The EIWA tournament gets cracking today!  Dig in to the pre-seeds, allocations analysis and predictions below!

125 # of Allocations: 3
1. Nahshon Garrett, Cornell
2. David Terao, American
3. Paul Petrov, Bucknell
4. Scott Parker, Lehigh
5. Billy Watterson, Brown
6. David White, Binghamton
7. Johnson Mai, Columbia
8. Zack Fuentes, Drexel

The battle for 3rd place at EIWA 125 will be one to keep a close eye on. In my opinion the top 4 of Garrett, Terao, Petrov and Parker are all deserving of a bid to the big dance. Nahshon Garrett is the overwhelming favorite here. It’s possible he is the biggest favorite of the entire tournament. While he hasn’t been as lights out as he was last year taking losses to Waters, Gilman and Synon. He’s still as dynamic a scorer as anyone in any weight. He’s got heavy hands, quick leg attacks and excellent top work. Knocking him off will require a practical out of body experience by any of the guys in this field. I think he’s that good.

Nahshon should cruise to the finals after a win over Scotty Parker of Lehigh. The True Freshman has been solid for the Mountain Hawks all year. Last time these two met it was Nahshon winning by a 9-5 score. A pretty admirable effort by the True Freshman. The Terao v. Petrov semi will be one to keep an eye on. Petrov perhaps has had a slightly better season, but it was Terao an 8-4 winner. Terao is one of the more unique competitors out there. He has a high flying style and his pass-bys are mind-numbingly slick. Consistency is key here. I think he takes it to set up Nahshon v. Terao for the 2nd year in the EIWA finals.

Last time these two met Terao did all he could to slow down Nahshon. Ultimately he frustrate Garrett but was more/less fruitless in converting any real offense. Don’t be surprised to see another match that is numerically close, but Nahshon is in the drivers seat the entire time. Garrett goes 3 for 3 in the EIWA finals.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Nahshon Garrett-Cornell
2. David Terao-American
3. Scotty Parker-Lehigh
4. Paul Petrov-Bucknell


133 # of Allocations 3
1. Mason Beckman, Lehigh
2. Kevin Devoy, Drexel
3. Caleb Richardson, Penn
4. Mike Grey, Cornell
5. Josh Terao, American
6. Angelo Amenta, Columbia
7. Grim Gonzales, Bucknell
8. Travis Passaro, Hofstra

I was pretty surprised to see this weight only land 3 spots for auto qualification. Part of that is Grey spending some of the year at 41 and some of it at 33. At least that’s my hypothesis. Regardless, the returning champion Mason Beckman looks to be in the drivers seat to repeat. Keep a close eye on the Terao/Grey quarter. Terao hasn’t necessarily been what I thought he’d be this season, but he’s still quite dangerous.

The semi’s should set up as chalk. I expect Mason to take care of business against Grey. Though those two have had some tight ones before. Devoy has really upped his game from last year, I like him to knock off Richardson once again to set up a rematch of last years EIWA finals. Beckman’s abillity to get to his single (near arm, far leg) and finish are excellent. When you combine that with an excellent defensive skill set to keep guys off his legs I don’t see anyone able to prevent the Beckman repeat.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Mason Beckman-Lehigh
2. Kevin Devoy-Drexel
3. Mark Grey-Cornell
4. Caleb Richardson-Penn

141 # of Allocations: 5
1. Todd Preston, Harvard
2. Jamel Hudson, Hofstra
3. Randy Cruz, Lehigh
T4. Tyler Smith, Bucknell
T4,. Jordan Laster, Princeton
6. Logan Everett, Army
7. Jeff Canfora, Penn
8. David Pearce, Drexel

Todd Preston was an out-of-nowhere champ to a degree last year. This year he’s cemented himself as the prohibitive favorite. Coming off an EIWA title and round of 12 finish, Preston has held steady all year. Neither he nor Preston have had high highs or low lows at this point. These two separated themselves from the field. The semi’s should go chalk as well with Preston taking care of Laster. Last time around Preston was a 5-0 winner. Hard to see that gap being narrowed significantly enough to adjust the outcome. By the same token, Hudson won dominantly over Cruz last time around. With that match as the expected semi, I don’t see that turning around either.

Which leads us to one of the biggest toss ups of the enter tournament. Preston is as stingy as they come from neutral. While Hudson is more offensively gifted with a variety of attacks, I think Preston neutralizes many of his attacks and is able to win a tight one! I don’t feel particularly great either way with these two and I feel like Preston is just slightly more proven.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Todd Preston-Harvard
2. Jamel Hudson-Hofstra
3. Randy Cruz-Lehigh
4. Jordan Laster-Princeton
5. Dylan Realbuto-Cornell

149 # of Allocations: 3
1. C. J. Cobb, Penn
2. Chris Villalonga, Cornell
3. Cody Ruggirello, Hofstra
4. Victor Lopez, Bucknell
5. Matt Cimato, Drexel
6. Chris Perez, Princeton
7. Javier Rodriguez, Army
8. Tom Page, American

Another weight with 3 entries, so margin for error is miniscule! Cobb and Villalonga hit earlier this year. Cobb is a guy with a textbook set of leg attacks. Conversely, Villalonga is excellent defensively with tremendous counter offense and a strong set of top skills. I believe these two are a cut above the field, even Ruggirello. Cobb was a 4-2 winner over Villalonga. Ruggirello, like his brother has some excellent top work, but Cobb and Villalonga are seasoned vets who will be ready for what Cody brings to the table.

