it. “I like the schedule. I know we wrestle Drexel at home. This will be a big conference dual for both teams. My main goal is to keep getting better while we hit ranked opponents. The objective is to be better at the end of the year than we are now.”

Meet The Staff

Ryan LeBlanc – Head Coach

Lou DePrez – Assistant Coach

Brevin Cassella - Assistant Coach

Micah Roes - Assistant Coach

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Carson Wagner

133lbs - Dillon Arrick / Gavin Sheridan

141lbs - Jack Kazalas / Ryan Hartung

149lbs - Nate Lucier 

157lbs - Fin Nadeau / Jordan Brown 

165lbs - Tyler Reed / Marco Albanese 

174lbs - #30 Carter Baer

184lbs - #32 Will Ebert 

197lbs - #32 Mikey Squires (2nd semester) / Quinn Funk

HWT - Cayden Bevis

Bucknell

The Bison finished in fifth place in the EIWA last year, only 3.5 points behind Army and Navy – who tied for third. Kurt Phipps was the lone champion for Bucknell. He’s graduated and will not return. The Bison are looking tough this season with seven EIWA placers returning, while four of them are NCAA qualifiers. Dylan Chappell will lead the way after a top-12 finish at NCAAs a season ago. He will look to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in his career and attempt to be the seventh All-American in school history. 

They have numerous dual meets against ranked opponents including #9 Virginia Tech, #16 Oklahoma, #27 Wisconsin, #17 Pittsburgh, #14 Cornell, #7 Lehigh, #30 North Dakota State, #23 Army, and #29 Navy. That’s nine duals against top-30 teams. Bucknell will have many opportunities this year to prove themselves outside of challenging tournaments like the Navy Classic and the Midlands.

Dan Wirnsberger is now nine wins away from becoming the all-time wins leader as a coach in Bucknell wrestling history. He’s also the fifth-longest tenured D1 Head Coach in the country. For the record, he was unaware of this until an athlete brought it to his attention during a team meeting. 

Coach Dan Wirnsberger is “looking forward to the season.” He continued, “We have a ton of potential with a good mix of very experienced guys that have seen success and young guys ready to make a statement. The coach stated, “we may, on paper, look like a better tournament team, but we want to be a great dual meet team. The young guys will need to perform and get wins in some tough matches.”  

Looking at the schedule for Bucknell, it is no cakewalk.  “Difficult and challenging” is how Wirnsberger described it. “It is important to present individuals the best opportunities for ranked wins. We are preparing for March in that respect. I feel the team can get one or two ranked dual wins. We are so close, but with more chances, the more opportunities we have. Staying healthy is always the key!” 

Coach Wirnsberger mentioned how the alumni base, fans, and families want to see The Bison compete against the best. 

We can expect Dylan Chappell to lead by example. Wirnsberger confirmed “He’s been fantastic. He’s consistent. He’s a true competitor by nature in all aspects – on the mat, conditioning, in the weightroom, and in the classroom.” He continued, “Dylan’s preparation is a big factor. This leads to his confidence. He loves the spotlight. Most importantly, he wants the program to be successful”

Coach Wirnsberger gave a shoutout to his assistants. “My staff has been great. Coach Smith has been phenomenal at recruiting. Coach Flitz is young and learning so much while helping with our big guys. Coach Dan Neff was added this year after six seasons with Navy. He’s a true professional coach.”

Meet The Staff

Dan Wirnsberger – Head Coach 

Tyler Smith – Head Assistant Coach

Thomas Flitz – Assistant Coach

Dan Neff – Assistant Coach

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Kade Davidheiser

133lbs - Ty Kapusta / Blue Stiffler / Bryce Manera

141lbs - #15 Dylan Chappell (NQ)

149lbs - Riley Bower / Aiden Davis 

157lbs - Cade Wirnsberger 

165lbs - #25 Noah Mulvaney (NQ)

174lbs - #17 Myles Takats (NQ)

184lbs - Tyler Bienus / Mike Bartush 

197lbs - #12 Dillon Bechtold (NQ)

HWT - #33 Logan Shephard / Lucas Lawler

Drexel

The Dragons are coming off a strong EIWA runner-up finish last season. They are expected to be tough once again with plenty of experience returning. Mickey O’Malley has ran out of eligibility after five NCAA Tournament appearances. The question remains – who will be the leader of the team? NCAA qualifiers, Jordan Soriano and Luke Nichter, are seniors who may lead the Dragons. Jasiah Queen returns after a stellar freshman year, qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Desmond Pleasant and Kyle Waterman have both spent time in the national rankings at 125lbs and 133lbs, respectively. Newcomer, Nate Schon, was scooped up in the transfer portal. He is expected to make a big impact at heavyweight this season. The Pennsylvania native spent three seasons at Iowa State, where he was seventh in the Big12 last year at 197lbs.

