The AU wrestlers will trek to Lehigh this weekend trying to capture an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title and a chance to make the NCAA Championships.
The Eagles will be competing against wrestlers from thirteen other schools to get spots for to the NCAAs. Last year AU sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, a number they're looking to top this year.
The wrestlers with best chance for AU to make the championships are top-ranked wrestlers Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, Josh Glenn and Adam LoPiccolo. All three are in the top ten in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll.
Josh Glenn is the top-ranked wrestler in the 184-pound weight class and the top seed in the tournament. Glenn has compiled a 27-1 record 17 by fall. Last year he was the EIWA Freshman of the Year and finished second in the EIWA championship match. Glenn qualified for the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round, but h went on to two matches in the consolation bracket. Glenn not only has a good chance to earn AU's second EIWA title, but also its first NCAA championship.
Abdurakhmanov is ranked fourth in the nation and seeded second in the EIWA in the 165-pound weight class. Abdurakhmanov is undefeated on the year at 18-0. The junior college transfer won AU's first EIWA title last year in the 157-pound weight class. He was seeded fourth in the NCAA Tournament and won his first round match before bowing out in the second round last year.
Abdurakhmanov could meet up in the title round with Lehigh's Troy Letters, who is ranked third in the country and No. 1 in the EIWA. Letters last year finished third in the NCAA Championships, losing in the semifinals. If the two meet up in the finals it will be one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.
AU's Adam LoPiccolo is ranked ninth in the country and third in the EIWA. LoPiccolo has a 21-8 record with thirteen pin falls. He lost in the semifinals last year in the EIWA and qualified for the NCAA Championships where he lost in the first round.
Other AU hopefuls include Tom Kniezewski, Jordan Lipp and Matt Morkel. Morkel is a senior who transferred to AU from Iowa. He has been one of AU's most reliable wrestlers all year. Wrestling in the 125-pound weight class, Morkel has a 15-4 record and is on a seven-match winning streak.
Lipp is ranked sixth in the EIWA and with a 13-9 record.
The senior Kniezewski is another one of AU's most reliable wrestlers. He is ranked fourth in the EIWA and has 22-6 record. He is also running well right now with a seven-match winning streak.
As a team AU is ranked seventh in the EIWA based on combined individual rankings. The Eagles are only separated from the fourth-ranked team by a few points.
The team is continuing the remarkable turnaround of the wrestling program. Just four years ago the University reviewed the program before deciding to reinvigorate it by joining the EIWA and hiring Cody. Now the team has multiple wrestlers who not only have a chance to win an EIWA title, but an NCAA championship.
The EIWA Tournament begins Saturday. The championships will be Sunday afternoon.