I like Villalonga in the rematch. Cobb may have a touch more offense, but I see Villalonga responding and finding his way to a win in a one takedown match.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Chris Villalonga-Cornell
2. CJ Cobb-Penn
3. Cody Ruggirello-Hofstra
4. Victor Lopez-Bucknell

157 # of Allocations: 7
1. Brian Realbuto, Cornell
2. Mitch Minotti, Lehigh
3. Justin Staudenmayer, Brown
4. Russell Parsons, Army
5. Markus Scheidel, Columbia
6. Tom Boyle, American
7. Noel Blanco, Drexel
8. Brooks Martino, Penn

An excellent weight top to bottom here. Brian Realbuto continues to dazzle as only a Sophomore. Recovering from his injury at last years NCAA’s was a tough adjustment at first but he’s rounding into title contending form. He had a close scare with Minotti earlier in the year, but widened the gap against him at National Duals. Minotti has had injury issues himself this year. He’s rounded back into form as of late, but has still struggled with consistency to a degree. The returning All American will have his hands full with Staudenmeyer of Brown. Staudenmeyer has been in and out of the rankings this year. The quarterfinal you can’t miss is between Markus Scheidel and Russell Parsons. Parsons won against Scheidel by injury default earlier.

Schiedel was someone I really believed would jump levels this year, but it has not panned out as such. Parsons is a head down brawler of sorts. He may not be as slick or scrambly as Scheidel, but I think his physicality and pressure make him a difficult matchup for Scheidel.

The Parsons/Scheidel winner will take on Brian Realbuto. I don’t see Realbuto falling, however, it bears repeating that Realbuto fell to Scheidel here at this point last year. I don’t see that happening, however.
With a MInotti win over Staudenmeyer we’ll get Minotti v. Realbuto pt 3.

Realbuto has done a great job at getting to legs and limiting Minotti’s offense to a large degree. I think we’ll see more of the same. I think the real advantage for Brian comes on the mat. He accumulated a ton of riding time last time around. Don’t be surprised to see something similar here.

CP’s Final predictions
1. Brian Realbuto-Cornell
2. Mitch Minotti-Lehigh
3. Russell Parsons-Army
4. Markus Scheidel-Columbia
5. Justin Staudenmeyer-Brown
6. John Boyle-American
7. Noel Blanco-Drexel

165 # of Allocations: 4
1. Peyton Walsh, Navy
2. Dylan Palacio, Cornell
3. Cole Gracey, Army
4. Ray Bethea, Penn
5. Jonathan Schleicher, Princeton
6. Marshall Peppelman, Lehigh
7. Zack Zupan, Binghamton
8. Tyrel White, Columbia

The story here is Palacio’s seed, but it makes sense within the constraints of the conference’s seeding criteria. We’ll likely see Walsh cruise to the finals with a win over Bethea. Bethea is dangerous but has struggled with consistency and has competed both at 157 and 165 this year. This will set up another very intriguing semi between Palacio and Gracey. Gracey knocked off Dylan at the Scuffle (Palacio’s first tournament back). We’ve seen Palacio round into better form as of late and look more like the dangerous athlete we came to know last year.

So that will set up a Palacio v. Walsh finals. Palacio is many things, but I think his leg attacks are often a very secondary part of his game. Many times he allows his amazing defense and counters win him matches. At National duals he put his leg attacks on display. When you combine his athleticism with strong top game and emerging leg attacks, I think he will fare well against Peyton Walsh of Navy.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Dylan Palacio-Cornell
2. Peyton Walsh-Navy
3. Cole Gracey-Army
4. Marshall Peppelman-Lehigh

174 # of Allocations: 2
1. Duke Pickett, Cornell
2. Brian Harvey, Army
3. Santiago Martinez, Lehigh
4. Brad Wukie, Penn
5. Jadaen Bernstein, Navy
6. Shane Hughes, Columbia
7. Ricky McDonald, Brown
8. Josef Johnson, Harvard

I got some heat during National Duals for not having Pickett ranked. He’s been solid all year, I cannot lie. However, I think he still is just on the periphery. I do think that there are a few x factors in this weight. Shane Hughes had some buzz a year ago, but has cooled since. The talent is there, for sure. The same can be said for Jadaen Bernstein who was ranked this year. Santaiago Martinez of Lehigh has the big move potential and has been solid since coming up to 174. He also recently knocked off PIckett at National Duals.

