March 7, 2008

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LANCASTER, Pa. - For the 104th time, the members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association will convene to determine its team and individual qualifiers. Franklin & Marshall will host the nation's oldest wrestling tournament in Mayser Center on Saturday and Sunday. The event will be aired live in its entirety on B2 Networks, Franklin & Marshall's broadband streaming partner.

The mats are stretched the length of Mayser Center. The chairs at the scorers' tables sit empty, waiting to be filled. For now, the silence is deafening. That will all change once the doors open tomorrow morning.

Franklin & Marshall will pin its championship hopes on junior 174-pounder, Justin Herbert, who has pinned his way to a 24-2 record with 15 pins. 12 of his falls were recorded in the first period. He'll have plenty of obstacles to contend with, including half of his losses this season in Navy's Matt Stolpinski, the reigning 174-pound champion. He will also have to contend with Cornell's Steve Anceravage (28-3) and Lehigh's freshman, Alex Caruso (19-10).

Also expected to make some noise for F&M are 125-pounder, Jake Bucha, 149-pounder, Al Gianforti, and heavyweight, Nico Somers.

There has been a trend in recent years for teams to put together a string of championship teams in the EIWA. Penn won the title from 1996-1999, and Lehigh won from 2002-2006. In 2007 Cornell won their first title since 1993, and shows no signs of giving it up without a fight any time soon.

The EIWA Championships are about more than a team title, of course, and ten individual championships are up for grabs, along with 47 invitations to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis two weeks later.

Five champions return from 2007, and one of them is sure to lose, as Steve Anceravage of Cornell has moved up a weight class, to challenge Navy's Matt Stolpinski at 174. Josh Glenn of American, who is also a defending NCAA champion, returns at 197. Jordan Leen of Cornell moves up to 157 to attempt his second championship and Ed Prendergast of Navy returns at heavyweight.

Two champions from 2007 who were expected to return will not be on the mats. Louis Caputo of Harvard (184), was injured in January and will not be defending his crown, and Matt Dragon of Penn (157) spent the season rehabbing from surgery and is deferring his eligibility.

Cornell brings a host of talented wrestlers into the competition, led by Anceravage and Leen. Freshman Mike Grey has been an inspirational addition to the squad at 133, where he is ranked #1 in the EIWA and as high as #2 nationally. Another blue chip freshman, Mack Lewnes, has lost only two bouts all season at 165 and seems sure to challenge for the championship at 165. Yet another freshman, D. J. Meagher, is competing in the very deep 149-pound weight class and is capable of pulling off one or more upsets.

One of the amazing stories about the Cornell squad involves sophomore Justin Kerber, who spent most of the season backing up Anceravage at 174. Kerber compiled a very respectable 22-9 record, mostly by entering open tournaments. But Taylor Moore, the starter at 197, was injured late in January, and Kerber decided to challenge a couple of teammates for the right to become the starter at 197. He won the challenge and has responded by going undefeated in six bouts, which includes defeating the #2 and #3 ranked men at the weight.

But the Big Red have also suffered their share of adversity this season, starting with the loss of 125-pound star Troy Nickerson to surgery early in the season. His replacement is senior Mike Rodriguez, who has served in a backup role for most of his collegiate career. Rodriguez has been inconsistent at times, but his true potential may have emerged recently when he rolled up a 14-4 win over Rollie Peterkin of Penn, ranked #1 in the EIWA at the time.

More adversity came at heavyweight as 2007 runnerup Zach Hammond was injured in a late -season dual meet, bringing his season to an early end. His replacement is Maciej Jochym, a talented freshman who brings a 21-10 record into the tournament.

Adam Frey, runnerup at 133 as a freshman in 2007, has moved up to 141, where he has been battling the scales most of the season. It is uncertain whether he will compete in the 2008 tournament.

Two teams, Penn and Navy, appear to have the best chance of upsetting the defending team champion.

The Quakers are solid across all weight classes, and could place all ten wrestlers. Rollie Peterkin (125) and Cesar Grajales (149) are arguably their best competitors. Peterkin was a backup to EIWA champion Matt Eveleth last season and will make a bid for his own title this season. Grajales was third at 141 as a freshman, but was slowed by injuries in 2007. Senior Rob Hitschler has emerged as a leader at 157, and Zach Shanaman has been a steady force at 165. Jeff Zannetti and freshman Scott Giffin have been sharing duties at 174, while senior Lior Zamir has been nationally ranked at 184. Sophomore Thomas Shovlin, sidelined by injuries his freshman year and much of this season has come on strong at 197. Trey McLean, a transfer from the Air Force Academy, has seen considerable success at heavyweight.

Navy is led by two defending champions, Matt Stolpinski at 174 and Ed Prendergast at heavyweight. Both have over 30 wins this season, and Prendergast is one of the pin leaders in the conference.

The Mids are also solid from top to bottom, and it's possible they could qualify at least eight wrestlers.

Talented Joe Baker, who was an NCAA Qualifier a year ago, returns at 133, Freshman Bryce Saddoris, with 30 wins to his credit, has had an outstanding season at 149. Casey Caldwell has come on strong at 184, with Matt Parsons, who spent most of the season at 184, moving back to 197, where he placed a year ago. Senior Spencer Manley spent most of the season at 149, but moved up to 157 when beaten out by Saddoris.

Wrestling gets underway Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.