The Dragons will open the year at the Navy Classic and Princeton Open. As usual, expect to see them compete at the Keystone Classic and the NWCA Mid-Major National Duals. They will host #1 Penn State and #26 Purdue. Away duals include #15 Rutgers, #28 Cal Poly, and #19 Maryland. Drexel will look to retain the Independence Division title after an impressive 4-0 record in the division last season, and 6-1 overall against conference opponents. 

Coach Matt Azevedo is thrilled about the season. “We have a lot of experience and maturity in the line-up. This will give us a lot of potential. This year, along with last year, were intentionally built to give us a great team. The culture shift began with this group of seniors, and we are seeing it through. They are ready to make their mark.” 

Coach is high on Queen as well. “Jasiah adds a lot of personality and flair. He’s motivated after last year’s post season. We expect him to make a big jump.” The post-season Azevedo refers to was his first trip to NCAAs where Jasiah lost both matches, but did not give up a takedown in the process. 

When discussing the schedule, Coach was intentional with the planning. “We have a handful of early season tournaments to get key wins for the year. But, we are super excited about hosting Penn State. We wrestle at Rutgers in a tough environment. We expect our guys to compete hard.” He continued, “With our senior-heavy team, we are ready to build on the second-place finish at EIWAs last season.” The Dragons are on the upward trajectory, as they have sold more season tickets this season than ever before. They expect a sell-out crown for the dual against Penn State. This would be the first sell-out in program history for a single wrestling event. 

Meet The Staff 

Matt Azevedo – Head Coach

Mauro Correnti – Assistant Coach

Chad Walsh – Assistant Coach

Matt Kolonia – Assistant Coach 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - #26 Desmond Pleasant / Oumar  Tounkara 

133lbs - #22 Kyle Waterman 

141lbs - #22 Jordan Soriano (NQ)

149lbs - Patrick Kelly / Deon Pleasant / Jon Fuller

157lbs - #30 Luke Nichter (NQ)

165lbs - Cody Walsh / Dom Findora

174lbs - #25 Jasiah Queen (NQ)

184lbs - Ethan Wilson / George Rhodes

197lbs - Ibrahim Ameer / Dan Rella / Justin Griffith 

HWT - Nate Schon

Franklin & Marshall

The Diplomats will be much improved this season with the return of Pat Phillips and James Conway. They utilized a redshirt season and had many great wins to show for it last year. Conway is the lone NCAA qualifier on the squad. He won the Elite 88 Award (which combines GPA and wrestling accomplishments) for the sport of wrestling in 2024. He will continue to lead by example on and off the mat. The Diplomats persistently show they are up to the challenge in the EIWA, as they are the smallest school in the conference. They wrestle hard and do not shy away from tough wrestling. Bryce Kresho led all of Division 1 last season with 35 wins. He was one match away from earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Mason Leiphart has led the country in tech falls in years past. This team will be out to score points in bunches!

The Diplomats will see action at the Southeast Open to begin the year, followed by The Journeymen Collegiate Classic. They will also compete in the Keystone Classic, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, and Midlands. 

Head Coach, Mike Rogers, is enthusiastic about the upcoming season. “We have two guys ranked in the nation to begin the year. This exposure for a small program is so vital.” Keep in mind, Franklin & Marshall is a tiny college of less than 2,000 students. All athletic programs (except wrestling) compete at the Division 3 level. Coach is always preaching the “David and Goliath” story when it comes to his program that includes no RTC or NIL.  

He mentioned having Pat Phillips and James Conway back from a redshirt year brings “stability to the line-up.” He continued that letting them redshirt later in their career helped them develop individually. “Sometimes this approach is better because you have years of establishing a baseline to really key in on what needs improvement. They will help anchor the line-up. 

Returning from last season are Bryce Kresho and Mason Leiphart. “Bryce had a breakout season last year. His high tempo is his best asset. Now that he’s ranked, his expectations are much higher. Mason is dangerous in many positions. He’s fun to watch compete. They both have a better mentality heading into their senior seasons. We’re excited for them to achieve great things” Rogers stated. 

