2025 EIWA Championships Preview

Welcome to the 121st EIWA Championships! Thank you to the host school, Lehigh University. With Ivy League schools no longer in the conference, Lehigh is now the longest-tenured school. They joined the EIWA in 1913. Army and Navy each joined in 1941, making them the second-oldest member schools. This season was Morgan State’s first season as a member of the EIWA conference. They are the newest addition since LIU joined in 2019. Welcome to your first EIWA Championships, Morgan State! 

For the first time in EIWA history, the conference was divided into two divisions for the dual meet season. The Independence Division includes Binghamton, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Hofstra, Long Island University (LIU), Morgan State, and Sacred Heart. Drexel was undefeated this season in division matches – earning the title of Independence Division Champion. Congratulations to the Drexel Dragons, led by Coach Matt Azevedo!

The Patriot Division includes American, Army West Point, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Navy. This year’s title went to both Lehigh and Navy. The co-champions each went 3-1 in divisional matches. Congrats to Coach Kolat and the Navy Midshipmen, and congrats to Coach Santoro and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Below is a weight-by-weight preview. Wrestlers are listed by order of EIWA ranking. The latest coaches ranking and RPI are listed. Wrestlers who earned an allocation for the conference are indicated with an asterisk. 

Pre-seeds have been released: View them here

125lbs.

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI

*1. Sheldon Seymour (RJr.) Lehigh – 15th / 8th 

*2. Charlie Farmer (Jr.) Army – 27th / 29th 

3. Desmond Pleasant (RJr.) Drexel – 30th / 30th 

4. Carson Wagner (So.) Binghamton 

5. Robbie Sagaris (Sr.) LIU

6. Nick Treaster (Fr.) Navy

Number of NCAA Allocations (2)

Last season, the conference earned 6 NCAA qualifiers.  

Sheldon and Farmer secured allocations. Pleasant was just on the outside looking in. 

Favorites 

Sheldon Seymour has the highest ranking in the weight class. He has not lost to anyone in the conference but has had 2-point wins over both Farmer and Wagner. 

Unfortunately, Farmer and Wagner did not wrestle this season. 

Desmond Pleasant has a win over Wagner in their dual meet matchup. These four are the favorites, on paper, to finish 1-4. The important semi-final will occur between Farmer and Pleasant. A trip to NCAAs will be on the line. They have not wrestled this year but split matches a season ago. This is a straight toss-up in a vital match. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

LIU’s Robbie Sagaris fits this category. He is a wrestler who has tight matches, which is a huge benefit to him controlling the pace. He has a win over Peterson of Rutgers, who is top 10 nationally. 

Jack Parker of F&M is another guy to fit this category. With a couple of decision losses to Pleasant and Wagner, a reversed result could put him in a great position to make a run. His 1-0 loss to Sagaris puts these two on similar levels. 

133

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Ethan Berginc (Jr.) Army – 21st / 19th

2. Matty Lopes (Fr.) Lehigh – 31st / NR

3. Kurt Phipps (RSr.) Bucknell – 27th / 31st  

4. Kyle Waterman (RJr.) Drexel – NR / 29th 

5. Micah Roes (Sr.) Binghamton 

6. Raymond Lopez (Jr.) American 

Number of NCAA Allocations (1)

Last season, the conference earned 6 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season, it appears Berginc has done enough to earn an allocation. Phipps appeared to have an allocation a few weeks back, but a late-season loss in the final week may have eliminated that.  

Favorites

With Ryan Crookham missing the postseason, this weight class is now much more open. Phipps was top 12 in the nation last season. Berginc was 3rd last year in the EIWA at the 125lbs weight class. Phipps’s win over Berginc in their dual gives him a slight edge. However, Lopes defeated Phipps and lost to Berginc by a point.  With four wrestlers in the coaches ranking and/or RPI competing for one spot, this bracket will be very entertaining. 

