ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy wrestling team travels to Washington, D.C., this weekend in its pursuit to win the 2026 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championship. In addition to the team title and the 10 EIWA individual crowns, 26 automatic berths to the NCAA Championship (March 19-21 at Rocket Arena / Cleveland, Ohio) are on the line.
 
Hosted by American, the Bender Arena will house the two-day, 12-team tournament which is set to begin on Friday at 10 a.m. and continues through Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. In addition to Navy, those teams competing this weekend include American, Army, Binghamton, Bucknell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Hofstra, Lehigh, Long Island, Morgan State and Sacred Heart.
 
Fans can follow the action live on FloWrestling, while free live results will be available on FloArena.
 
The EIWA received 26 automatic bids to the 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 Division I winning percentage, RPI and a coaches ranking. Wrestlers who fail to qualify this weekend will be eligible for one of 42 at-large berths which will be announced on Tuesday, March 10. Automatic qualifier allocations for the EIWA are as follows:  2 at 125, 2 at 133, 3 at 141, 1 at 149, 2 at 157, 4 at 165, 3 at 174, 3 at 184, 2 at 197 and 4 at 285.
 
Navy's EIWA Lineup (Season / Dual Record)
125: Andrew Binni (14-8 / 6-4)
133: Brendan Ferretti (12-12 / 2-8)
141: #27/17 Caedyn Ricciardi (16-7 / 8-2)
149: Kaemen Smith (10-10 / 5-4)
157: #32/22 Jonathan Ley (18-11 / 5-4)
165: #30/25 Dylan Elmore (17-10 / 5-6)
174: #11/11 Danny Wask (18-3 / 9-1)
184: #32/NR Daniel Williams (4-2 / 4-1)
197: #31/NR Zyan Hall (15-8 / 5-3)
285: #16/15 Spencer Lanosga (17-7 / 8-2)
InterMat/Coaches rankings
 
EIWA Championship Schedule
Friday
10 a.m. – Preliminary round of 12
12 p.m. – Quarterfinals
3:30 p.m. – Consolation round one
5:30 p.m. – Consolation quarterfinals
6:30 p.m. – Semifinals
 
Saturday
11 a.m. – Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches
1:25 p.m. – Hall of Fame presentations
2 p.m. – Finals, third-place and fifth-place matches
4:30 p.m. – Team and special awards
 
EIWA Championship Seeds
Nine of Navy's 10 projected starters have earned top-five seeds including top-seeded Jonathan Ley at 157 pounds. Seeding was determined based on wrestlers' performances during the 2025-26 season, including coaches' rankings, RPI, win percentage and victories over ranked opponents.
 
Navy seeds include:
125: Andrew Binni (3)
133: Brendan Ferretti (7)
141: Caedyn Ricciardi (2)
149: Kaemen Smith (4)
157: Jonathan Ley (1)
165: Dylan Elmore (4)
174: Danny Wask (2)
184: Daniel Williams (5)
197: Zyan Hall (4)
285: Spencer Lanosga (3)
 
Navy at the 2025 EIWA Championship
Navy tied Army for third place at last year's EIWA Championship.
 
Josh Koderhandt highlighted the Mids' performance by capturing his second-consecutive EIWA title at 141 pounds, becoming the 28th wrestler in program history to win multiple conference championships.
 
Danny Wask placed second at 174 pounds with a 2-1 record, falling to Binghamton's Brevin Cassella in a double tiebreaker, 4-1, in the championship bout.
 
Six additional Midshipmen reached the podium: Kaemen Smith (149 / third), Jonathan Ley (157 / third), Dylan Elmore (165 / third), Payton Thomas (197 / fourth), Nick Treaster (125 / seventh) and Brendan Ferretti (133 / seventh).
 
Navy's History at the EIWA Championship
Navy has won 13 EIWA team championships in program history. The Mids last won the EIWA team championship in 1990.
 
Under head coach Cary Kolat, the Midshipmen have finished among the top five three times at the EIWA Championship, placing second in 2021, fourth in 2023 and tying for third in 2025.
 
Navy has produced 111 EIWA individual champions in program history, including at least one champion in six of the last seven seasons. In total, 34 wrestlers in school history have won multiple EIWA titles.
 
Kolat has coached three different wrestlers to four EIWA individual championships: Cody Trybus (2021), Grady Griess (2023) and Josh Koderhandt (2024-25).
 
Navy Notes

• Navy finished the regular season with a 6-5 record, winning four of its final five duals.
• The Midshipmen posted a 3-2 record against EIWA opponents. Their two losses came by a combined six points (No. 20 Lehigh, 20-15; Army, 19-18).
• Navy finished third in the league's Liberty Division behind Lehigh and Army.
• The Midshipmen will compete in their first tournament since the Southern Scuffle and the Soldier Salute in early January.
• Six wrestlers in Navy's projected lineup — Brendan Ferretti (133), Kaemen Smith (149), Jonathan Ley (157), Dylan Elmore (165), Danny Wask (174) and Daniel Williams (184) — have previously wrestled at the EIWA Championship.
• The six returners have combined for a 26-20 record at the EIWA tournament, led by team captain Kaemen Smith's 6-5 career mark in three appearances.
• Andrew Binni (125), Caedyn Ricciardi (141), Zyan Hall (197) and Spencer Lanosga (285) are expected to make their EIWA Championship debut.
• Ley and Wask finished the regular season with a team-best 18 victories.
• Ley has excelled in tournament competition this season, leading the team with 13 wins. He owns a 4-3 career record at the EIWA Championship.
• Wask enters the weekend seeking his first EIWA title after placing seventh in 2024 and second in 2025. He holds a 5-3 record at the tournament.
• Wask has finished in the top two in every tournament he competed in this season, placing second at the Navy Classic and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational before winning the Soldier Salute title.
• Ferretti is aiming for his second NCAA Championship appearance and enters the weekend with a 10-4 record in tournaments this season.
• Ferretti owns a 5-6 career record at the EIWA Championship. Last season he went 1-2, highlighted by an 8-4 decision over Mason Leiphart of Franklin & Marshall.
• Williams enters the tournament on a four-match winning streak, including two victories over ranked opponents. He made his EIWA Championship debut last season at 184 pounds and went 2-2.
• Elmore looks to build on last year's strong conference showing when he finished 4-1 and placed third. He has already surpassed last season's win total with 17 victories and has placed in two tournaments this year, including a title win at the Patriot Open.
• In dual competition against EIWA teams this season, eight Navy wrestlers posted winning records, led by Ley's 5-0 mark.

 
Navy Sports Magazine
Brendan Ferretti, a 2023 NCAA national qualifier, sat down with Tim Nolan on the Navy Sports Magazine show to discuss the 2026 EIWA Championship. Fans can watch the interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube channel.