The Diplomats are scheduled to be all over the country for a reason. Rogers explained how he likes to compete with teams they do not see often. “The Southeast Open has many ACC teams. Vegas has a bunch of teams from out west. The Midlands has different teams from everywhere.” He resumed, “We want our guys to leave a good impression on coaches doing the rankings. F&M is a small school, so the travel we put in helps with exposure.” 

Speaking of exposure, the F&M Open is becoming one of the best opens in the nation. It’s perfectly positioned in the beginning of the second semester, centrally located to many schools from all divisions. They have expanded to fourteen mats for this year’s event. It is not rare to see a handful of ranked wrestlers in each weight class. It makes for some excellent wrestling for all competitors from redshirts getting mat time to All-Americans working back from injury, or increasing match counts for RPI and ranking purposes. 

Meet The Staff

Mike Rogers – Head Coach

Steve Borja – Assistant Coach

Tyson Dippery – Assistant Coach

Stephen Loiseau – Assistant Coach

Jack Bruce – Assistant Coach 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Jimmy Garcia / Jack Parker 

133lbs – Mason Leiphart 

141lbs - #30 Bryce Kresho

149lbs - Pat Phillips

157lbs - Nick Alvarez / Luke Bender / Josh Hillard

165lbs - Josh Palmucci

174lbs - Dominic Wheatly / Brandon Carr

184lbs - #16 James Conway (NQ)

197lbs - RJ Moore

HWT - Brody Kline

Hofstra

The Pride crowned two EIWA champions last season for the first time in history. They, along with Lehigh, were the only teams with multiple champs in 2025. Both Kyle Mosher and Ross McFarland won conference titles before advancing to the NCAA Championships. This season will not include these two, as they no longer have eligibility. 

Noah Tapia was another place winner who may not see the line-up, as he is expected to redshirt at this point in time. He was fourth at 149lbs. This leaves Jurius Clark as the lone EIWA place finisher returning to this season’s line-up. Clark was seventh at 157lbs – but you can expect him up at 174lbs this year. 

Hofstra will kick-off the season with the Princeton Open, followed by the Journeymen Classic, and Keystone Classic to round out November. They will see a plethora of dual meets – nineteen to be exact. Some notable duals are against #17 Penn, #18 Wisconsin, #23 Army, and #15 Rutgers.

Head Coach Jamie Franco enters his second season as Head Coach. He is the lone Head Coach in the conference coaching at his alma mater. He stated it is “special.” He continued saying “I have lots of ‘pride’ (no pun intended) in Hofstra. I’ve been here for 17 years as an athlete, assistant coach, and now Head Coach. That’s almost half my lifetime.” Coach tries to relay this message to his team about how special these years are and to take pride in it. 

Looking at the line-up, many of the starters are young. Coach Franco agreed, “we are young, but I think we are very talented. We redshirted a few guys last year to further their development. This year they will be ready to go.” Jake Slotnick, at 165lbs, was one name Franco expects to make a big jump. Will Conlin will be the 197lbs wrestler. He had two wins over national qualifiers last season while redshirting. 

In regards to the schedule, “I want my guys to get matches. We will use the opens early in the season to help solidify a starting line-up. We have a lot of weekends with multiple duals, so I expect many guys to get into duals throughout the year.”

Meet The Staff 

Jamie Franco – Head Coach 

Jesse DellaVecchia – Assistant Coach

Anthony Sobotker – Assistant Coach   

Joe Booth – Volunteer Assistant

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Teague Strobel

133lbs - Gauge Shipp

141lbs - Chase Liardi / Joe Sparacio

149lbs - Zach Reilley / Alex Turley / Noah Tapia (RS) / Jack Slotnick (RS) 

157lbs - Frank Volpe / Chase Hontz

165lbs - Jake Slotnick

174lbs - Jurius Clark / Matt Waddell

184lbs - Matt Waddell / Josh Jorgge

197lbs - Will Conlon

HWT - Danny Church

Lehigh (#7) 

The Mountain Hawks will have a target on their backs, as they look to be the favorites to win the EIWA once again. Two of their four EIWA individual champs will return, including one All-American in Sheldon Seymour. Logan Rozynski was named the EIWA Freshman of the Year after a conference title. In addition, Lehigh expects Ryan Crookham and Nathan Taylor to return after missing most of the season with an injury last year, whom both won EIWA titles in 2024. Evident by the #7 ranking in both Intermat and Flowrestling, this team is in the running for a trophy at the NCAA Championships. 

