ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy wrestling team travels to Bethlehem, Pa. this weekend to compete in the 121st annual Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championship. In addition to the team title and the 10 EIWA individual crowns, 12 automatic berths to the NCAA Championship (March 20-22 at Wells Fargo Arena / Philadelphia, Pa.) are on the line.
Hosted by Lehigh, Stabler Arena will serve as the host venue for the two-day, 12-team EIWA Championship which is set to begin on Friday with preliminaries starting at 10:00 am.
While the EIWA is the nation's oldest wrestling conference, this year's tournament will have a different feel with the six Ivy League institutions that sponsor wrestling leaving to conduct their own tournament.Â
Championship Schedule
Friday, March 7
10 AM – Championship First Round, Quarterfinals
4 PM – Consolation First Round, Semifinals and Consolation Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 8
10 AM – Consolation Semifinals and 7th Place Matches
Noon – EIWA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
12:15 – Finals, 3rd & 5th Place Matches
3 PM – Team & Special Awards
Streaming Info
• Fans with a FloWrestling subscription can stream all the action from the tournament
• Fans can also follow along with free live results on FloArena.
• Links to the broadcast and live stats can be found on NavySports.com.
Navy's EIWA Championship Lineup (2024-25 / Career Record)
125: Nick Treaster (6-9 / 6-9)
133: Brendan Ferretti (5-10 / 37-32)
141: No. 7 Josh Koderhandt (20-3 / 99-32)
149: Kaemen Smith (9-12 / 39-40)
157: Jonathan Ley (12-5 / 21-16)
165: Dylan Elmore (8-3 / 8-3)
174: No. 13 Danny Wask (18-5 / 43-18)
184: Daniel Williams (11-11 / 24-25)
197: No. 33 Payton Thomas (9-9 / 9-9)
285: Jacob Lucas (1-1 / 27-17)
Mids In the Rankings (InterMat / Coaches / RPI)
141: Josh Koderhandt - 7 / 7 / 2
157: Jonathan Ley - NR / NR / 19
174: Danny Wask - 13 / 13 / 4
197: Payton Thomas - 33 / NR / NR
Participating Teams
American, Army, Binghamton, Bucknell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Hofstra, Lehigh, Long Island, Morgan State, Navy and Sacred Heart
Navy Notes
125 - Freshman 125-pound Nick Treaster heads into the championship as the No. 6 seed after putting together a 6-9 record, including a 2-4 mark against EIWA competition. Both of his dual victories came against EIWA opponents – 13-1 vs. American's Coen Bailey and 15-0 vs. Bucknell's Chris Nucifora.
133 - Junior Brendan Ferretti will be competing in his third-consecutive EIWA tournament where he owns a combined 3-4 mark. He is 1-4 against EIWA foes in dual matches this season with his win coming by a first-period fall over Lehigh's Logan Wadle. In the EIWA preseeds, Ferretti was slotted at the No. 10 spot.
141 - Josh Koderhandt, the nation's seventh-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, heads into the weekend as the defending EIWA Champion at 141 pounds. He claimed Navy's 110th EIWA individual title after defeating Bucknell's Dylan Chappell, 12-2, last March. Koderhandt, who will be the No. 1 see in the tournament for a second time in his career, enters the weekend needing just one win to become the 17th Navy wrestler to reach the 100-win threshold. The Belleville, Ill., native will be competing in his fourth league championship and boasts a 12-2 record.
149 - Kaemen Smith is set to compete in his third EIWA Championship and has posted a 2-4 record in his previous appearances. The Erie, Pa., native owns a 9-12 record, including a 3-6 mark in dual meets. Smith, who is the No. 5 see, turned in a 2-3 record this season in dual meets against EIWA competition.
157 - Jonathan Ley produced a 12-5 record this season, including an impressive 7-1 mark in dual action. The sophomore will be making his second appearance in the conference championship after posting a 1-2 record a year ago that including a victory over Bucknell's Riley Bower (10-3). Ley is the No. 3 seed heading into the league championship.
165 - Freshman Dylan Elmore owned an 8-3 record on the season, including a 3-1 mark against EIWA foes. Navy's leader in victories by major decision (4), the Marion, Kan., native enters the weekend having won four of his last five matches. After going 3-1 in league play, including a victory over top-seeded Noah Mulvaney from Bucknell, Elmore rolls into the weekend as the No. 4 seed.
174 - Danny Wask enters the weekend ranked 13th at 174 pounds. He has produced the second-most overall (18) and dual victories (8) for the Mids this season. Wask put together a 3-2 record to place seventh at last year's EIWA Championship and earned an at-large selection to compete at the NCAA Championship. Wask is the No. 1 seed going into the championship after posting a 5-0 record in dual matches against EIWA opponents this season.
184 - Daniel Williams will make his conference championship debut for the Mids as the seventh seed after posting an 8-6 record that featured a second-place finish at the Navy Classic.
197 - Freshman Payton Thomas posted a 9-9 record during the season and won five individual titles. Additionally, he made nine appearances in dual competition to finish 3-6. Thomas enters the weekend as the No. 5 seed.
285 - Jacob Lucas is set to compete in his first tournament for the Mids this season after appearing in just a pair of dual matches. He last appeared in the Army-Navy Star Match where he pushed No. 17 Lucas Stoddard, but fell short of the top-20 upset in a 1-0 decision.
Additional Navy Notes
• The Mids are making their 85th appearance in the EIWA Championship.
• Navy has won the team title 13 times (1943, '44, '45, '46, '68, '69, '70, '72, '74, '82, '84, '86 and '90).
• Under head coach Cary Kolat, the Mids have placed second (2021), seventh (2022), tied for fourth (2023) and sixth (2024) at the league tournament.
• The Mids posted a 6-4 dual record and won four of their six duals against EIWA opponents this season.
• Navy opened the 2024-25 campaign dropping three of its first four matches facing top-25 opponents in each of the three losses (No. 25 Pittsburgh, 35-3; No. 25 North Carolina, 23-16; and No. 11 Iowa State 29-9).
• The Mids, however, bounced back by winning their next four duals, including defeating No. 21 Lehigh, 21-15.
• Navy outscored its opponents this season, 217-172.
Qualifying For the NCAA Championship
• The EIWA will have 22 automatic bids for the 2025 NCAA Championship.
• 10 individual champions, along with 12 pre-allocated spots - 2 at 125 / 1 at 133 / 3 at 141 / 1 at 149 / 1 at 157 / 2 at 165 / 4 at 174 / 1 at 184 / 4 at 197 / 3 at 285 - will determine the automatic qualifiers from the EIWA.
• The NCAA will announce the at-large qualifiers and complete field of 330 on Tuesday, March 11 and will then unveil the seeds and brackets the following day.
Hear From Josh Koderhandt
Team captain Josh Koderhandt spoke with Tim Nolan this week on the Navy Sports Magazine to discuss his career and preview the EIWA Championship. Fans can watch the interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube page.