Moving down the rankings, Waterman lost by two points to Phipps in a dual. If they meet again, expect another tight one. Micah Roes is in this mix also. He has a one-point loss to Waterman. These two are right there with Phipps and Berginc.  

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Braxton Appello will represent Sacred Heart at this weight class. Appello’s biggest win came via fall over F&M’s Leiphart. The former Ohio State wrestler will be competing in his first EIWA postseason. 

Another darkhorse to know about is Raymond Lopez of American. His conference losses were by decision to Waterman, Phipps, and Berginc. Most of his losses came to ranked opponents this season. He will be in some close ones this weekend again. 

Mason Leiphart of F&M has a solid chance to compete for the top few spots on the podium. He’s consistently near the top of the NCAA in tech falls over the past two seasons. This season, he has missed time with an injury. He’ll be fresh to compete at EIWAs.

Matty Lopes should be considered a contender. He has filled in nicely in Crookham’s absence.  He has wins over Phipps and Lopez, plus a 1-point loss to Berginc. With only one automatic bid on the line, this weight will be a battle. There will be some talented wrestlers on the outside looking in, hoping to earn an at-large bid. 

141

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Josh Koderhandt (Sr.) Navy – 7th / 2nd 

*2. Jordan Soriano (Jr.) Drexel – 27th / 19th  

*3. Dylan Chappell (RJr.) Bucknell – 20th / 17th 

4. Carter Bailey (RJr.) Lehigh – 31st / 23rd 

5. Rich Treanor (Sr.) Army – 30th / 32nd

6. Bryce Kresho (Jr.) Franklin & Marshall – NR / 33rd  

Number of NCAA Allocations (3) 

Last season, the conference earned 5 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season, Koderhandt, Soriano, and Chappell have the resume for an allocation. Treanor, Bailey, and Kresho all have a ranking in the coaches panel and/or RPI. All three were shy of earning an allocation, but very close to doing so. 

Favorites

The favorite here, by a long shot, is Josh Koderhandt. He is looking to repeat as EIWA Champion and claim his second title in the process. He’s suffered two losses at the conference championships in three seasons. He dominated last season’s tournament with two falls, a major, and a five-point victory. His mission will be to do the same this time around, or bonus, everybody in front of him. Koderhandt has beaten everyone else he has wrestled in the conference. His ultimate goal is to be an All-American. 

As you can see by the rankings, Soriano, Chappell, Bailey, and Treanor each have a coaches rank and RPI. They are all evenly matched and will compete for the remaining two allocations. 

Kresho is in the RPI ranking, which illustrates his tough schedule. He has close losses to Soriano, Chappell, and Bailey. He will need to reverse at least two of those results in order to put himself in a better position to qualify for NCAAs. His 32 wins on the year leads all of D1 wrestling. His nonstop motor makes him a very difficult matchup in the first round for someone fresh off the scale. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Outside of those mentioned above, it’s hard to count out Hofstra’s Justin Hoyle. He has placed 7th and 8th in the EIWA championships in years past. He has a win over Treanor this season, showing he’s capable of a quality win. 

Nate Lucier of Binghamton was 8th last season in a bracket that took five wrestlers to NCAAs. He has split matches with Kresho during the year. If he gets on a roll, expect to find him in some winnable close matches with higher-seeded wrestlers.

Andrew Fallon missed being an NCAA qualifier last season by a tiebreaker loss. This was at 133lbs. Moving up a weight this year adds another unfamiliar, but quality face to this bracket. 

149

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

1. Malyke Hines (RSr.) Lehigh – 29th / NR

*2. Trae McDaniel (Jr) Army – / 24th  

3. Ivan Garcia (RSr.) Binghamton – NR / 27th 

4. Kaemen Smith (Jr.) Navy 

5. Dom Findora (So.) Drexel

6. Noah Tapia (So.) Hofstra

Number of NCAA Allocations (1)

Last season, the conference earned 5 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season, Trae McDaniel was the lone wrestler to earn the allocation. His RPI and win percentage were high enough. Hines of Lehigh spent the first month of the season down at 141lbs. It may cause one to question if a full season at this weight could have earned another allocation for the conference.   