Once again, Lehigh will seek out the toughest competition with duals against #2 Nebraska, #17 Pittsburgh, #1 Penn State, #3 Iowa State, #12 Illinois, #14 Cornell, #29 Navy, #23 Army West Point, and #17 Penn. They will also attend the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Lastly, as the season kicks off on Novemeber 1st, Lehigh will have two wrestlers compete in the All-Star Match. #5 Sheldon Seymour will take on #4 Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech while #7 Max Brignola will compete against #4 Hunter Garvin of Stanford. This is the eighth time in program history where Lehigh had multiple participants in this event. 2015 was the last occurrence – Lehigh had three reps in Mason Beckman, Mitch Minotti, and Nate Brown. 

Head Coach, Pat Santoro, is excited for the season to begin. Expectations are very high around this team. But, Santoro was timid in his excitement, “Staying healthy will be the main focus. Everyone needs to be firing on all cylinders by March. We have five highly-ranked guys, but we expect the rest to contribute at NCAAs. It will take more than a few guys.” He continued, “There are a couple of question marks in our line-up at the moment, so we will let those weights work themselves out during the first half of the year.” Looking at the line-up below, 149lbs and 174lbs are the main weights that remain unsettled. 

When discussing the schedule, Coach Santoro is looking forward to the challenge. He explained, “Unfortunately, we will not be full strength in the beginning. We are still looking to compete with the lineup we have. March will be the main focus, as always. The team wanted to do National Duals even though we already have a really tough schedule to begin with. It goes to show how much our team loves to compete.” 

Name The Staff

Pat Santoro – Head Coach

Brad Dillon – Associate Head Coach

Zach Rey – Assistant Coach

Vincenzo Joseph – Assistant Coach 

Gina Quinn – Director of Operations 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - #5 Sheldon Seymour (AA) / Mason Ziegler 

133lbs - #2 Ryan Crookham (AA) / Matty Lopes (RS)

141lbs - #3 Luke Stanich (AA) / Carter Bailey / Seamus Mack

149lbs - Kelvin Griffin (NQ) / Owen Reinsel / Anthony Evanitsky / Jadon Skellenger / Matt Repos

157lbs - #23 Logan Rozynski (NQ) / Griffin Gonzalez / Chase Van Hoven (RS)

165lbs - #7 Max Brignola (NQ) / Chase Van Hoven (RS)

174lbs - Richie Grungo / Zeke Dubler / Dom Federici / Brady Collins / Bekhruz Sadriddinov / Vaughn Spencer

184lbs - Rylan Rogers / Jack Wilt 

197lbs - #29 JT Davis

HWT - #8 Nathan Taylor (NQ) / Calvin Lachman 

Long Island

The Sharks enter their eleventh season since the reinstatement of the program. It’s also their seventh season in the EIWA. In 2024, Anthony D’Alesio made history when he became the first NCAA qualifier at the Division 1 level for LIU. Last season, he was third in the conference, just shy of making an NCAA appearance. He will return for his senior season as the highest place finisher at EIWAs last year.  Joining him as podium finishers include Brayden Roberts at 157lbs and Chris Powell at heavyweight who finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Roberts was in the rankings for some time last season. A new face to keep an eye on is Dom D’Agostino at 174lbs. He’s transferred from Drexel with three years of experience under his belt. 

LIU opens up the season at Journeymen Wranglemania with duals against Virginia and Lock Haven. The Sharks will compete in tournaments like the Black Knight Invite and F&M Open. They have duals against #18 Missouri, #23 Army West Point, in addition to EIWA schools. 

Head Coach, John Arceri, will enter his second full year with another opportunity to watch the Sharks grow. We can expect last season’s five EIWA placers to be the new standard moving forward. If there is one thing you notice about this team, the culture is evident. 

Coach Arceri had this to say about it. “We fight for each other. We are all fighting for something together. Culture is our biggest focus this year. I’m young so I can relate to them. I can be very honest with them, and they seem to appreciate it. Coach Jay (Nivison) has been a great addition to the team. He’s young and fits right into the culture as well. I’m learning every day, and they are too.” 

Two wrestlers return from last season who have seen national rankings next to their name. Coach Arceri’s praised them by saying “the team will lean on Brayden (Roberts) and Anthony (D’Alesio) to lead by example. Anthony and Brayden have worked hard all season to put themselves in position to qualify for NCAAs. They are both looking to be more offensive this year to help get to that next level. I’ve loved what I’ve seen from Dom D’Agostino and Chris Powell as well.” Coach Arceri has been preaching having a better mentality, as he trusts the team’s physical abilities. 

