PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Grady Griess (285) concluded the 119th EIWA Championship on Sunday with a thrilling victory, defeating 27th-ranked Nathan Taylor of Lehigh by a 5-1 decision to win his first career EIWA Championship. The junior is Navy's first individual champion at the nation's oldest collegiate wrestling tournament since Cody Trybus (141) in 2021, and the first Navy heavyweight to place first since Dan Miller in 2013.
Along with Griess,
Josh Koderhandt (141) and
David Key (184) placed third, while
Brendan Ferretti (133) and
Jacob Koser (197) placed fourth in their respective weight classes to earn automatic bids to the 2023 NCAA Championship.
Sammy Starr (174) didn't manage to secure an automatic qualifying spot but did place fifth in his respective weight class to still have an opportunity to earn an at-large bid. As a team, the Mids ended the two-day tournament tied for fourth with Columbia, scoring a total of 95 points. Cornell (165.5) won the tournament, followed by Lehigh (120.5) in second and Penn (106) in third.
Before his championship match, Griess began day two with a matchup versus Binghamton's 26th-ranked Cory Day. Griess grabbed a two-point lead with a takedown with 45 seconds left in the first period and sealed the match with another takedown with two seconds remaining in the third. Day did score a point by winning riding time, but Griess still took the match by a 4-1 decision to advance to the championship bout against Taylor.
After a scoreless first period, Taylor scored the first point of the finals with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Griess evened the match with an escape four seconds into the third period and made the crucial move with two seconds remaining in the contest, scoring a takedown and two-point near fall to win by a 5-1 decision to be crowned the EIWA Heavyweight Champion.
Koderhandt trailed 1-0 entering the third period in his opening match against Army's Julian Sanchez but scored an escape with 1:26 remaining to tie the match 1-1. Koderhandt took his first lead with only 13 seconds remaining, scoring a takedown to go up 3-1. Sanchez managed to only score an escape in the final few seconds, giving Koderhandt the 3-2 decision win.
The sophomore made quick work of Columbia's Matt Kazimir in the consolation semifinals, earning a fall victory in 2:28 to clinch his second straight trip to the NCAA Championship.
Koderhandt faced a familiar foe in the third-place bout, Lehigh's 26th-ranked Malyke Hines, who defeated Koderhandt in Navy's dual versus Lehigh. Hines entered the third period up 5-2, but Koderhandt tied the match with an escape with 1:19 on the clock and a takedown with 52 seconds to go. Hines retook the lead on an escape with 43 seconds remaining, but Koderhandt scored a takedown two seconds later to take his first lead. He prevented Hines from scoring any additional points to win the third-place bout by a 7-6 decision.
Key advanced to the consolation semifinals with a dominant 13-3 major decision victory over Columbia's Aaron Ayzerov, setting up a must win matchup for Key to qualify for the NCAA Championship with Princeton's Nate Dugan. Dugan led 4-3 after the first period, but Key did the remainder of the scoring in the match. He tied the match with an early escape in the second and took a 6-4 lead with a takedown with 22 seconds remaining in the period. Key added an additional four points with a takedown and two-point near fall in the third period and scored his 11th by winning riding time to win by an 11-4 decision to earn his second trip to the NCAA Championship.
Key looked for redemption in the third-place bout against Drexel's 24th-ranked Brian Bonino, who edged Key by a 3-2 decision during the first day of the championship. Key surpassed his point total in the rematch in just the first period, scoring six points on a takedown and a four-point near fall with only 10 seconds remaining in the period.
Key scored two more points with an escape in the second and third periods, taking the match by an 8-3 decision.
Despite dropping his semifinals match to Lehigh's second-ranked Michael Beard by a 22-7 (6:09) tech fall, Koser answered with a 6-2 decision win over Columbia's Jack Wehmeyer in the consolation semifinals to earn his third automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Koser fell behind 2-0 after surrendering a takedown in the first period but quickly escaped to get back within a point. Navy's team captain took the lead with a takedown in the second period and sealed the match with another in the third to win by a 6-2 decision.
Koser faced Princeton's 21st-ranked Luke Stout in the third-place match but fell by an 11-1 major decision to place fourth.
Ferretti dropped his semifinals contest to Cornell's third-ranked Vito Arujau to send him to the consolation semifinals for his second match against American's Jack Maida of the tournament. Ferretti struck first with a takedown in the first period before Maida got on the board with an escape. Ferretti scored an escape in the second period to take a 3-1 lead, but Maida tied the match in the third on an escape and a stalling penalty against Ferretti. The match looked to be heading into sudden victory until Ferretti scored a takedown with two seconds to go in the match to win by a 5-3 decision and earn a trip to the NCAA Championship.
Ferretti placed fourth overall in the 133-pound bracket after falling in the third-place bout to Columbia's Angelo Rini by an 11-2 major decision.
Griess ended the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record, raising his win total to 31 this season. The junior becomes the 50th Mid to finish with at least 30 wins in a season, and the first since Michael Coleman and Nicholas Gil, who each surpassed 30 during the 2017-18 season. Koser posted a 3-2 record in his final EIWA Championship appearance to end with a career record of 12-7 at the event to go along with placing all four years. Koderhandt surpassed 50 career wins during the first day of the tournament and ended with five overall to bring his season total to a career-high 28. Ferretti defeated the second-ranked wrestler of his career in his first EIWA Championship appearance and will head to the NCAA Championship with 22 wins this season. Key's five victories raise his season total to 19, the most the junior has recorded in a season.