Favorites

Hines is already a 4x NCAA qualifier, placing at EIWAs three times and claiming one title along the way. He’s looking for that rare fifth appearance at NCAAs, thanks to the free year due to COVID. His win over McDaniel in the dual was by a score of 12-10. If these two meet again, expect a similar close match. Plus, with an automatic trip to NCAAs on the line, it will have vital implications to add to the excitement. 

Garcia has a few losses to lesser opponents. But he’s shown glimpses of beating higher-ranked opponents. He may very well be in the mix to knock off Hines or McDaniel. He has wins over #21 Fernandez of Cornell (last year’s EIWA champ) and #29 Miller of Maryland. 

McDaniel has a win over Garcia and has been much more consistent with his results. He saw some action up at 157lbs, where he was 6-4. This has skewed his overall record. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

This weight class has so many options here.

Dom Findora is technically the highest placer returning from the bracket last year. He was 6th as a true freshman. He has an overtime loss to Garcia. 

Noah Tapia is one to watch. He has two close losses to Garcia and one to Findora.  

Findora has a loss to Navy’s Kaemen Smith. Smith has a loss to Gage Owen of American, whom lost to Findora in overtime. Examples like this are plentiful in this weight class. 

157

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Logan Rozynski (Fr.) Lehigh – 28th / 21st   

2. Luke Nichter (RJr.) Drexel – 30th / NR

3. Brayden Roberts (So.) LIU – NR / 33rd  

4. Cade Wirnsberger (RFr.) Bucknell 

5. Jonathan Ley (So.) Navy – NR / 19th 

6. Dakota Morris (So.) Army 

Number of NCAA Allocations (1) 

Last season, the conference earned 3 NCAA qualifiers.  

This year’s allocations were based on the resumes of Lehigh’s Rozynski. 

As you can see, four of the ranked EIWA wrestlers have an RPI or coaches ranking. This will force some quality wrestlers on the outside looking in. 

Favorites

Lehigh’s Rozynski has the highest ranking and RPI of the group. He has a win over Morris and Wirnsberger this season. He had a fall over Morris and a 4-3 decision over Wirnsberger. The true freshman is a slight favorite over Nichter of Drexel. 

Nichter is someone who can throw you to your back with one move. He’s a dangerous out for anyone. He’s looking for a 2nd trip to NCAAs to end his redshirt junior campaign. 

Brayden Roberts has had a quietly productive year. Him being in the RPI, along with his .800-win percentage, shows he can win while wrestling a tough schedule. He’s spent three seasons at West Virginia and has found a home at LIU where he’s becoming a leader right away. 

The next few are Wirnsberger, Ley, and Morris. They all have close losses to those ranked above them. This weight class will be competitive. Do not be shocked if we see any combination of the top-six ranked wrestlers in a finals matchup. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Binghamton’s Fin Nadeau has two close losses to Roberts. He has shown he can stay in a tight match with the top guys in the weight. Almost every single loss he took this season was to a higher-ranked opponent. He has the skill set to gain a quality win when it counts. 

Jurius Clark from Hofstra finished 7th in this weight class at last season’s EIWA tournament. 

American’s Jack Nies should be mentioned here. It may be bizarre to say someone who is 0-6 in conference matchups is a darkhorse – but when those losses are all within three points – it makes a little more sense. Not to mention, all losses were wrestlers in the top 6 of the EIWA rankings. Nies has been on par with the top wrestlers – expect him to be in some tight ones and potentially upset someone early. 

Felix Lettini is someone to keep an eye on as well. He has a tiebreaker win over Clark. He’s transferred into Sacred Heart from Wisconsin where he wrestled at 141lbs. 

