The Columbia wrestling team will be heading to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships, which start this Saturday at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.
Six Columbia wrestlers have garnered all-Ivy recognition, with junior co-captain heavyweight Kevin Lester earning a unanimous first team selection. This is Lester’s third all-Ivy distinction, as he was given an honorable mention in 2006—his freshman year. He was named to the second team last year. Senior 165-pounder Eren Civan and sophomore 184-pounder Nick Mills were also named to the second team. Like Lester, this is Civan’s third year on the all-league list, as he earned second team honors his freshman and sophomore years. Earning honorable mentions for the Lions were junior 133-pounder Kyle Gilchrist, sophomore 149-pounder Steve Santos, and senior 197-pounder Mike Pushpak.
Last week, the NCAA announced the qualifier allocations for each weight class, which will determine who gets to wrestle at the NCAA tournament based on their performance at EIWAs. The EIWA received the second highest number of bids (45) behind the Big Ten Conference (64), proving that the tournament will host some of the nation’s top wrestlers.
Columbia has four wrestlers ranked in the top 6 in the conference, which will hopefully bode well for the Lions. Santos is ranked 6th in the 149-pound class and will have to place in the top five to qualify for NCAAs. Civan and Mills are ranked 5th in the 165 and 184-pound weight classes respectively and will each have to finish in the top four for a tournament invitation. Lester, who is the highest ranked Lion at No. 4, will have to place in the top four to make his first NCAA tournament appearance.
The action kicks off this Saturday in Lewisburg, Pa.
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