Ithaca Surges to Seventh Straight ECWC Team Title Behind Six Individual Champs
January 16, 2022

 


ITHACA, N.Y. - The 16th-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team posted a strong team outing at the 2022 Empire Collegiate Wrestling Championships held in the A&E Center on Sunday, January 16. The Bombers sent nine wrestlers to the podium en route to the program's seventh-consecutive first place team finish at the tournament dating back to the 2013-14 season. Behind IC's 13-man contingent, head coach Marty Nichols' squad accumulated 151.5 team points to edge No. 15 Brockport for the team title.

Sunday was a big steppingstone for the Bombers after suffering a tough 21-15 loss to Ohio Northern in the Budd Whitehill Duals finals a weekend ago. Despite capturing the team title, IC had its hands full against a talented Brockport unit that came into the day ranked 15th in the latest NWCA poll. Both teams were neck-and-neck throughout the day, as the Bombers only led by a single point in the team race entering the medal rounds. Ithaca prevailed, however, as six of the seven finalists claimed individual titles to help the team pull away for a 151.5-to-143.5 victory in the final standings.

The final standings behind Ithaca and Brockport went as follows: Alfred State (3rd, 78.5 PTS), SUNY Oneonta (4th, 77.5 PTS), RIT (5th, 71.0 PTS), SUNY Oswego (6th, 60.5 PTS), SUNY Cortland (7th, 36.5 PTS), Pitt-Bradford (8th, 34.0 PTS), and Penn State Behrend (9th, 3.0 PTS).

Highlighting the day for IC were ECWC titles at six different weight classes. Freshman Matt Haycook (125 LB), junior Travis Jones (141 LB), junior Matthew Beyer (149 LB), junior Adam Wagner (157 LB), senior Eze Chukwuezi (184 LB), and grad-student Jordan Wallace (197 LB) each had stellar performances and won individual championships. This triumphant group anchored the team title while combining for a flawless 19-0 record with 15 of those wins being by bonus points.

Missing the seventh-ranked 125-pounder in the land in Matt Griffin (d3wrestle) proved to not be an issue for Ithaca, as Haycook stepped up in a big way and took home his first-ever collegiate individual tournament title. The IC rookie got off to a hot start, pinning RIT's Josh Freebern (5:58) and SUNY Oneonta's Peter Sacco (4:03) in his first two bouts. After receiving a medical forfeit over SUNY Oneonta's Tyler Farley in the semis, Haycook punched his ticket to the big stage. In the championship bout, Haycook and Lee Rubin of RIT were in a takedown battle early on with the Bomber finding himself on top 5-4 at the end of the opening period. Both wrestlers traded escapes in the final two periods, which was just enough for the freshman to come out on top with an enticing 6-5 decision.

Jones rebounded well after a rather underwhelming outing at the Budd Whitehill Duals last weekend by marching to a 141-pound title in dominant fashion. The Phillipsburg, NJ native ran through his bracket, outscoring his opponents 36-3 to claim his second career ECWC championship. Jones' finals match against Brockport's Eli Sims was one of his more impressive bouts of the season, as he registered two takedowns and turned Sims four different times for a 16-0 technical fall in the second period.

Beyer has been on a stampede as of late and showed no signs of slowing down while winning his second individual tournament title this season. The 149-pounder cruised to the finals behind two quick pins and a swift 19-3 technical fall over Brockport's Austin Reed in the semis. Although he was tested in the finals against Brockport's Marquis Larmond, Beyer's offense was a little too much to handle, as he picked up five takedowns to win it 14-9. The Bomber is now 22-3 on the season and is currently riding a 10-match winning streak.

Right behind Beyer, Wagner showed why he was seeded first in the tournament for a reason, as he took the 157-pound title by storm. The Lodi, NY product made quick work of his first two opponents, notching a 16-1 technical fall over SUNY Oswego's Tommy Coll and an 11-2 major decision over Brockport's Sam Grey in the semifinals. Even though his championship match was not too flashy, Wagner was fundamental in his offensive attacks and racked up four takedowns, including two in the final period, to win a decisive 8-2 decision over Alfred State's Justin Smith.

Sixth-ranked Eze Chukwuezi (d3wrestle) is continuing to prove to be a dangerous threat to anyone in the country at 184 pounds. The senior coasted to his second career ECWC championship, tallying bonus point victories in each match along the way. Upon pinning his first two opponents in the quarters and semis, Chukwuezi squared off against Chris Eames of Brockport. With the team race against Brockport coming down to the wire, the Bomber delivered went it meant most, notching four takedowns and a four-point nearfall turn for a 14-2 victory. Chukwuezi is now a perfect 20-0 on the season.

Ithaca's final title came from tenth-ranked Jordan Wallace (d3wrestle) at 197 pounds. The grad-student had long-awaited, unfinished business after coming in second at the most recent ECWC Championships in 2020. He was nothing short of impressive on his way to gold. After sticking Chase Proudfit of Pitt-Bradford in the quarterfinals, Wallace majored a tough opponent in Josh Harkless of RIT 10-2. The seasoned-vet kept the momentum rolling in his championship match, using good positioning and reattacks to collect three takedowns for a 7-4 win over top-seeded Joe Benedict of Brockport.

IC had three additional place winners on the day, including a runner-up finish from junior Luis Hernandez. The 133-pounder went 3-1 on the day and outscored his opponents 30-3 through the semifinals, but Brockport's Zach Levey broke the momentum with a 16-6 major decision in the final. Freshman Jackson Gray battled back for third place at 165 pounds and earned a clutch first-period fall over Isaac Mathews of SUNY Oswego in the bout to help Ithaca march to a team title. Senior Colin Murphy also had a solid outing, going 2-2 on the day and settling for fourth place at 149 pounds.

Heavyweight Edwin Rubio also made his season-debut after recovering from a preseason knee injury. Upon pinning Penn State Behrend's Brandon Weiskopf in the opening round, the 285-pounder was in a dog fight against second-seeded Calik Kennedy of RIT in the quarterfinals. Leading 4-3 with 15 seconds remaining, Kennedy hit a huge six-point move to win the match 9-4. Unfortunately, Rubio medically forfeited out of the tournament.

Ithaca returns to the mat next weekend when the team travels to Wilkes-Barre, PA for the John Reese Duals tournament. First whistle is slated to begin at 11 a.m.





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