3/7/2002 - Wrestling
Navy Wrestlers Ready for EIWA Championship
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy wrestling team will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., Saturday to compete in the 2002 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championship hosted by Lehigh University. The Mids begin competition Saturday at 11 a.m. with the championship finals slated for 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Stabler Arena. The top-two individuals in each weight class will automatically qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championship (March 21-23) in Albany, N.Y., while 13 wild cards will be given out.
"I am looking forward to going to the conference tournament and seeing our guys compete," Navy head coach Bruce Burnett said. "I expect everyone to exceed any and all expectations they have for themselves. If that means they are a number five or eight seed, I want them to improve on that. That's what sports is all about and why we compete. It should be a great tournament."
Navy (11-6) has won four-straight dual matches, including a 22-9 win over Army in the annual Star Match Feb. 22. The Mids are looking to improve on their sixth-place finish at the EIWA Championship last year, totaling 75 points, to finish behind team champion Harvard (123 points), Pennsylvania (114), Lehigh (109.5), Cornell (95.5) and Rutgers (95). Seven wrestlers placed in the top six for the Mids last year, four of which will be in action this weekend.
Team captain Mark Conley (Sr./Exton, Pa.) won the 141-pound weight class in overtime last year against Lehigh's Matt Goldstein. Ranked No. 1 by InterMat in the 141 pound division with a 36-2 record, Conley will attempt to become the first Navy wrestler to capture back-to-back EIWA titles since Doug Zembiec won the 177-pound weight class in 1994 and '95. Conley needs three wins to tie the school record for single-season victories and one to move into a tie for second in all-time victories with 119 (John Reich). Greg Gingeleskie holds the school mark for career victories with 127.
Maybe the toughest of the 10 weight class this year looks to be the heavyweight division, where junior Steve Kovach (Parkesburg, Pa.) will contend for the title after recording a fourth-place finish last year. Kovach is ranked third in the EIWA with a 29-5 record, winning 11 of his last 12 matches heading into the tournament. His 11 victories by pin fall ties him for ninth on the single-season list.
Mike Bigrigg (Sr./Santa Ana, Calif.) has also been red hot for the Mids in the last few weeks, winning seven-consecutive matches and 10 of his last 12. Ranked fourth in the EIWA's 197-pound weight class, Bigrigg boasts a 22-12 record and will be looking to improve on his fourth-place finish last year. Bigrigg's 86 career victories ranks 10th all-time in school history, while he is ranked fourth all-time in matches with 130.
In the 165-pound weight class, Luke Lazzo (Jr./Rochester Hills, Mich.) is 22-17 overall and has won eight of his last 10 matches. Lazzo is ranked sixth in the EIWA, but will be wrestling in his first postseason tournament.
Freshman Sam Gray (Essex, Vt.) will go to battle in the 125-pound weight class. Gray is 17-16 overall and ranked fifth in the EIWA. Michael Carbonaro (So./Blairstown, N.J.) has been steady for the Mids all season in the 157-pound weight class, while freshman Pat Lukanich (LaGrange, Ill.) gets the nod in the 149-pound weight class. With Mike Simon (Jr./North Canton, Ohio) sidelined with a led injury, Nicholas Leshock (So./Shamokin, Pa.) will step into the 133-pound weight class with Travis Manion (So./Doylestown, Pa.) primed for competition in the 184-pound weight class. Andrew Hemminger (So./Annapolis, Md.) will take Jim Letchford's spot in the 174-pound weight class, who is out with an injured shoulder.
Complete EIWA Championship information including complete brackets can be found at www2.lehigh.edu/page.asp?page=sportseiwa(.). The EIWA Championship can also be heard live on the Lehigh web site with Ross Nunamaker and K.C. Wennogle calling the action.
Probable EIWA Lineup
125- Sam Gray (17-16)
133- Nicholas Leshock (6-6)
141- Mark Conley (36-2)
149- Pat Lukanich (13-11)
157- Michael Carbonaro (14-12)
165- Luke Lazzo (22-17)
174- Andrew Hemminger (11-11)
184- Travis Manion (10-11)
197- Mike Bigrigg (22-12)
HWT- Steve Kovach (29-5)
