Wrestling Secures 3 NCAA Qualifiers on Day One of EIWA Championships

Friday, March 6

Bethlehem, Pa.

11:00 AM

Army West Point

EIWA Championships

Photo by: Army Athletics

Wrestling Secures 3 NCAA Qualifiers on Day One of EIWA Championships

March 06, 2020 | Wrestling

BETHLEHEM, PA – The Army West Point wrestling team made their presence known during day one of the EIWA Conference Championships, as they secured nine wins in the opening round of competition. The team followed it up with seven wins and three NCAA qualifiers in the quarterfinal round, finishing second out of 17 teams overall, with 73.5 points.

After capturing their fourth straight Star Meet over Navy to end the regular season, the Black Knights entered Friday's competition with a vengeance. Senior captain Trey Chalifoux started things off for the Black and Gold with an 11-3 major decision victory in the 125 lb. slot, setting the tone for the remainder of the afternoon. Andrew Wert Jr. followed suit in the 133 lb. bout with a 3-0 decision over Ty Agaisse from Princeton University to put the Black Knights at a strong 2-0 start. Despite a close 4-3 loss by Corey Shie at 141 pounds, Army put up an undefeated effort through the next seven matchups, nailing seven straight wins, including pins by Markus Hartman and Ben Harvey, and a 16-0 tech fall by Noah Stewart. The Black Knights closed out the first session of competition at the top of the leaderboard, seeded second overall as a team with 17.5 points, just behind host Lehigh University (22).

"I feel really good about how our guys competed in the first round," said head coach Kevin Ward. "Going 9-1 as a team is a solid start and tonight's round is a big one. We have to be ready to pull some upsets and win some big time matches tonight."

Session One (Round of 16):

125 | Trey Chalifoux (Army) def. Jose Diaz (F&M), 11-3 MD
133 | Andrew Wert Jr. (Army) def. Ty Agaisse (Princeton), 3-0 Dec.
141 | Anthony Sparacio (Binghamton) def. Corey Shie (Army), 4-3 Dec.
149 | P.J. Ogunsanya (Army) def. Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart), 14-4 MD
157 | Markus Hartman (Army) def. TJ Calas (Sacred Heart), 2-0 Fall (.58)
165 | Cael McCormick (Army) def. Tim Fitzpatrick (American), 5-2 Dec.
174 | Ben Harvey (Army) def. James Langan (LIU), 2-0 Fall. (1:33)
184 | Noah Stewart (Army) def. Reid Robilottoa (F&M), 16-0 Tech Fall (5:35)
197 | J.T. Brown (Army) def. Nino Bastianelli (Brown), 7-3 Dec.
285 | Ben Sullivan (Army) def. Riley Smith (Navy), 10-2 MD

Chalifoux opened up the quarterfinal round for the Black Knights as well against Gage Curry from American University. The two met Friday for the second time this season, with Chalifoux at an advantage coming off a 7-4 win. The senior not only grabbed a 3-2 decision to send him to the quarterfinals tomorrow but also booked himself a ticket to the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Back to back comeback victories by Hartman (6-3) and McCormick (2-1) moved the Black Knights to third overall with four weight classes to go. McCormick's 2-1 decision victory over Ebed Jarrell (Drexel) grabbed him an automatic bid for the NCAA Championships. Harvey put up an impressive performance in the 174 bout, overpowering Hofstra's Sage Heller in an overhead cradle for an 11-1 fall victory at 3:42. Stewart and Princeton's Travis Stefanik traded points for much of the match, closing out the second period tied at 5-5. A snap-spin takedown by Stewart changed the pace of the battle moving him ahead for a 9-5 decision win. The action didn't stop there as J.T. Brown brought home a huge 4-2 SV decision against Lehigh's Jake Jakobsen to clinch a spot at the NCAA Championships.

"There's a lot of work [still] to be done," added Ward. "We're in contention to make a run at the team title -- something that hasn't been done in about 30 years, so we're excited for that opportunity."

Session Two (Quarterfinals):
* Qualifies for NCAA Tournament

125 | Trey Chalifoux (Army) def. Gage Curry (American), 3-2 Dec.*
133 | Nick Farro (Lehigh) def. Andrew Wert Jr. (Army), 7-2 Fall
141 | Corey Shie (Army) def. David Campbell (Bucknell), 4-3 Dec. (cons.)
149 | Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) def. P.J. Ogunsanya (Army), 2-1 Dec.
157 | Markus Hartman (Army) def. Jaden Fisher (Bucknell), 6-3 Dec.
165 | Cael McCormick (Army) def. Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), 2-1 Dec. *
174 | Ben Harvey (Army) def. Sage Heller (Hofstra), 11-1 Fall
184 | Noah Stewart (Army) def. Travis Stefanik (Princeton), 9-5 Dec.
197 | J.T. Brown (Army) def. Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh), 4-2 SV Dec. *
285 | Brendan Furman (Cornell) def. Ben Sullivan (Army), 3-1 Dec.

Consolation Round:

133 | Andrew Wert Jr. (Army) def. Justin Hoyle (Hofstra), 11-6 Dec.
141 | Corey Shie (Army) def. Marshall Keller (Princeton), 17-3 MD
149 | P.J. Ogunsanya (Army) def. Rhise Royster (LIU), 4-3 Dec.
285 | Brandon Stokes (Bucknell) def. Ben Sullivan 2-0, 1:16 (Inj.)