“The beginning of the year is a good opportunity to compete against tough competition.” Coach explained. “Many say it’s a tough schedule, but I see it as an opportunity. We have Michigan State coming to town for a home opener. They are the first Big Ten school to wrestle at LIU. We are going to make a great event out of it.” The Sharks will have many different groups and organizations at the match to help promote the sport. 

Meet The Staff

John Arceri – Head Coach 

Jay Nivison – Assistant Coach

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Sawyer Ostroff

133lbs - Chris Betancourt

141lbs - Nicholas Gorman / Amir Avazov 

149lbs - Tommy Bonasera / Luke Nieto

157lbs - Brayden Roberts

165lbs - Jordan Barry / Jack Valentin 

174lbs - Domenic D'Agostino

184lbs - #33 Anthony D’Alesio (NQ)

197lbs - John Dusza / Kaleb Wright

HWT - Chris Powell

Morgan State

The Bears remain the newest member of the conference as they will compete in their second season as members of the EIWA. Head Coach, Kenny Monday, has been leading the charge ever since the program’s reinstatement in 2022. Morgan State has seen increases in the win column every year, this season should continue that trend. The team will return all three place finishers from last season. Julian Dawson and Cooper Lockhart were in eighth place at 125lbs and 165lbs, respectively. Team captain, Xavier Doolin, who was the first alternate at NCAAs last year after a fourth place EIWA finish at heavyweight will return. His status is currently up in the air with a knee injury. Morgan State is still looking for their first NCAA qualifier since the reinstatement a few years ago. A new face to the program to keep an eye on is Sincere Bailey. He was highly touted out of high school, who wrestled at The University of North Carolina for two seasons. 

The team will begin the season at the Navy Classic. Other tournaments include the Big Red Invite and Southern Scuffle. The Bears will dual #24 Maryland, #6 NC State, #22 Purdue, #28 Cal Poly, and #7 Lehigh. 

Coach Monday’s staff is tight knit. It doesn’t get much tighter than coaching alongside your son, Kennedy. “It’s a great situation. Kennedy is still training and competing. We work well together. It’s great to have someone with similar views to help develop talent. It truly is a blessing.”

In regards to the injured heavyweight, “Xavier is a leader and senior on and off the mat. Unfortunately, he has been banged up, so he’s working with athletes on the coaching side. He’s basically another coach at the moment.” 

Sincere Bailey found a new home at Morgan State. His relationship with Coach Monday goes back. “I was at UNC as the RTC coach when Sincere came in as a freshman. I’ve had some prior time with him. It was a no-brainer to take him on at Morgan State. Also, Eugene Harney was at Campbell University so he went into the portal due to the coaching change. We like both of these additions.” 

Morgan State’s schedule is fun. “We hit some different teams like Purdue and NC State. Many of these events are geared to help with the wrestler’s quality wins to help with qualifying to NCAAs. Relying on the conference tournament is not enough anymore.” 

Coach Monday also loves how these teams are helping showcase the lone HBCU school in D1. 

Meet The Staff

Kenny Monday – Head Coach 

Alonzo Allen – Assistant Coach

Jarod Trice – Assistant Coach

Kennedy Monday – Assistant Coach 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Treshaun Tecson / Julian Dawson 

133lbs - Javaan Yarbrough

141lbs - Blake Bryant / Kevin Lopez / Marwan Nazeer

149lbs - Eugene Harney / EJ Tecson / Yannis Charles 

157lbs - Sincere Bailey / Aaron Turner / Josh Greenwood

165lbs - Kyle Grey / Antoine Glasgow

174lbs - Cort Vann

184lbs - Bryce Phillips / Kingsley Menifee

197lbs - Eric Washington / Bence Veress

HWT - #28 Xavier Doolin

Navy (#29)

The Midshipmen were crowned co-champions, along with Lehigh, of the Patriot League last season. They were tied with Army for 3rd place in the EIWA at the conference tournament with nine podium finishers. The team finished in 21st place with two All-Americans in Josh Koderhandt (141lbs) and Danny Wask (174lbs). Wask will return as a junior looking to repeat his All-American finish. He has the potential to become the 16th 2X All-American in Navy history, the 9th 4X national qualifier, and 2nd 3X 

All-American in school history. The lone Midshipman to achieve All-American status three times is John Reich in 1981, 1982, and 1983. Obviously, Wask has the capability to become one of the school’s greatest ever. As he leads the charge, Navy will be ready to compete for an EIWA title. 