Navy's NCAA qualifiers will compete at the 2023 NCAA Championship at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., which is slated to take place from Thursday, March 16 through Saturday, March 18.
EIWA Championship Final Team Standings
1. Cornell - 165.5
2. Lehigh - 120.5
3. Penn - 106
4. Navy - 95
4. Columbia - 95
6. Army - 82.5
7. Princeton - 81.5
8. Harvard - 63
9. Bucknell - 54
10. Drexel - 50.5
11. Binghamton - 45.5
12. Hofstra - 34
13. American - 28
14. Franklin & Marshall - 16.5
15. Brown - 7.5
15. Sacred Heart - 7.5
17. Long Island - 3
Navy Individual Results
125 - (11) Dayton DelViscio (0-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to #31 (6) Ethan Berginc, Army / Major / 8-0
• Cons. of 8 #1: lost to (14) Antonio Mininno, Drexel / Major / 12-4
133 - (5) #30 Brendan Ferretti (3-2, 4th Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (12) Jack Maida, American / Fall / 6:09
• Quarterfinals: defeated (4) #5 Connor Mcgonagle, Lehigh / Injury Default / 0:57
• Semifinals: lost to (1) #3 Vito Arujau, Cornell / Major / 13-5
• Cons. Semifinals: defeated (12) Jack Maida, American / Dec / 5-3
• 3rd place: lost to (6) Angelo Rini, Columbia / Major / 11-2
141 - (3) #24 Josh Koderhandt (5-1, 3rd Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (14) Aidan O`Shea, Franklin & Marshall / Tech Fall / 18-3 (6:08)
• Quarterfinals: lost to (6) Carmen Ferrante, Penn / Dec / 8-2
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated (8) Jordan Soriano, Drexel / Dec / 6-3
• Cons. of 4: defeated (7) Julian Sanchez, Army / Dec / 3-2
• Cons. Semifinals: defeated (4) Matt Kazimir, Columbia / Fall / 2:28
• 3rd place: defeated (5) #26 Malyke Hines, Lehigh / Dec / 7-6
149 - (10) Kaemen Smith (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to (7) Luke Nichter, Drexel / Dec / 12-7
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated (17) Michael Leandrou, Hofstra / Major / 15-3
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to (4) #33 Trae McDaniel, Army / Fall / 6:31
157 - (4) Andrew Cerniglia (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (13) Rhise Royster, Long Island / Dec / 4-3
• Quarterfinals: lost to (5) Nathan Lukez, Army / Dec / 7-5
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to (11) Nick Delp, Bucknell / Dec / 5-3
165 - (8) Val Park (1-2, Did Not Place)
• Rd of 16: lost to (9) Josh Kim, Harvard / Fall / 7:26 SV
• Cons. of 8 #1: defeated (16) Matt Rogers, Hofstra / Tech Fall / 15-0 (4:12)
• Cons. of 8 #2: lost to (6) Lucas Revano, Penn / Dec / 5-3
174 - (6) Sammy Starr (4-2, 5th Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (11) Lucas White, American / Dec / 5-0
• Quarterfinals: lost to (3) #14 Benjamin Pasiuk, Army / Major / 11-3
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated (9) Sam DePrez, Binghamton / Dec / 5-0
• Cons. of 4: defeated (10) Ross Mcfarland, Hofstra / Dec / 4-0
• Cons. Semifinals: lost to (5) #30 Lennox Wolak, Columbia Major / 14-5
• 5th place: defeated (2) #17 Nick Incontrera, Penn / Medical Forfeit
184 - (6) #29 David Key (5-1, 3rd Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (11) James Conway, Franklin & Marshall / Dec / 4-2 SV
• Quarterfinals: lost to (3) #24 Brian Bonino, Drexel / Dec / 3-2
• Cons. of 8 #2: defeated (8) Sahm Abdulrazzaq, Army / Dec / 5-4
• Cons. of 4: defeated (7) Aaron Ayzerov, Columbia / Major / 13-3
• Cons. Semifinals: defeated (5) Nate Dugan, Princeton / Dec / 11-4
• 3rd place: defeated (3) #24 Brian Bonino, Drexel / Dec / 8-3
197 - (4) #27 Jacob Koser (3-2, 4th Place)
• Rd of 16: defeated (13) Daniel Lawrence, Army / Fall / 4:55
• Quarterfinals: defeated (5) #28 Trey Rogers, Hofstra / Dec / 9-7
• Semifinals: lost to (1) #2 Michael Beard, Lehigh / Tech Fall / 22-7 / 6:09
• Cons. Semifinals: defeated (11) Jack Wehmeyer, Columbia / Dec / 6-2
• 3rd place: lost to (3) #21 Luke Stout, Princeton / Major / 11-1
285 - #22 Grady Griess (4-0, Champion)
• Rd of 16: defeated (15) Santino Morina, Drexel / Major / 17-4
• Quarterfinals: defeated (7) #30 Travis Stefanik, Princeton / Major / 10-1
• Semifinals: defeated (3) #26 Cory Day, Binghamton / Dec / 4-1
• Finals: defeated (4) #27 Nathan Taylor, Lehigh / Dec / 5-1
