LANCASTER, Pa. – James Conway has moved up to No. 4 in the country at 184 lbs. in the final regular season release of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches' Poll. With the third release of the coaches' ranking and the second release of the RPI, conference allocations were additionally finalized ahead of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) tournament in just over one week.
Conway's rise to No. 4 in the nation represents his highest ranking this season as the senior captain has won 24 consecutive matches entering the postseason. He is one of just two wrestlers in all of Division I to reach 30 wins on the season. The 2024 Elite 90 Award recipient is also second in the country in technical falls with 12, just one off of the pace of first. Conway additionally has seven pins and three major decisions as he has recorded bonus points during 21 of his 30 victories. Seven of his victories have come against opponents ranked inside the top 30 of this week's coaches' rankings.
In addition to the continued individual accolades, each qualifying tournament was awarded pre-allocations to the national tournament based on regular season performance by conference wrestlers through February 23. The pre-allocations were determined by using a sliding scale of the three standards, win percentage, coaches' rank, and RPI ranking; while never going below the base of .700 winning percentage, top 30 coaches' ranking and top 30 RPI ranking until reaching the maximum of 29 wrestlers per weight class.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic qualification per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA championship spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at conference tournaments based solely on place-finish.
Hosted by American University, the EIWA Championships are set for Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 where the Diplomat wrestlers will look to officially punch their tickets to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship in Cleveland.
EIWA Allocations by weight class
125: 2
133: 2
141: 3
149: 1
157: 2
165: 4
174: 3
184: 3
197: 2
285: 4
Total: 26
