Columbia Heads to Climactic EIWA Tourney

After nearly two weeks of training, the wrestling team will compete in the EIWA Championships today in East Stroudsburg, Pa. The two-day tournament features 14 teams from around the northeast competing in 10 different weight classes. At stake for each wrestler is a trip to the NCAA tournament, which begins on March 15 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

The two weeks since their last dual meet has only boosted the Lions' confidence.

"We've trained the last week and a half," head coach Brendan Buckley said. "We rested up. Our goal is to peak this weekend, and I think the guys are ready to go."

Columbia's pre-tournament standing adds to the team's optimism. The Light Blue is seeded third among EIWA teams, behind only Cornell and Navy and tied with Lehigh. Furthermore, the Lions have all 10 of their starting wrestlers seeded in the top six spots in each bracket. In order to accumulate points, each Columbia wrestler must place sixth or higher in his weight class. A first-place finish would award 12 points to the wrestler, while a second- or third-place finish would earn the team 10 and nine points, respectively. In addition, the wrestlers who place in the top four in each class will automatically receive bids to the NCAA tournament, and the judges will also choose seven wild cards from among the remaining wrestlers in all classes.

With no injuries or major absences, the Lions will wrestle all their regular starters at the tournament. Junior Brandon Kinney at 125 pounds and senior Matt DeLorenzo at 133 will take control of the lower weight classes for the Light Blue. Kinney is seeded fifth in his class with an individual record of 11-6, while DeLorenzo is sixth at 133 with a 15-8 record. Sophomore Sal Tirico and freshman Matt Dunn follow with fifth seeds in the 141- and 149-pound classes, respectively. Sixth-seeded senior Devin Mesanko will start for Columbia at 157 pounds.

The upper-middle weights of 165, 174, and 184 pounds should prove to be the core classes for the Lions, however. Senior Ricky Turk, with an overall record of 13-8, will be ranked fifth in the 165-pound class. Senior Matt Palmer, who is ranked 10th nationwide and has only suffered one loss the entire season, will follow at 174. Eighteenth-ranked senior Justin Barent, who has gone 18-4 this year, will start in the third seed at 184. Senior Nick Sommerfeld will start from the fifth spot at the 197-pound level, and fourth-seeded freshman Kevin Lester will anchor Columbia at heavyweight.

The tournament opposition today and tomorrow will not be easy. Four of the 14 conference teams are ranked in the InterMat top 25 poll. The Light Blue has faced three of those four teams in dual meets this season-Cornell, Penn, and Lehigh-and had a 1-2 record against them during the season, losing to Cornell and Lehigh while defeating Penn. The lone-ranked conference opponent the Lions have not faced in dual meet play is Navy, which features three ranked wrestlers, at 133, 174, and at heavyweight. However, Buckley believes that the experience the Lions have gained against the league's other top teams will help prepare his team for the 17th-ranked Midshipmen.

"We're prepared and have experience wrestling in high-caliber tournaments," he said. "We got a great lineup here at the tournament. We're excited for a great weekend of wrestling."

Columbia takes to the mats today at 9 a.m. at East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pa.