Grapplers Headed to Philly
Franklin & Marshall’s wrestlers will head to Philadelphia this weekend for the 105th Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships at the University of Pennsylvania. The nation’s oldest collegiate wrestling tournament will be held in The Palestra on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.
The Diplomats hosted last year’s championship at Mayser Center. In the confines of his own gymnasium, Justin Herbert became the first Diplomat wrestler to earn a place on the podium since 2005, placing sixth at 174-pounds. That completed a 27-5 season in which he pinned 17 opponents, 14 of them in the first period.
This season, Herbert owns a record of 21-9 with 11 pins to his credit. Eight have been first period pins. Each time Herbert pins an opponent, he adds to the College’s career pins record, which he reset with his 30th career pin, decking American International’s Yakov Bloch back on January 10. He has added four pins to his record since that bout.
Herbert is the Diplomats' best bet to stand on the EIWA podium this weekend. He is 6-5 against EIWA wrestlers this year. Amongst his wins was a first period pin of Lehigh’s Alex Caruso, who was ranked 14th at the time.
Heavyweight, Nico Somers, sports a 14-12 record, but is 2-7 against EIWA competition. Somers is an outstanding tournament wrestler who wrestled his way to fourth place at the Michigan State Open earlier this year. He placed fifth in the 2006 Mat Town open as well.
149-pounder, Al Gianforti has gone 11-19 to this point in his senior season with a 4-7 EIWA mark, while 165-pounder, Anthony Bongarzone is 14-15 with a 2-8 EIWA record. Freshman 197-pounder, Colin Ely, is 10-15, with a 1-7 EIWA record.
Tickets are still available. Information can be found on the EIWA page of Penn’s Athletics web site. You can watch the weekend’s action unfold online via the Penn Sports Network.