165

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Noah Mulvaney (So.) Bucknell – 24th / 13th 

*2. Gunner Filipowicz (So.) Army – 16th / 14th 

3. Dylan Elmore (Fr.) Navy 

4. Carter Baer (RSo.) Binghamton 

5. Kyle Mosher (Sr.) Hofstra – 28th / 31st 

6. Richie Grungo (Fr.) Lehigh 

Number of NCAA Allocations (2) 

Last season, the conference earned 6 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season’s allocation is two thanks to Mulvaney and Filipowicz. Unfortunately, Mosher is on the bubble, which may help him earn a wild card if needed. 

Favorites

The top two, Mulvaney and Filipowicz, are the favorites to win here. Mulvaney won this year’s matchup between them while they split last season. He was sixth last year in a loaded bracket after earning the fourth seed. Mulvaney’s only EIWA loss on this season is to Elmore of Navy.

Filipowicz has not wrestled Mosher this year, but has wrestled a majority of EIWA competitors.  

Filipowicz and Elmore wrestled in mid-February. Filipowicz won that match up 2-0. Elmore’s win over Mulvaney inserts him at #3 in the EIWA rankings. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

American’s Kaden Milheim was in the first set of RPI due to his strength of schedule. He has a conference win over Cody Walsh, who placed 7th in the bracket last season. Walsh just missed out on an NCAA bid, as the top six were qualifiers for nationals. 

Cody Walsh is always a wild card. He is one of three returning place finishers from last year’s 165lbs bracket. The senior is looking to get hot at the right time and earn his first NCAA appearance in front of a home crowd in Philadelphia. 

Lehigh’s Richie Grungo has been solidified to represent Lehigh. He is a darkhorse since his only losses in the conference came at the hands of Mulvaney, Elmore, and Filipowicz. He has a win over Milheim in the process. 

Binghamton’s Carter Baer has a win over Mosher. He’s been in and out of the rankings and RPI, making him a suitable candidate for an at-large bid if he needs one. 

174

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Brevin Cassella (Sr.) Binghamton – 8th / 3rd 

*2. Danny Wask (So.) Navy – 13th / 4th 

*3. Myles Takats (So.) Bucknell – 16th / 6th 

4. Dalton Harkins (Sr.) Army – 29th / 22nd 

*5. Jasiah Queen (RFr.) Drexel – 32nd / 24th 

6. Caleb Campos (RSo.) American – NR / 29th 

Rylan Rogers (RSo.) Lehigh – NR / 28th 

Number of NCAA Allocations (4) 

Last season, the conference earned 7 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season, the allocation allotment is four. Four of the top five ranked wrestlers earned allocations for the conference. Harkins has the RPI, but his win percentage and coaches rank were not quite high enough. He was just short of adding another to this stacked weight class. 

Favorites

Cassella is the likely favorite at this weight with wins over Wask and Rogers already. The only losses Cassella has this season are to top 10 nationally ranked wrestlers. His win over Wask was by major decision, handing Wask his largest margin of victory loss of the season. Cassella was 3rd place in an uber-talented conference bracket last March down at 165lbs. He has a 12-match winning streak heading into the postseason. 

Wask finished the season last year in the top 12 at NCAAs – one win away from earning All-American honors. His EIWA performance was a seventh-place finish after earning the fifth seed. He has close wins over Takats and Rogers. 

Bucknell’s Myles Takats is a force to be reckoned with. He was sixth last season at this weight class in his true freshman year. He’s improved vastly since then. His lone conference loss came from Wask via a 4-2 decision. 

Dalton Harkins is a senior looking to become an NCAA qualifier for the first time. He earned an overtime win against Campos and had an overtime loss to Takats. It’s a prime example of how closely contested this weight may be. 

Queen of Drexel earned an allocation based on RPI and win percentage. A two-point loss to Takats was his lone EIWA loss. He’s expecting to be at the top of the podium at conferences. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Rylan Rogers does not have that high-quality win yet – but the vast majority of his losses are to highly ranked opponents. This has launched him into the RPI with a record slightly above 500, simply because of his intense strength of schedule. He’s proven to keep it close with the best. He is 0-4 in the conference, but with losses to Cassella, Wask, Takats, and Campos. 

