March 5, 2010

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Reigning Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) champion Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) will anchor the Navy wrestling team's quest for its first EIWA team title since 1990 when the Mids head to Bethlehem, Pa. for the 106th EIWA Championship. In addition to the team title and the 10 EIWA individual crowns, 41 automatic berths to the NCAA Championship (March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.) are on the line.

Hosted by Lehigh, Stabler Arena will house the two-day, 12-team tournament which is set to begin on Saturday with preliminaries starting at 10:00 am. The tournament will proceed through the completion of the semifinals Saturday evening. Sunday's two sessions feature consolations and placement matches beginning at 10:00 am and the championship finals at 3:00 pm. Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the arena ticket office this weekend.

For those fans unable to attend the EIWA Championship, Lehigh will stream wall-to-wall live coverage of all four sessions of the championships online (lehighsports.com) at no charge.

The EIWA was the recipient of 41 automatic bids to the 2010 NCAA Championship when the NCAA announced its qualifier allocations last week. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data including Div. I winning percentage, RPI and a coaches ranking. Under the current system, put in place a year ago, the number of automatic qualifiers now varies in each weight class within the EIWA. Wrestlers who fail to qualify this weekend, however, will be eligible for one of 46 at-large berths which will be announced on Wednesday, March 10.

"The EIWA is an awfully tough conference this year," said 10th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "In terms of automatic qualifiers, the EIWA is second among all of the conferences, trailing only the Big 10. That speaks volumes about the quality of wrestling that is in the EIWA.

"I think the new system of qualifying is still going through the checks and balances system. Scheduling has become so important in determining whether you should seek a better winning percentage or pump up the level of competition. It's really a fine balance in determining what's best, but I think that's best answered on a case-by-case, team-by-team basis."

The Midshipmen, who placed fifth a year ago, are making their 70th appearance at the EIWA Championship and have won the team title 13 times. Columbia and Penn have appeared in every EIWA Championship, while Army and Navy both joined the conference in 1941. Navy is one of four teams to win the team title at least 10 times with Lehigh winning it the most - 34 times. The Mids have won 100 individual EIWA crowns, including last year's winners Joe Baker at 133 pounds and Saddors, the recipient of the 2009 Coaches' Trophy who won the title at 149 pounds but has bumped up a weight class this season. Navy has placed 390 wrestlers in past EIWA competitions - 100 champions, 79 in second, 82 in third, 52 in fourth, 45 in fifth and 32 in sixth.

Navy will be represented at every weight class, however, just three of the 10 wrestlers have previous EIWA Championship experience - junior Allan Stein who wrestled at 125 pounds in the 2008 EIWA Championship, senior Matt Pagan, a 141-pounder who did not place at last year's event and Saddoris. The following is a weight-by-weight assessment of the 2009 Navy squad at the Eastern championships.

125 - Aaron Kalil, So. (20-9, 6-2 dual)
After producing a 17-17 record as the Mids' backup 244-pounder a year ago, Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) has enjoyed an exceptional sophomore campaign. One of four Navy wrestlers to reach the 20-win milestone this season, he has won nine of his last 10 matches, including four straight heading into the tournament. Reliable in the dual season, he produced a 6-2 record winning pivotal matches against Lehigh, Maryland and most recently an 11-9 victory over Army's Lance Penhale. Kalil is 2-2 in dual matches against EIWA foes this season. He is ranked 33rd according to the latest RPI and 27th in the Coaches Panel Ranking.

133 - Allan Stein, Jr. (10-7, 1-0 dual)
Though Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) has spent his entire college wrestling career at 125 pounds, he will bump up to 133 pounds this weekend at the EIWA Championship. The third-year standout was called upon the week of the Army match to step in and fill the vacant spot. Not only did he give a gutsy performance, he provided the Mids with a spirited 10-9 victory over Army's Travis Coffey. Prior to the Feb. 20 dual against the Black Knights, Stein had not competed since the Southern Scuffle at the end of December. Stein, though, has been a valuable sparring partner for Kalil throughout the year. This weekend's conference championship marks the second time he has represented the Midshipmen. He turned in a 1-2 record his rookie campaign at the 2008 EIWA Championship.

141 - Matt Pagan, Sr. (21-14, 4-3 dual)
Coming off a 5-4 tie breaker victory over Army's Casey Thome two weeks ago, senior Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) has his sights set on claiming the conference title. Boasting a personal-best 21 wins this winter, Pagan has placed in four of the six tournaments in which he's wrestled, including the All-Academy Championship where he finished second. He has produced a 4-3 record in dual action this season, however he has struggled against opponents from the EIWA, posting a 1-3 record. That aside, he has been wrestling well in recent weeks and has the experience of wrestling in last year's EIWA Championship.

149 - Glenn Shober, Sr. (19-12, 2-4 dual)
Team captain Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) will get his first shot at winning an EIWA title when he heads to Lehigh this weekend. Like Pagan, Shober has come on strong at the end of the season, winning the All-Academy Championship followed by what he deemed the biggest win of his career, a 5-2 victory over eighth-ranked Matt Kyler of Army in the annual Star Match. Shober has wrestled at three different weight classes over the course of his career and closes it out at the weight he started, 149 pounds. He has amassed a 70-50 career record, including a 19-12 mark this season. He heads into the tournament ranked 33rd according to the latest RPI and 29th in the Coaches Panel Ranking.