So with only 2 spots going those semi final matches you can imagine will be complete and total blood baths with a spot to St. Louis on the line! I think Martinez is the hot hand here. I like him to not only knock off Harvey in the semi’s but take out PIckett in their rubber match!

CP’s Final Predictions
1. Santiago Martinez-Lehigh
2. Duke Pickett-Cornell
3. Jadaen Bernstein-Navy
4. Brian Harvey-Army


184 # of Allocations: 5
1. Gabe Dean, Cornell
2. Nate Brown, Lehigh
3. Brett Harner, Princeton
4. Lorenzo Thomas, Penn
5. Ophir Bernstein, Brown
6. Tom Sleigh, Bucknell
7. Jeric Kasunic, American
8. Michael Woulfe, Navy

Bar none, the baddest weight of the entire tournament. 184 pounds. With a returning All American currently occupying the 5 seed, you know the skill level is high. Brett Harner announced himself as a contender with a win over All American Lorenzo Thomas. That win for Harner sets him up to face Nate Brown of Lehigh. Brown won in lopsided fashion 8-2 in their last meeting. While Harner has been better since that December meeting, I still feel he’s a notch or two behind Brown. With that being said I have Brown a slightly more narrow victor. On the other side we’ll have a quarterfinal between Lorenzo Thomas and Ophir Bernstein. Two returning All Americans. Ophir has struggled this year for reasons not necessarily identified. Even going back to last year he hasn’t done well with Thomas. I like Lorenzo to win comfortably here to set up another Dean/Thomas bout. Dean has been excellent since his sketchy CKLV tournament. I like him to stay disciplined with his leg attacks and be ready for the excellent counters Thomas may throw his way.

This sets up another Brown v. Dean match up. Their earlier meeting was close and was strongly impacted by a controversial takedown call. The issue for Brown is not giving himself enough opportunities to attack Deans legs. Dean is putting himself in positions to score more often than Brown and that has cost him the match. In their meeting at National Duals, Dean put some separation between the two with his leg attacks and tough riding to boot. They’ve met 3 times to my knowledge. All 3 have gone Deans way, and I am not going to go against that trend until I see reason to deviate. Give me Dean to win the juggernaut!

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Gabe Dean-Cornell
2. Nate Brown-Lehigh
3. Lorenzo Thomas-Penn
4. Brett Harner-Princeton
5. Ophir Bernstein-Brown


197 # of Allocations: 6
1. Abe Ayala, Princeton
2. Jace Bennett, Cornell
3. Elliott, Riddick, Lehigh
4. Canaan Bethea, Penn
5. Bryce Barnes, Army
6. Tyler Lyster, Bucknell
7. Matt Idelsom,. Columbia
T8. Brett Dempsey, American
T8. Chuck Kerkesner, F&M

Another weight with some solid depth as well. I’m bummed to not see James Fox listed for Harvard as he’d been quite solid for them all year long. As it stands Ayala, Bennett and Riddick are the class of this weight. I see Ayala taking care of business against Bethea in their semi final match.

The returning EIWA champ Jace Bennett will need to knock off Elliot Riddick once again to punch his ticket into the finals. I think he gets it done. Bennet’s style is unique, especially for an upperweight. He scrambles well and has some good stuff from the top position. Once in the finals, I see Ayala able to neutralize a lot of his defense. I like Ayala over Jace once again in what could be a fairly high scoring match.

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Abe Ayala-Princeton
2. Jace Bennett-Cornell
3. Elliot Riddick-Lehigh
4. Canaan Bethea-Penn
5. Bryce Barnes-Army
6. Tyler Lyster-Bucknell


285 # of Allocations: 5
1. Tyler Deuel, Binghamton
2. Joe Stolfi, Bucknell
3. Doug Vollaro, Lehigh
4. Garrett Ryan, Columbia
5. David Ng, Harvard
6. Mike Hughes, Hofstra
7. Jacob Aiken-Phillips, Cornell
8. Ray O’Donnell, Princeton

Time for the big boys! This weight, for whatever reason has a number of extremely nimble and exciting big guys. Maybe it’s just the evolution of the weight, or maybe it’s something specific to the EIWA. Either way, between Deuel, Stolfi, and Ryan there are some excellent athletes here. I have a hard time seeing anybody preventing Deul and Stolfi from reuniting once again. Stolfi is an absolute top monster, but Deuel was able to get the better of him this season. I’m looking for Stolfi to turn the tides here back in his favor for another EIWA title!

CP’s Final Predictions:
1. Joe Stolfi-Bucknell
2. Tyler Deuel-Binghamton
3. Doug Vollaro-Lehigh
4. Garrett Ryan-Columbia
5. David Ng-Harvard

Final Team Finishes: I don’t see anybody close to Lehigh and Cornell.
1. Cornell
2. Lehigh
3. Penn
4. Army
5. Princeton
6. Bucknell
7. Harvard
8. Navy
9. Hofstra
10. Columbia