Willie Saylor, Editor

Proving just how tough they are as a tournament team, the Cornell Big Red rolled through day one of the 106th EIWA Championships, outpacing Lehigh and Penn, who are tied for 2nd, by thirty-one and a half points.

Earlier this season, #7Lehigh had wrestled #6Cornell to a 15-15 tie their dual. But in a tournament, where scoring is largely indicative how deep one’s studs can go, Cornell has distanced itself from the rest of the thirteen-team EIWA field.

Placing half of their line-up in the finals, Coach Rob Koll’s squad will set-up nicely for an NCAA tournament run. With, at minimum, three automatic NCAA qualifiers per weight coming from the EIWA, Sunday morning’s 10AM placing session will be key for teams, including Cornell, to push as many guys through to the NCAA tournament as possible. As it stands now, Cornell has qualified six wrestlers for Omaha, where the national championships will be staged, including their 5 finalists and Justin Kerber at 165.

DAY I Team Scores
Team-Pts-Finalists
1. Cornell-124-5
2. Lehigh-92.5-3
2. Penn-92.5-2
4. Bucknell-81.5-2
5. American-75-2
6. Navy-73.5-1
7. Rutgers-72-1
8. Columbia-58.5-0
9. Army 54.5-1
10. Brown 43.5-0
11. Harvard 42.5-2
12. Princeton 23-1
13. Franklin&Marshall 2-0

Weight Class Recaps

125
Returning National Champion, Troy Nickerson dominated his first two matches, with a fall over Harvard’s Steven Keith and an 8-0 major on Navy’s Aaron Kalil.
Despite being 24-5 on the season, Princeton’s Garrett Frey came in as just the 7 seed. But he marched to the finals after pinning 2 seed Joey Langel (Rutgers) and taking out 3 seed Jasen Borschoff (American).

With four automatic qualifiers at this weight, Borschoff, Langel, Kalil and Keith will need at least one more win this morning to get to Omaha.

133
Cornell’s Mike Grey won the top bracket here with a quarter’s fall and a 10-1 over Bucknell’s David Marble.

In the finals, Grey will get Lehigh senior Matt Fisk, the 2 seed, who was dominant in his final EIWA’s, collecting two falls and a 9-0 major.

With five automatic qualifiers at this weight, the 10AM consolation semifinals will guarantee a trip to nationals for the two winners. But the loser’s of those bouts can also still get in with a win in the match for 5th and 6th. Contenders are: Marble, Bryan Ortenzio (Penn), Andrew Grabfelder (Columbia), and Cort Choate (Brown).

141
American’s Jordan Lipp became the second 7 seed to reach the finals by upsetting Lehigh senior Set Ciasulli in a wildly entertaining 3-OT bout. Lipp would then beat Rutgers’ Trevor Melde to win the bottom bracket.

Lipp will face the country’s top-ranked Kyle Dake who posted rather pedestrian scores of 5-4 and 6-2. In doing so, Dake gave Cornell a finalist in each of the first three weights.

Having just 3 allocated bids at this weight, there will be some tough, and all-important matches this morning. The final four in the consi’s will have to win two matches. Winners of Ciasulli-Zach Kemmerer (Penn) and Melde-Matt Pagan(Army) will have to face each other to guarantee a trip to nationals.

149
Cesar Grajales (Penn) came into EIWA’s with just a handful of matches this year, and entered as the 7 seed, pitting him against returning All-American, Kyle Borschoff (American), in the quarters. Grajales would take the upset into the semi’s where he would face another former All-American in Matt Kyler(Army). After Grajales scored the opening takedown, Kyler shut the door on any further Cinderella Story, as Kyler would dominate the rest of the way, closing out a 9-4 win.

In the finals, Kyler will be opposed by Bucknell junior, Kevin LeValley, who was the top seed, and, interestingly enough, one of three Colorado natives to reach the EIWA semifinals, two of which will be featured in the finals (Micah Burak, Penn, 184). LeValley beat Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton) and a game Glenn Shober (Navy).

149 has 4 auto bids to Omaha. Winners of Borschoff-Shober and Grajales-Santos(Columbia), automatically punch their tickets to NCAA’s.

157
Harvard’s J.P. O’Connor, the second of three #1 wrestlers in the country participating in this tournament, won the top bracket and sits in the finals. After O’Connor scored a 16-0 technical fall over Princeton’s Danny Scotton, he gave up the first takedown to Darryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) before settling in and winning that match 6-3.

A minor upset in the bottom bracket has Bryce Saddoris opposite O’Connor as Navy’s lone finalist. Saddoris, a previous All-American, won a tight 3-2 match over Steve Fittery(American) who had just two previous losses on the year and came in as the 2 seed.

Qualifying the top four, Fittery and Cocozzo will have to win their first wrestleback match this morning or hope for a wildcard. Fittery faces Penn’s Matt Dragon. Cocozzo has Brantley Hooks(Bucknell).