The loss of Koderhandt to graduation is the only significant loss to the line-up. We can expect another nine place winners at EIWA again, or more. There are a handful of wrestlers who have seen the national rankings last season that should not be taken lightly. Ley, Elmore, Williams, and Thomas fit this category.  

Navy’s schedule is as tough as they come. They host #17 Pittsburgh on opening day, a day before they host The Navy Classic. They will also attend The Journeymen Classic, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, and The Soldier Salute. Ranked dual opponents include #7 Lehigh and the rival-of-all-rivals, #23 Army West Point at home. There are plenty of chances for the team to be make a run in March. 

A conversation with assistant coach, Blaize Cabell, started with compliments about Danny Wask. “He’s an awesome competitor. He has wanted to win ever since high school. His mentality is infectious.” Cabell continued, “Wask is not happy with eighth (at NCAAs). He wants to be on top of the podium. This attitude trickles into teammates and it’s evident.”

In regard to the projected line-up, Coach Cabell mentioned that all ranked wrestlers will be expected to perform at a high level. He also stated, “Keep an eye on some of the unranked guys like Binni or Treaster at 125lbs. The two guys at 184lbs, Williams and Yackee, will split time. Whoever is on the mat there will be very tough. Overall, we have confidence in everyone. The stats will speak for themselves.” 

Cabell was enthusiastic about the schedule this year. “We want a tough schedule. Wrestling high quality guys all year long is beneficial. We plan to continue to climb the individual and team rankings with wins. We are excited to compete against the best.” 

Meet The Staff 

Cary Kolat – Head Coach 

Blaize Cabell – Assistant Coach

Ty Eustice – Assistant Coach

Barry Davis – Assistant Coach 

Ben Barton – Director of Operations 

Projected Lineup

125lbs – Andrew Binni / Nick Treaster 

133lbs - Brendan Ferretti (NQ) / Hunter Heflin 

141lbs - Nick Vafiadis / Caedyn Ricciardi 

149lbs - Kaemen Smith / Frank Antonelli 

157lbs - Jonathan Ley / Charlie Evans

165lbs - #29 Dylan Elmore / Davis Park 

174lbs - #5 Danny Wask (AA) 

184lbs - Daniel Williams / Gage Yackee

197lbs - #20 Payton Thomas (NQ) / Zyan Williams

HWT - #29 Spencer Lanosga / Benjamin Farabaugh

Sacred Heart

The Pioneers will return three EIWA place winners from last year. Their opening round was accompanied by upsets at a few weight classes which helped propel some of their wrestlers to placement matches. Hunter Perez ended his post season in seventh place at 184lbs. Braxton Fries-Appello was eighth at 133lbs while Felix Lettini was eigth at 157lbs. Fries-Appello and Lettini were transfer portal additions from Big Ten schools – Ohio State and Wisconsin, respectively. With a roster size of sixty – the coaching staff stays busy. The Pioneers will be looking to have representation at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2021. They have some fire power to do so.

Sacred Heart will compete at The Journeymen Classic, Big Red Invitational, and Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational to see plenty of ranked opponents. When looking at dual meets, they will see a wide variety of teams that other EIWA schools may not compete against. Teams like VMI, Bellarmine, Presbyterian, and Davidson are examples of this. 

Head Coach, John Clark, prides the team on having such a large roster. “We have the biggest roster in the country in Division 1 wrestling. The university has decided to opt-in with revenue share, so this roster number will dwindle over time. The positive is we will receive some more scholarship money to help with recruiting. The depth is a good thing in my opinion.”  

Coach Clark feels good about his line-up. “We have three returning EIWA placers returning. I am expecting them to be leaders this year. Dakota Asuncion was a fourth seed at EIWAs and failed to place. I think he will improve on that as well.” 

When discussing the schedule, coach used the phrase “perfect schedule.” He continued, “This year we will not be at the NWCA mid-major duals. This year’s schedule helps give us a chance to win a lot of matches. We started attending The Big Red Invite at Cornell. It allows us to send more guys, which gives them more matches. Right now, our focus is on opening day against Duke. We lost a really close one last year to them.” 

Meet The Staff

John Clark – Head Coach

Will Switzer – Assistant Coach 

Projected Lineup

125lbs - Joe Clem

133lbs - Braxton Fries-Appello

141lbs - Michael Shiffhauer / John Hildebrandt 

149lbs - Dakota Asuncion

157lbs - Felix Lettini

165lbs - AJ Falcone

174lbs - Aidan Zarrella

184lbs - Hunter Perez

197lbs - Chris DeLena

HWT - Brendan Gilchrist