Lehigh University’s men’s wrestling team secured its 40th Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) team title on Saturday at American University’s Bender Arena. The Mountain Hawks achieved their second consecutive championship by earning 163.5 points, finishing 28 points ahead of Navy.
Five Lehigh wrestlers won individual titles: graduate student Sheldon Seymour (125 pounds), sophomores Luke Stanich (141) and Logan Rozynski (157), and seniors Nathan Taylor (285) and Max Brignola (165). Seymour, Stanich, Rozynski, and Taylor each claimed their second career EIWA championships, while Brignola earned his first.
The team also received three major awards. Nathan Taylor was recognized with the Sheridan Award for most falls in the fastest time in the championship bracket and the Fletcher Trophy for career points scored at the EIWA Championships. Head coach Pat Santoro was named EIWA Coach of the Year for the seventh time.
Seymour and Stanich widened Lehigh’s lead over Navy with decisive victories in their final matches. Seymour won a major decision against Navy’s Andrew Binni with a score of 17-6 at 125 pounds. Stanich defeated Caedyn Ricciardi 14-3 at 141 pounds.
Rozynski took his second straight title after a medical forfeit from Morgan State’s Yannis Charles at 157 pounds. Brignola secured a 4-2 win over Bucknell’s Noah Mulvaney at 165 pounds, while Taylor earned a 4-1 victory against Drexel’s Nate Schon in the heavyweight final.
Junior Rylan Rogers finished third at 184 pounds to become Lehigh’s sixth NCAA qualifier. He did not allow any points on Saturday, winning an 8-0 major decision over Bucknell’s Tyler Bienus and then defeating Army’s Cooper Haase 5-0 to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
Senior Carter Bailey (149) and graduate student JT Davis (197) both reached consolation semifinals but fell short in their bronze medal matches. Bailey finished fourth after losing to Navy’s Kaemen Smith, while Davis placed fourth following a close match against Navy’s Zyan Hall.
Sophomore Richie Grungo placed seventh at 174 pounds after defeating American’s Hunter Hohman.
This year marks Lehigh’s highest number of individual champions since five wrestlers won titles in 2018 at Hofstra University.
Lehigh qualifiers will compete next at the NCAA Championships scheduled for March 19–21 in Cleveland’s Rocket Arena. At-large selections are set to be announced on Tuesday, March 10, followed by seeds and brackets released on Wednesday, March 11 via NCAA.com.