Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Opportunity Abounds For Princeton Wrestling, Host Of The @2016EIWAs
March 02, 2016 | Wrestling
IMPORTANT LINKS: EIWA Championships Central l EIWA Preview Podcast
TWITTER: @2016EIWAs
Adam Krop could have never guessed he'd get this opportunity again. Mike D'Angelo had no idea he'd have the opportunity until three weeks ago.
Brett Harner missed his opportunity to injury last year. Jordan Laster took advantage of his, becoming Princeton's first finalist in three years, but he wants to take this opportunity even further.
Abram Ayala and Judd Ziegler are just ready to take advantage of this final opportunity.
Yes, this is the ultimate weekend of opportunity for the Princeton wrestling team, which will compete in the 2016 EIWA Championships within the comfort of their own Jadwin Gym. Fifty-one bids to the NCAA Championships — several of which this team earned — will be handed out this weekend, as well as 10 individual championships within one of the most tradition-rich leagues in the NCAA.
Opportunity. This is the time, and Princeton is the place.
Three seniors, three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen will represent the Orange and Black this weekend in a competition between 16 of the top collegiate programs in the East. While nine-time reigning champion Cornell and Lehigh will likely vie for the team title, Princeton has a real opportunity for its first top-five finish since winning the 1978 EIWA Championships.
Is that a guarantee? Of course not. Teams like Bucknell, Navy and Penn will be strong, and others could make a move as well.
But it's, well, an opportunity.
Speaking of which, here is a quick look at those 10 Tigers who will look to cash in that opportunity in grand style this weekend.
125
Pat D'Arcy (Fr., 20-11)
NCAA Allocations: 3
D'Arcy has been the starter at 125 since Day 1, and his 20 victories should earn him a Top 8 seed, though he'll need to reach the finals or win the third-place match to get to NCAAs. The top three seeds are likely to be — in some order — Lehigh's Darian Cruz, Bucknell's Paul Petrov and American's David Terao. He enters the weekend having won six of his last seven, though the lone loss was against a potential quarterfinal opponent in Cornell's Dalton Macri.
133
Noah Ajram (Fr., 2-11)
NCAA Allocations: 3
Ajram started the season at 125, but moved up during the year and won the starting spot at 133. The good news about the weight is that, outside of one place, it could be pretty wide open in the competition for those other two spots. The bad news is that Nahshon Garrett is here, and he is probably the most overwhelming favorite at any weight this weekend. Ajram will be unseeded, but he'll be wrestling at home and has the opportunity to surprise.
141
Jordan Laster (Jr., 18-10)
NCAA Allocations: 6
How ridiculous is this weight? Laster will come in as the reigning EIWA finalist, but there will be four other wrestlers who have EIWA championships on their resumé, including defending champion Randy Cruz (Lehigh). The others are Todd Preston (Harvard), Rick Durso (F&M) and Kevin Devoy (Drexel). It's a stacked weight, and with six NCAA bids on the line, the quarterfinal round here will be a thriller to watch. Laster is 0-5 against the Cruz-Preston-Durso trio this year, but several were very close, and Laster is riding a five-match win streak into the weekend.
149
Mike D'Angelo (Fr., 8-9)
NCAA Allocations: 5
D'Angelo was always a talent this season, but he was behind reigning EIWA finalist Chris Perez until the senior co-captain — and one of the program's most inspirational figures in a generation — suffered a fourth torn ACL last month. D'Angelo hasn't wrestled enough to likely earn a seed, but he is an aggressive competitor with nothing to lose. Both Lehigh's Laike Gardner and Cornell's Joey Galasso could be seeded, and he was within three points of both. Drexel's Matt Clagon and Penn's CJ Cobb could be the top seeds.
157
Adam Krop (Sr., 6-5)
NCAA Allocations: 6
When D'Angelo was a freshman in high school, Krop was a sophomore winning a first-round match at the 2012 EIWA Championships — with a torn ACL. Since then, he has missed two full years due to injury, but made it back just in time to help Princeton to a second-place finish in the Ivy League and then compete one more time at the EIWAs. He is in one of the deepest weight classes, but also one without a Top 5 wrestler at the top. Cornell's Dylan Palacio, a two-time EIWA runner-up, will likely be the top seed, but the bracket will be loaded with veteran competitors, including Lehigh's Mitch Minotti, American's Justin Boyle, Columbia's Markus Scheidel and Brown's Justin Staudenmayer. Krop fits in that group, and this is another weight that will have a thrilling quarterfinal round.
165
Judd Ziegler (Sr., 16-16)
NCAA Allocations: 4
Ziegler is as experienced as any Princeton wrestler — he has represented the Orange and Black at each of the last three EIWA Championships, and he will do so at home this year. This weight is a bit like 149 — talented wrestlers all over the place, but nobody currently inside the Top 5 (and in this case, the Top 10) nationally. Ziegler has had a few close losses to guys who will likely be seeded, and this is his chance to reverse them and earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
174
Jonathan Schleifer (So., 20-11)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Princeton's reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Schleifer has 20 wins this season and could be as high as the third seed in a very strong weight class. Reigning 157-pound NCAA finalist Brian Realbuto of Cornell will be the top seed, and he is currently ranked second nationally. Penn's Casey Kent owns a win over Realbuto, and he defeated Schleifer in a thriller during the dual meet. Should those two meet again in the semifinal, don't miss it. Navy's Jadaen Bernstein is the defending champion, while Army's Bryce Barnes is one of the hottest at the weight.
184
Abram Ayala (Sr., 18-9)
NCAA Allocations: 7
This weight is arguably the strongest class in the field, and it has both NCAA finalists from last year. Cornell's Gabe Dean is the reigning NCAA champion, while Lehigh's Nathaniel Brown was the runner-up; both are ranked in the Top 3 currently. The task is a challenge for Ayala, but the two-time NCAA qualifier will be one of the more dangerous lower seeds in the class. Ayala has won seven straight matches, and he has had incredibly close losses to some wrestlers that could be ranked above him (Brown, Penn's Lorenzo Thomas, Binghamton's Steve Schneider). This could be the ideal scenario for Ayala, who seems to love the underdog role.
197
Brett Harner (Jr., 28-3)
NCAA Allocations: 4
Harner won't have the underdog role on his side. With 28 wins, a Top-12 national ranking and a win over likely No. 2 seed John Bolich of Lehigh, Harner seems a lock for the top seed. He missed last year's EIWAs due to a practice injury the week before the event, so you know he is more than ready to get this one started. Among the rest of the field to watch is Navy's Michael Woulfe, a likely Top-4 seed; Woulfe is the only EIWA wrestler with a win over Harner this season.
275
Ray O'Donnell (Jr., 23-9)
NCAA Allocations: 6
O'Donnell is a two-time EIWA placewinner, but he is coming off his strongest season and has earned one of the six NCAA spots at the weight. This will be an interesting weight, as there is a lot of talent throughout the bracket, but the two that have separated themselves so far are Bucknell's Joe Stolfi and Lehigh's Max Wessell. O'Donnell doesn't need to break into that group to make his first NCAA journey, but he will undoubtedly need to beat one — and probably both — to reach the top of the EIWA podium.