Bethlehem, PA - March 8, 2025: The Lehigh University wrestling team crowned four champions Saturday afternoon at Stabler Arena on their way to winning their 39th Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championship in front of a rowdy home crowd. It was Lehigh’s first championship in four years.
After day one on Friday, six Lehigh wrestlers earned their way into the finals. They finished the tournament with nine on the podium. As a team, they totaled 143.5 points to runner-up Drexel University who had 122.5. Drexel Head Coach Matt Azevedo was named the EIWA Head Coach of the Year. Lehigh and Drexel did not face off in a dual match this year.
Lehigh’s four champions were: Sheldon Seymour at 125 pounds, Logan Rozynski at 157, Michael Beard at 197, and Owen Trephan at 285. It was Beard’s second straight EIWA title at 197. He also shared in the recognition of EIWA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler with Binghamton’s Brevin Cassella. Cassella was the champion at 174.
Malyke Hines (149) and Caden Rogers (184) placed second. Matthew Lopes, who stepped up in place of the injured Ryan Crookham, placed 4th at 133. Carter Bailey (141) and Rylan Rogers (174) both placed seventh.
Lehigh Head Coach Pat Santoro said he thought everyone wrestled really hard but it’s all about getting better and getting ready for two weeks (Nationals). Coach Santoro is hoping for some at-large bids in addition to the four automatic qualifiers. He said they will get back to work and clean up some mistakes going into Nationals. This year's NCAA tournament is at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia March 20-22.
This was the 121st EIWA Championships. They were hosted by Lehigh University this year. Lehigh is now the longest tenured member of the EIWA since Cornell left. The Ivy League schools, which includes Lehigh nemesis Cornell, started their own league tournament after last season. Lehigh became a member of the EIWA in 1913. This year’s championship had twelve college teams competing, including four from Pennsylvania (Bucknell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, and Lehigh).
Lehigh finished the regular season at 5-1 in the EIWA and 7-4 overall. Their only conference loss came at the hands of Navy on January 21, 2025. Navy and Lehigh tied (3-1) in the Independence Division while Drexel won the Patriot Division.
Lehigh wrestled the second half of the season without their top grappler, Ryan Crookham (133), who went out with a broken elbow in January. Lehigh announced earlier in the week that Crookham would not return to action this season. Crookham was an All-American in 2024 as a red-shirt freshman. At NCAA’s last year, he placed third at 133. He was 5-0 this season before the injury and the No. 1 ranked wrestler at his weight class.
As for PIAA District XI wrestlers at the EIWA Championship, Binghamton University’s Carson Wagner, a Nazareth High School graduate, was the No. 4 seed in the 125 pound weight class. Wagner, a sophomore, finished in 3rd place. Wagner’s teammate at Nazareth, Braxton Fries-Appello, a freshman at Sacred Heart University, was the No. 6 seed at 133 pounds. He finished in 8th place. Wolfgang Frable, of Army West Point, a Cooperburg, PA native but Wyoming Seminary graduate, placed 5th at 197 pounds.
