NOTES EIWA Seeds EIWA Bracket
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (March 2, 2011) - After finishing the 2010-11 dual season with a program-best 21 wins and No. 9 ranking, the Rutgers wrestling team will look to make its mark at the 107th EIWA Championships this weekend at Sojka Pavilion on the campus of Bucknell University.
The 107th EIWA Championships get underway Saturday at 10 a.m. The tournament will proceed through the completion of the semifinals Saturday evening. Sunday's two sessions feature consolations and placement matches beginning at 10 a.m. and the championship finals at 3 p.m. Seedings and brackets for the Championships will be released on Friday.
The NCAA recently announced that the EIWA has earned 45 allocations for automatic bids to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data including Division I winning percentage, RPI and a coaches ranking. Under the system, the number of automatic qualifiers varies in each weight class within the EIWA. The number of bids allocated per weight class can be found at the end of the release.
Rutgers, which finished sixth at last year's EIWA Championships, will send a strong lineup to Lewisburg that features eight wrestlers who are listed in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings - 125-pound Joe Langel (Howell, N.J.), 141-pound Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), 149-poundMario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.), 157-pound Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.), 165-pound Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.), 174-pound Alex Caruso (Green Brook, N.J.), 184-pound Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and heavyweight DJ Russo (Netcong, N.J.). Additionally, RU features six wrestlers (Langel, Melde, Cocozzo, Winston, Rinaldi and Russo) that have placed at an EIWA Championship.
The Scarlet Knights have had 10 EIWA Champions in the history of the program with the latest being Tom Tanis (184-pounds) in the 2001 season. The highest RU has placed in an EIWA Championship was third in the 1951-52 season.
Fans unable to make it to Lewisburg will have the opportunity to watch live online via Bison Vision (www.BucknellBison.com). The entire event, except Sunday's championship bouts, will be available free of charge.
There will be four competition mats in use during all of Saturday's action and Sunday morning's consolation bouts and coverage of the event will focus on Bucknell wrestlers and premier bouts with regular updates and look-ins on other matches.
While the majority of the EIWA Championships will be provided free of charge, Sunday's championship bouts will require a subscription. Fans can sign up for a monthly pass for Bison Vision for $9.95.
In addition to the live video broadcast, fans will have the chance to follow the results of the EIWAs live online via three different outlets. Updated brackets will be available at www.escapesports.com, while the NWCA will provide live scoring of each match through its Live College Scorebook at www.nwcaonline.com. Additionally, Rutgers wrestling will be providing live updates via its twitter page at www.twitter.com/RUWrestling.
Tickets for the EIWA Championships are still available by calling the Bucknell Campus Box Office at 570-577-1000 or visiting www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice.
EIWA Championships Schedule of Events:
Saturday, March 5
Session 1: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (Round of 16, Quarterfinals & Consolations, Consolations)
Session 2: 3:30 p.m. (Semifinals)
Sunday, March 6
Session 3: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Consolation Semifinals, Place Finals)
Session 4: 3 p.m. (Finals)
Rutgers Wrestlers Attending the 107thEIWA Championships:
125: No. 27 Joe Langel (17-6)
133: Matt Fusco (1-0)
141: No. 22 Trevor Melde (25-10)
149: No. 9 Mario Mason (22-5)
157: No. 11 Daryl Cocozzo (24-8)
165: No. 11 Scott Winston (16-3)
174: No. 16 Alex Caruso (28-8)
184: No. 21 Dan Rinaldi (19-7)
197: Mike Wagner (12-13)
285: No. 4 DJ Russo (26-5)
-Rankings are NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
EIWA Championships Allocation of At-Large Bids to NCAA Championships:
125: 5 bids
133: 3 bids
141: 5 bids
149: 5 bids
157: 5 bids
165: 4 bids
174: 5 bids
184: 4 bids
197: 5 bids
285: 4 bids
