The EIWA Conference gets 43 automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA tournament and claiming your spot at the big show is no easy task. However, the dominance displayed by some guys made it look like it may be. At this year’s tournament  there were some champs that had to scratch and claw for every point, and others who made it look like it was just another day at the office.

Gabe Dean, Cornell (184)

He’s been dominant all year so it’s no surprise that he mowed down the field to become a four-time EIWA Champion with a technical fall in the finals. What more can you even say about the two-time NCAA Champ that hasn’t been said yet this season? He’s jumped levels to become even better this year than last and is certainly poised to claim his third title in St. Louis.

Dean’s path To the Title: 
Round 1: F 0:36 Parker, Princeton
Quarters: TF 21-6 Heyob, Penn
Semis: F 4:24 Imonode, Army
Finals: TF 24-9 Coleman, Navy

Darian Cruz, Lehigh (125)

To say that he’s got a strong top game would probably be a bit of an understatement. Cruz racked up an incredible amount of back points on the way to his second EIWA title. Though he was unable to turn Terao in the finals, he built up over a minute of riding time which was the deciding factor for the All-American. 

Cruz’s path to the Title: 
Round 1: F 2:10 Leadbeter, Navy
Quarters: TF 18-3 Gessner, Bucknell
Semis: F 1:34 Baughman, Cornell
Finals: DEC 5-4 Terao, American

Scotty Parker, Lehigh (133)

Talk about making a big return. After being sidelined with a knee injury, Parker has been on the attack and no one is safe. On the way to his EIWA title he collected bonus points in every match except his final where he defeat Jeffrey Ott, 6-2. 

Parker’s path to the title: 
Round 1: F 1:31 Kelly, Columbia
Quarters: 10-1 Gould, Bucknell
Semis: 10-2 #4 Grey Cornell
Finals: DEC 6-2 Ott, Harvard

Brandon Womack, Cornell (165)

I guess the word we should use here is stingy. Womack gave up just two-points on the way to the top of the 165-pound weight class at the conference tournament. He bookended his title run with bonus point wins of a fall in his first match and a 16-1 tech to claim the title. 

Womack’s path to the title:
Round 1: F 0:44 Fisher, Sacred Heart
Quarters: 3-0 Daniels, Navy
Semis: 6-1 Viruet, Brown
Finals: TF 16-1 Martino, Penn

Frank Mattiace, Penn (197)

He took out the No. 11 and No. 13 ranked guys in the country to win the EIWA title at 197. Mattiace's bout in the finals with Sleigh was one of the most exciting matches of the entire tournament. 

Mattiace's path to the title:
Round 1:10-4 Haddad, Hofstra
Quarters: 12-5 Haas, Lehigh
Semifinals: 4-3 Harner, Princeton
Finals: 4-4 UTB Sleigh, Bucknell