165
One guy, you would expect. The other…not so much.

As a returning All-American for Bucknell, Andy Rendos isn’t much of a surprise as an EIWA finalist. But if I would have told you at the beginning of the year that Lehigh’s Brandon Hatchett would be in the finals, you’d probably have me committed.

But Hatchett keeps finding ways to win, with a 3-2 victory over Navy’s Rob Neill and 2-1 on Justin Kerber, Cornell’s 2 seed.

The deepest weight in the tournament, 165 has garnered six automatic bids to NCAA’s from this conference. With the top six decided, this weight is already set. Joining Rendos and Hatchett in Omaha will be: Kerber, Neill, Stephen Burak (Penn) and Eren Civan (Columbia).

174
Cornell’s Mack Lewnes reached the EIWA finals for the third consecutive year. He posted a semifinal’s win, 5-3, in a match in which he spent the majority of the time trying to finish shots on the unorthodox Rob Hamlin (Lehigh).

Lewnes will face Penn’s Scott Giffin, who was trailing by one late in the bout against Bucknell’s Shane Riccio, who was trying to ride out the third period with a crab ride. Giffin reached back for the head and ‘tombstoned’ Riccio, gaining the fall at 6:57.

The final four in consolations includes Hamlin, who will take on Rutgers’ Dan Rinaldi and Riccio, who is matched up with Brown’s Jack Roberts.

The EIWA is guaranteed the Top 4 at this weight.

184
Perhaps the best bout of the semifinals came here at 184 where 6th-ranked Louis Caputo (Harvard) outlasted returning EIWA Champion, David Craig(Lehigh) in overtime.

Scoreless through the first six minutes, Craig procured riding time before Caputo earned the escape with about :45 left. In overtime, Caputo countered a Craig shot to gain the place in the finals.

In the opposing semi, former national finalist Mike Cannon(American) defeated Cornell’s Scott Bosak in what can best be described as a blood-bath. Both wrestlers had plugs in their noses, Bosak was also bleeding from the side of his head. After many stoppages to clean the mat, Cannon emerged with a 6-0 win.

Bosak will take on Bucknell’s Rob Waltko this morning. Craig has Army’s Collin Wittmeyer. Again, the top four from this weight advance.

197
If the Craig-Caputo match wasn’t the ‘bout of the semi’s,’ then the Burak-Starks match was.

Starks(Army), the 2 seed, controlled the entire match until late. He led 4-0 with over 1:30 riding time, when Burak(Penn) lateral dropped Starks to his back. Starks had to fight off the fall for about thirty seconds, which he did. When the buzzer ending regulation sounded, the score was 5-4 Burak, but Starks still had riding time, sending it to OT.

After a scoreless first overtime, Burak rode Starks out, then chose bottom and escaped for the win.

In the top half of the bracket, Cornell’s Cam Simaz easily handled Dan Mitchell, who earlier had upset Lehigh’s Joe Kennedy.

With the top four going to NCAA’s at this weight, Mitchell will take on Rutgers’ Lamar Brown and Kennedy will face Starks, although wildcards may be warranted for this weight.

HWT
Lehigh’s top-seeded Zach Rey needed overtime to take out Cornell’s Josh Arnone. Rey countered an ill-advised Arnone shot shortly into overtime to seal the spot in the finals.

A match-up of nationally ranked heavyweights took place in the bottom ahlf of the bracket where Rutger’s Dom Russo was in complete control against Navy’s Scott Steele. Russo seems to have Steele’s number this year, as he defeated Steele for the third time this season, 4-0 on this occasion.

With just three auto bids at this weight, this morning wrestlebacks will be of utmost importance. Steele faces Penn’s Tyler Blakely while Arnone contends with Kevin Lester(Columbia). The winner’s will compete for the right to go to Omaha.

Consolation rounds begin at 10AM, with placing matches to immediately follow.

Finals are slated for 3PM.

Follow along with TOM’s live blog, posted on our homepage.
For brackets and Lehigh’s coverage, check out: http://www.lehighsports.com/eiwa2010.asp as they host the event.

Finals Match-Ups
125: Troy Nickerson, Cornell vs. Garrett Frey, Princeton
133: Mike Grey, Cornell vs. Matt Fisk, Lehigh
141: Kyle Dake, Cornell vs. Jordan Lipp, American
149: Kevin LeValley, Bucknell vs. Matt Kyler, Army
157: J.P. O’Connor, Harvard vs. Bryce Saddoris, Navy
165: Andy Rendos, Bucknell vs. Brandon Hatchett, Lehigh
174: Mack Lewnes, Cornell vs. Scott Giffin, Penn
184: Mike Cannon, American vs. Louis Caputo, Harvard
197: Cam Simaz, Cornell vs. Micah, Burak, Penn
HWT: Zach Rey, Lehigh vs. Dom Russo, Rutgers