Wrestling finishes eighth in EIWA championships

In a bleak weekend for the Columbia wrestling team, a few wrestlers shined. The Lions, 8-10-1 overall and 2-3 Ivy, competed in the EIWA championships over the last two days. Columbia finished with 65 points, tying with Army for eighth place.

Junior Eren Civan was the star of the weekend for the Light Blue, finishing in fourth place at 165 pounds. His fourth-place finish qualifies him for the NCAA championships. Civan won his first match 5-2 and led the entire way. His next bout came against Cornell’s Justin Kerber, who entered the competition with a 10-7 overall record. The back-and-forth match ended in Kerber’s favor, as he took the victory as well as the third place finish.

While Civan’s finish was the best of the weekend for the Lions, he was not the only success story. Sophomore Andrew Grabfelder finished in sixth place, after falling to Penn’s Bryan Ortenzio at 133 pounds. Freshman Steve Santos finished sixth, at 149 pounds in his first-ever EIWA tournament. Also, the more experienced sophomore Kevin Lester took fifth place at 285 pounds.

While the season for the Columbia wrestling team has come to an end, Civan’s season continues. He will have a few weeks to prepare for the NCAA tournament that takes place March 18-20.