Don't get me wrong, Navy returns some talent, but nevertheless Cary Kolat does have his challenges in his first year of coaching the Midshipmen. Unlike many of the other teams who benefitted from the "free year" Navy did not. As a result, Navy lost an EIWA champion & two EIWA runner-ups to graduation last spring. On top of it, with the IVY league schools competing this season, the landscape of the EIWA is going to be completely different. Some of the high placements may be more difficult to achieve.
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| 133 Jacob Allen Senior Record: 38-30 NCAA: 21'NQ EIWA: 21'2nd |
I think Allen can once again make the EIWA finals. He might even contend for an EIWA title. The only one that really worries me at this point is Brandon Paetzell from Lehigh. Looking over the rest of the competition, as of now, I don't see anyone else that Allen can't beat. Not sure about Paetzell.
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| 157 Andrew Cerniglia Sophomore Record: 9-3 NCAA: 21'NQ EIWA: 21'3rd |
It's really difficult to predict how Cerniglia will do in the EIWA this year. It'll be a much tougher bracket than what it was last season. Not only does Holden Heller of Hofstra & Nick Palumbo of Sacred Heart (the EIWA champion & EIWA runner-up) return, but so does Jaden Fisher of Bucknell who defeated Cerniglia 9-4 last season. Then add in Quincy Monday of Princeton, Josh Humphreys of Lehigh, Markus Hartman of Army, Colton Yapoujian of Cornell and Doug Zapf of Pennsylvania. That's a loaded bracket. What impressed me most about Cerniglia last year was a 15-0 tech fall over Drexel's Parker Kropman, who ironically enough then turned around and beat Fisher. Parity anyone? Cerniglia could have another high EIWA finish, or it might be a struggle to place in the top 8.
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| 184 David Key Sophomore Record: 35-5 NCAA: 21'NQ EIWA: 21'2nd |
I'm anxious to see Key in a full NCAA season. As to the EIWA I think another runner-up finish is very doable. I mean I want to see him against Travis Stefanik of Princeton and Jonathan Loew of Cornell, but at this point neither strike me as unbeatable. As to the NCAA, Key has some impressive wins. Falls over both Anthony Montalvo of Oklahoma State & Chris Weiler of Lehigh, as well as a 10-3 decision over Zach Braunagel of Illinois. With Mike Evans in the room beating up on him everyday, who knows how high his ceiling is?
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| 197 Jake Koser Junior Record: 35-19 NCAA: 21'NQ EIWA: 21'3rd |
Koser owns a victory over EIWA runner-up J.T. Brown of Army & the last time the two met, Brown barely escaped in a tiebreaker. With that said, Koser could win that potential matchup and find himself in the EIWA finals. Cornell's Ben Darmstadt doesn't seem beatable at this point, but anyone else in the EIWA does.
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| HWT John Birchmeier Junior Record: 25-14 NCAA: 21'NQ EIWA: 21'5th |
Birchmeier faces the same challenges as does Cerniglia. 3 of the top 4 in the EIWA return including Champion Jordan Wood of Lehigh, 3rd place Zachary Knighton-Ward of Hofstra and 4th place Joe Doyle of Binghamton. Then runner-up Bobby Heald of Army is replaced by his backup Ben Sullivan, who will be every bit as tough as was Heald. If that's not enough, both Harvard's Yaraslau Slavilouski and Cornell's Brendan Furman are back as well. Tough challenge.
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125 - DNQ
133 - NQ
141 - DNQ
149 - DNQ
157 - NQ
165 - DNQ
174 - DNQ
184 - NQ
197 - NQ
HWT - NQ
There's no doubt in my mind under the tutelage of Coach Kolat that it won't be long before Navy is contending for EIWA team titles & putting wrestlers on the award stand at the NCAA's year in and year out. Like Frank Cuzo his business is training and coaching champions. It won't be this season, but we'll see signs of things to come.
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