Morgan State’s Darrien Roberts is a redshirt senior who may cause a hiccup or two in this bracket. He spent four years at Oklahoma before landing at Morgan State. His short season, due to injury, has caused him to miss valuable mat time. His two losses in the EIWA competition came to Takats and Cassella. Roberts has the skills to be in the mix. He is certainly a wild card to watch. 

184

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

1. Guiseppe Hoose (RSr.) Drexel – NR / 33rd 

2. Ross McFarland (RSr.) Hofstra – 32nd / 31st  

3. Caden Rogers (RSo.) Lehigh

4. Logan Deacetis (Sr.) Bucknell

5. Daniel Williams (So.) Navy

6. Anthony D'Alesio (RSr.) LIU

Will Ebert (RSo.) Binghamton – 33rd / 27th 

Number of NCAA Allocations (1)

Last season, the conference earned 7 NCAA qualifiers.  

None of the wrestlers in the conference had the resume to earn an allocation. The champion will earn an automatic bid. 

Favorites

It’s difficult to nail down one favorite. This bracket could be wrestled ten times and we would get ten different results. The seeding will be very critical at this weight. This weight class is WIDE open – so expect some great matches right out of the gates. 

Drexel’s Hoose has wins over McFarland, Ebert, D’Alesio, and Deacetis. His lone loss was to Williams early in the season. 

McFarland of Hofstra has an overtime win over Ebert and a tiebreaker win over D’Alesio. His lone loss is to Hoose. 

Caden Rogers has wrestled very well in the second half of the season. He has an overtime win against Ebert and a win over Deacetis. His lone loss also came to Williams of Navy.

Daniel Williams of Navy has wins over Rogers and Hoose, but took a loss to Deacetis and Gilfoil. 

D’Alesio beat Ebert, but was defeated by both Deacetis and McFarland. He was LIU’s first NCAA qualifier at the D1 level last March when he placed seventh. He’s looking to improve upon that finish. He is the lone returning place finisher from the 2024 EIWA Championships. 

As noted, Williams of Navy has wins over the top guys. He is right up there with the rest of them. 

Basically, this bracket is a crapshoot! 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

This entire bracket is a wild card. Everyone has beaten everyone. This is the bracket to really keep an eye on. There is no clear-cut favorite, at least on paper. It’s a very strange scenario where he’s ranked in the coaches rankings and has an RPI due to his out-of-conference wins during the year. But, he’s 1-5 against EIWA competition. 

All 184lbs wrestlers are so evenly matched – essentially needing overtime in many of these bouts to settle a winner. We can expect much of the same this weekend.

Of all the names not mentioned, Jake Gilfoil of Army is another guy in the mix. He’s lost a few tight ones to the top guys. His late-season win over Williams cements him as one of the favorites. Expect him to be in some close matches as well. 

197

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Michael Beard (RSr.) Lehigh – 5th / 7th 

*2. Mickey O'Malley (RSr.) Drexel – 22nd / NR

*3. Dillon Bechtold (Fr.) Bucknell – 19th / 20th 

*4. Wolfgang Frable (Jr) Army – 25th / 26th 

5. Payton Thomas (Fr.) Navy

6. Cayden Bevis (RSo.) Binghamton

Number of NCAA Allocations (4) 

Last season, the conference earned 7 NCAA qualifiers.  

This season’s allocations appear to be earned by the top four wrestlers in the conference rankings. These four have separated themselves from the pack 

Favorites

Beard is the defending EIWA champion. He’s been the guy to beat all year and has dominated everyone in his path. He has a tech fall win over Bechtold and Frable on the season. He has yet to meet O’Malley. Beard’s goals are much greater than an EIWA title. This would just be a stepping stone for him. He currently sits in fifth place for the most tech falls in D1 wrestling with nine total. 

