Cornell's Cam Simaz gets his hand raised after winning the NCAA title at 197 pounds (Photo/Larry Slater)Four former wrestlers have been named to the Class of 2018 of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Hall of Fame, the conference announced Monday.
This year's honorees are Matt Feast of the University of Pennsylvania, John Harmon and Joe Peritore of Lehigh University, and Cam Simaz of Cornell University.
Matt Feast, Penn Class of 2005
Matt Feast was the University of Pennsylvania's first three-time wrestling NCAA All-American. The Cressona, Pa. native was a three-time EIWA heavyweight champion for three consecutive years. As a Quaker, Feast won 118 matches, and was team captain his junior and senior year.
Off the mat, Feast was named to the national All-Academic team three times by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, as well as Academic All-Ivy accolades three times. As a senior he received the University's Class of 1915 award which is given annually to the male senior who most closely approaches the ideal Penn student-athlete and who has shown outstanding athletic, academic and leadership qualities.
Since receiving his degree from Penn, Feast has worked in commercial real estate finance.
John Harmon, Lehigh Class of 1959
For many East Coast college wrestling followers over the last 25-plus years, John J. Harmon was recognized as "Mr. EIWA Wrestling" for his coverage of the sport.
Harmon served as a play-by-play wrestling announcer for a Bethlehem. Pa. radio station in the 1970s. He was named editor of the National Mat News in 1983 which he ran for seven years. In 1990 Harmon founded the EIWA Newsletter, which was recognized as the Wrestling Publication of the Year in 2001. He published the newsletter regularly for the next 25 years as a detailed source of information for fans regarding all EIWA schools. He was also the de facto EIWA Sports Information Director from 1990-2015.
In 1996 Harmon and Jay Hammond collaborated to publish the second and third editions of the History of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK named Harmon to their Board of Governors in 1996. He served on their Board for 17 years and was one of the original major contributors to an endowment fund created by the Hall of Fame in 2007. Harmon was an inductee and recipient of the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, New Jersey chapter, of which he was co-founder and treasurer.
Harmon received the 2012 Bob Dellinger Wrestling Writer of the Year award, presented annually by the Amateur Wrestling News to the country's top wrestling journalist. He passed away in September 2017.
Joe Peritore, Lehigh Class of 1967
Joe Peritore was a member of Lehigh's "Terrific Trio" - joining Mike Caruso and Billy Stewart - as lead-off wrestlers. The Cleveland area native was a two-time EIWA conference champion and a three-time NCAA All-American, making it to the finals at the Nationals twice at 130 pounds.
As a Lehigh wrestler, Peritore compiled a career record of 56-5-1. He was a key member of the Engineers mat squad that won the EIWA conference team championship his last two seasons.
Peritore received his B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh in June of 1967 and 1969, respectively. In 1980 he received a Masters degree in Management from M.I.T.
His work career centered around 29 years with the Boeing Company. He currently has a V.P. position with a Seattle non-profit which provides education scholarships to impoverished students of Honduras.
Cam Simaz, Cornell Class of 2012
Cameron (Cam) Simaz is the first wrestler in the storied history of the EIWA to win four individual conference championships, an NCAA title, and compete as a member of four EIWA championship teams. He also earned All-American honors all four of his years at Cornell University.
A three-time Michigan high school state champion, Simaz became one of the Big Red's most accomplished wrestlers ever. As a freshman, he was named both Ivy League Rookie and EIWA Freshman of the Year while winning his first EIWA title at 197 pounds. He became a freshman All-American by finishing 8th at the NCAA tournament.
In the next three years, Simaz continued his success on the mat and in the classroom. He ran up a college career record of 145-21 with 47 falls. Besides three more EIWA crowns, he finished 3rd, 3rd and 1st in the NCAA tournament. Simaz led Cornell to first place in the EIWA team championships during each of his four years. He was named the EIWA Most Outstanding Wrestler as a senior as well as the recipient of the Fletcher Award. He graduated in June 2012 with a degree in Economics from the School of Arts and Sciences and was twice named to the NWCA All-Academic Team.
After graduation, Simaz helped coach at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club before moving to Chicago where he was a commodities trader while also coaching at the Wildcat Wrestling Club. Recently Simaz accepted the position of Coach and Director of the West Point Wrestling Club on the shores of the Hudson River.
"The EIWA Hall of Fame Committee has selected four outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2018 EIWA Hall of Fame," said Greg Stroebel, Executive Director of the EIWA. "Each of these inductees have had a tremendous impact on the EIWA. Matt Feast and Cam Simaz were outstanding wrestlers in recent years, winning seven individual conference titles between the two of them. In the mid-1960s, Joe Peritore was one of the 'Terrific Trio' that included Hall of Fame members Billy Stuart and Mike Caruso. John Harman distinguished himself as major benefactor, published the EIWA Newsletter and served as the EIWA Sports Information Director for decades."
The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 4, 2018 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, immediately preceding the finals of the annual EIWA championships.
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