157 - Bryce Saddoris, Jr. (27-9, 6-1 dual)
One of the most decorated wrestlers who will be in action for Navy this weekend, junior Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) upset top-seeded Matt Kyler of Army in a tie breaker last season to win the 149-pound EIWA individual title. Additionally, he was awarded The Coaches' Trophy as the tournament's most valuable wrestler, an award last bestowed upon a Navy wrestler in 1987 (Scott Kelly). A 2009 All-American, Saddoris is looking qualify for the NCAA Tournament a third consecutive year. Though he is ranked seventh nationally, three of the top six wrestlers at 157 pounds are out of the EIWA, including No. 1-ranked J.P. O'Connor from Harvard. Saddoris will have his hands full, however, he has appeared in two prior EIWA Championships and owns a 4-2 record. He is ranked No. 6 according to the latest RPI and eighth in the Coaches Panel Ranking.

Saddoris owns a 27-9 record this season, including a 6-1 dual mark. Amassing a 105-29 record over three seasons, he is one of just 10 wrestlers in program history to reach 100 wins during their career. He stands 10th on the wins leader board, just one behind ninth-place Ed Prendergast (2005-08). Twice a member of the 30 win club, he is three wins shy of joining an elite group of wrestlers who have made three appearances on the list - all-time wins leader Matt Stolpinski, Greg Gingeleskie, Mark Conley and John Reich.

165 - Robby Neill, Jr. (21-11, 6-2 dual)
Junior Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.) is wrestling at one of the most competitive weight classes at the championship this weekend as proven by the number of automatic qualifiers - 6. Neill spent the early part of the year sparring rookie Oscar Huntley in what was a healthy rivalry between the two. When Huntley suffered a season-ending knee injury, Neill stepped right into the lead role and has transitioned into a consistent, reliable wrestler for the Midshipmen. Posting a 6-2 dual record this season, including a 3-1 EIWA mark, he heads into the weekend riding a seven-match winning streak. He knocked off the defending champion at the All-Academy Championship to take the title and scored a 6-3 win over Army's Patrick Marchetti in the annual Army-Navy match. He is ranked 27th according to both the RPI and the Coaches Panel Ranking.

174 - Mike Billings, Sr. (14-11 ,1-3 dual)
Mike Billings (Waterford, Mich.) is one of four Navy seniors who will make their first appearance competing at the EIWA Championship, joining Shober (149), Kropp (197) and Steele (HWT). Billings has recorded a 14-11 record in his final campaign, placing fourth at the Navy Classic early in the year before winning the All-Academy Championship last month.

184 - Andrew Buck, Fr. (18-7, 4-0 dual)
Resilient, inspirational, gutsy - three words to describe rookie Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.), who despite fighting off one injury after another this season, will vye for his chance at and NCAA Tournament berth. The Navy newcomer placed second at the Navy Classic early in the year and turned in an eighth-place performance at the Cliff Kee Las Vega Invitational. He missed a few weeks due to injury, but came back at the beginning of the dual season in early January and has not lost a match since. He owns a seven-match winning streak that has featured dual wins over American, East Stroudsburg, Rutgers and Army foes, while he also won the All-Academy Championship. He win over Army's Collin Wittmeyer was truly an amazing win as he came from behind to force overtime and went on to win, 8-6, in sudden victory. Ranked 32nd by way of the RPI, he has recorded an 18-7 record this season.

197 - Russ Kropp, Sr. (3-5, 0-1 dual)
Wrestling for just the ninth time this season will be senior Russ Kropp (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who replaced classmate Charles Carafano two weeks ago against Army after he suffered an injury at the All-Academy Championship. Kropp, who wrestled at the Navy Classic and Nittany Lion Open early in the year, owns a 3-5 record this season.

HWT - Scott Steele, Sr. (13-2, 7-1 dual)
After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the middle of last season, senior Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) will get his opportunity to wrestle for an EIWA Championship this weekend. Ranked ninth nationally, Steele is 1-1 against EIWA foes ranked ahead of him, dropping Lehigh's Zach Rey, 3-2, while suffering a 7-6 loss against DJ Russo of Rutgers. Steele, who was an alternate at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, has put together a 13-2 record since returning to school in late December, including a 7-1 dual mark. He is rated 10th in the Coaches Panel Ranking.

"There are no tomorrows now, you have to perform well this weekend or check in your gear on Monday," added Burnett, who came up just short of leading the Mids to the championship in 2007. "Each athlete has to search within himself and figure out the effort in which he has to put forth in order to win. If you look at the preseeds, we're not projected to have anyone in the finals. If that's the case, then you are forced to perform in the consolation bracket where every match could be the last. Don't count our guys out, though. We've wrestled tough and overcome some adversity."

### Go Navy ###