2022: The Preseason: Hofstra Pride

With the Ivy League Schools back in the EIWA, this year will prove to be a more challenging one for the Pride. With that said, I can still see Hofstra having up to 8 NCAA qualifiers.    

125
Dylan Ryder
Junior
Record: 43-22
EIWA: 20'8th, 21'5th
CKLV: 19'R12 

For the past three seasons, 2019, 2020 & 2021, I have included Dylan Ryder in my lists as one of the best not to qualify for the NCAA championships.  He has many quality wins including Rico Montoya of Northern Colorado, Willy Girard of Bloomsburg, Gage Curry of Pittsburgh, Jacob Allen of Navy, Bryce West of Northern Illinois, Joe Manchio of Columbia and Jonathan Tropea of Rider.  I would hope that he finally breaks through and makes it to the dance this season.  

149
Greg Gaxiola
Senior
Record: 40-37 
NCAA: 20'NQ, 21'NQ
BIG 12: 20'5th
EIWA: 21'4th 

I honestly thought we'd see more out of Gaxiola at this point.  We've seen glimpses of it from time to time, such as his 7-1 decision over Legend Lamer of Cal Poly, but for the most part Gaxiola has not performed to his potential. The EIWA is rather loaded this season.  Yanni Diakomihalis of Cornell, P.J. Ogunsanya of Army, Anthony Artalona of Pennsylvania, A.J. Jaffe of Harvard, Jimmy Hoffman of Lehigh, Ricky Cabanillas of Brown & Parker Kropman of Drexel.  Gaxiola fits in here somewhere, but I'm not sure where. The only one he has faced thus far is Ogunsanya, whom he is 1-1 against.  Talent and ability wise, I see Gaxiola as good as 3rd.  Diakomihalis is out of his league and I think Artalona is too, but everyone else mentioned Gaxiola can beat.  I think regardless of what happens, he places top 8 & makes it to his third NCAA tournament.  

157 
Holden Heller
Junior
Record: 35-27
NCAA: 21'NQ
EIWA: 21'1st 

Heller is going to have an extremely tough time defending the EIWA title he won last season. With the return of Quincy Monday of Princeton & Josh Humphreys of Lehigh, I'm thinking an at best 3rd place finish for the Pride this year.  Even that will be difficult to achieve considering he is 1-2 over all vs Army's Markus Hartman.  

165
Ricky Stamm 
Senior
Record: 88-56
NCAA: 20'NQ, 21'NQ
EIWA: 20'5th, 21'5th 

Looking over the EIWA competition that Stamm will face this season, Zach Hartman of Bucknell and Philip Conigliaro of Harvard are the only two I see that Stamm cannot beat.  Evan Barczak of Drexel, who Stamm is 1-1 with will be a challenge, but I can see Stamm finishing as high as 3rd.  If nothing else, I can't see him any lower than the two 5th place finishes he has already achieved. 

174
Sage Heller
Senior
Record: 71-48
EIWA: 20'5th 

Like Ryder, I am surprised that Heller has yet to make the NCAA tournament in his career.  Among his notable victories, Trevor Allard of Bloomsburg, Ben Harvey of Army, Dean Sherry of Rider, Vincent DePrez of Binghamton and Jacob Oliver of Edinboro.   Within the EIWA, he took 2021 runner-up Michael O'Malley of Drexel to a 6-4 match.  He hasn't faced 2021 EIWA champion Ben Pasiuk of Army yet & I also wonder how he'll do against Andrew Berreyesa of Cornell.  Based on those he has beaten in the past, I don't see anyone on paper that Heller cannot defeat. It may be going out on a limb, but I think Heller is capable of a top 3 finish at the EIWA championships this season.  That includes making the finals, and yes that even includes winning it. 

184
Charles Small
Senior
Record: 30-27
NCAA: 21'NQ
EIWA: 21'3rd 

EIWA champion Lou DePrez of Binghamton and runner-up David Key of Navy both return, as does Princeton's Travis Stefanik who owns a 12-2 major decision over Small.  There here is also Jonathan Loew of Cornell to contend with as well.  As of right now, I see Small finishing between 4th & 5th in the EIWA.  His greatest win to date is a 3-2 tiebreaker over Tate Samuelson of Wyoming. It'll be interesting to see if he has some more huge victories like that this season. 

197 
Trey Rogers
Junior
Record: 40-34
NCAA: 21'NQ
EIWA: 21'5th 

Not sure where to place Rogers in the EIWA this season, but I do think he'll be a top 8 place-winner again and an NCAA qualifier. 

HWT
Zachary Knighton-Ward 
Junior
Record: 42-27
NCAA: 20'NQ, 21'NQ
EIWA: 20'4th, 21'3rd 

I'm almost positive that ZKW finishes 4th in the EIWA this season.  He's not beating Jordan Wood of Lehigh, Yaraslau Slavilouski of Harvard & being 0-3 vs Ben Sullivan of Army, he's not beating him either. However, there's no one else in the bracket that he can't beat.  4th place, bank on it. 

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125 - NQ
133 - DNQ
141 - DNQ
149 - NQ
157 - NQ
165 - NQ
174 - NQ
184 - NQ

197 - NQ
HWT - NQ 

It's a funny circumstance with Hofstra.  No one on the team strikes me as All American potential. I have a hard time even seeing anyone in the R12 category.  Yet I do see 8 qualifiers & I do see all of them winning at least 1 match if not going 2-2.