O’Malley is a past EIWA champion, down at 174lbs. He had limited mat time during the year due to injury. He’s difficult to wrestle with his scrambling and upper body capabilities. The only EIWA-ranked opponent he’s wrestled this year was Bechtold. O’Malley won 13-10 in a wild bout.

Bucknell’s Bechtold is a freshman who has made an immediate impact on the team. He has a close loss to O’Malley and Thomas. He reversed the result against Thomas later in the year. With many of his losses coming to highly ranked opponents, he’s primed to make a run this postseason. 

Frable has been solid all year. His only losses in the conference have come to Bechtold and Beard. He was below .500 last season. This year is much improved with over a .692 win percentage. He will be looking for his first EIWA podium finish. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Payton Thomas is a freshman from Navy who has hovered around the .500 mark all year. He is considered a darkhorse due to a win over Bechtold early in the season. He has decision losses to Beard, Frable, and Bechtold. Coach Kolat is notorious for having his boys wrestling their best during the postseason. Thomas has an opportunity to earn a bid. 

285

EIWA Rankings and Coaches Rankings / RPI 

*1. Owen Trephan (RSr.) Lehigh – 5th / 5th 

*2. Cory Day (RSr.) Binghamton – 15th / NR

*3. Brady Colbert Fr.) Army – NR / TBD

4. William Jarrell (Sr.) American – 32nd / 26th 

5. Xavier Doolin (RJr.) Morgan State – NR / 20th

6. Logan Shephard (Jr) Bucknell 

Number of NCAA Allocations (3)

Last season, the conference earned 8 NCAA qualifiers.  

This year’s bracket will only include 3 allocations. Trephan, Day, and Colbert all produced enough during the year for the conference’s allocations. Army’s Brady Colbert was a last-minute addition to replace Lucas Stoddard. His resume is still good enough for the conference to keep its three allocations. Brady’s exact RPI has not been released, but we know it’s high enough for an allocation along with his win percentage. 

Jarrell of American looks to be right on the cusp, just missing the requirements.  

Favorites

Owen Trephan was a second-semester transfer from NC State. The grad student will compete in his first EIWA Championships. He has been dominating in conference matches and will look to continue this trend. He already has a major decision win over Day, Jarrell, and Shephard. 

Day of Binghamton was a top 16 finisher in the nation last season. He will look for his third trip to NCAAs. He was fifth in this bracket last year – the highest returning placer this season. On an annual basis, Day is in the top 5 for falls across the country in D1 wrestling. Expect him to look to get off the mat quickly.   

Brady Colbert was added to the bracket in the eleventh hour. He is  26-5 on the year. He split matches with Doolin on the season, but has quality wins outside of the conference. 

Jarrell was in ninth place last year, making him the first alternate selection for NCAAs. He is looking to make the trip once again but actually compete this time around. He’s had a very solid year – and as we stated above – is right on the cusp of earning another allocation for the conference. The senior will hold nothing back to earn a chance to compete at NCAAs. 

Darkhorses and Wild Cards 

Xavier Doolin from Morgan State has a chance to steal an allocation. He’s missed some time with an injury but has strong wins over a couple quality wrestlers. He came to Morgan State after three seasons at Northern Colorado. Doolin’s win over Colbert makes him an interesting factor in the bracket. 

Bucknell’s Shephard burst onto the scene with a fourth-place finish at Midlands. 

Team Race 

The last decade has mainly been dominated by Cornell and Lehigh battling it for the EIWA Championship. With Cornell out of the picture, Lehigh looks to be the favorite heading into the weekend. They claimed 4 champs last year in Luke Stanich (125), Ryan Crookham (133), Michael Beard (197) and Nathan Taylor (285). They have a legitimate chance to exceed that total this season. 

The race for second will be highly contested. Army, Navy, Binghamton, Bucknell, and Drexel all seem to have the best odds of falling in right behind Lehigh. On paper, Army seems to have a lineup with the least number of holes. The team race may come down to bonus points. Get your popcorn ready, as this will be worth the price of admission.