Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
EIWA Championships
Parker, Clarke Advance Into EIWA Semifinals
March 07, 2003 | Wrestling
March 7, 2003
ITHACA, N.Y. - Seniors Greg Parker and Joe Clarke remained alive in the hunt for 2003 EIWA championships Friday night at Cornell, as both won their quarterfinal matches and advanced to Saturday morning's semifinals. Parker, the top seed at 184 pounds, is two wins away from a second straight EIWA championship.
Parker knocked off Rutgers' Rudy Medini in relatively simple fashion, earning a 16-0 technical fall in 5:08. The defending champion at 174 pounds and one of two NCAA finalists in the competition (Lehigh's Jon Trenge), Parker will take on Brown's Nick Ciarcia in the semifinal. The Princeton senior did not face Ciarcia in the dual meet.
On the other half of the bracket, Cornell's Clint Wattenberg, the No. 2 seed and one of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country, will face Lehigh's Travis Frick. If Wattenberg and Parker both win, it will be a meeting between two defending EIWA champions in the final; Wattenberg claimed the 184-pound title last year. Clarke knocked off Cornell's Byron Warner 11-7 in the semifinal and will face top-seeded Phillip Simpson of Army tomorrow. The two have not met this season. A win over Simpson would guarantee Clarke his first trip to the NCAA tournament, as both finalists are given automatic bids. If Clarke loses, he would still have a chance to claim another bid to the tournament in wrestlebacks. Sixteen wrestlers will be chosen by the EIWA to advance to the NCAA tournament.
Princeton's other quarterfinalist, Brian Kirschbaum, fell to Cornell's Alejandro Alvarez 13-5 and will move into the consolation bracket.
As a team, Princeton stands in 10th place with 21.50 team points.
Full tournament brackets can be found here.