Individual Results

2008 EIWA Bracket

EIWA Championship Page (Franklin & Marshall)

EAST STROUDSBURG - Sophomore heavyweight Chris Birchler is seeded sixth in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) rankings heading into next weekend's EIWA Championships at Franklin & Marshall.

Birchler has the Warriors' top individual record this season at 23-8, which includes a 5-3 decision over Army's Nathan Thobaben (EIWA #3) on December 5 at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The EIWA receives 47 qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, with the top four placewinners in all 10 weight classes, along with seven wild cards, advancing to St. Louis to compete on March 20-22.

Birchler is 1-3 against wrestlers currently ranked in the top 20 by Intermat. He defeated No. 18 Joe Fendone of Edinboro, 7-1, in the PSAC championship semifinals before falling to No. 10 Michael Spaid of Bloomsburg. Spaid also picked up a decision over Birchler in a dual on Sunday. Navy's Ed Prendergast, the top-ranked heavyweight in the EIWA and No. 3 nationally, pinned Birchler in 4:46 in a dual in January.

Seniors Sean Carr (141) and Dave Williams (197), junior Matt Swallow (133) and sophomore Shane Mallory (174) also have aspirations of earning a trip to St. Louis.

Carr has a 22-9 record this year, which includes a 7-4 decision over Army's Matt Kyler, the top-ranked 141-pounder in the EIWA, in a dual with the Black Knights.

Williams is 10-5 on the season, which includes a perfect 8-0 mark with five pins since moving to 197 pounds in late January. He leads ESU with six pins this year.

Swallow brings a 19-12 record into the EIWA's and has faced one ranked opponent in the conference, falling 9-6 to Bucknell's David Marble (EIWA #3) two weeks ago.

Mallory is 18-13 overall and has faced three of the top six wrestlers in the EIWA - No. 2 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), No. 3 Justin Herbert (F&M) and No. 6 Shane Riccio (Bucknell). Mallory advanced to the finals at the Wilkes Open before falling to Herbert, and also faced Herbert in a dual with F&M.

Jeremy Sluyter is the last NCAA qualifier from ESU when he qualified at 118 pounds in 1997 and 1998, and 125 pounds in 1999 and 2000.

The Warriors have had 12 qualifiers in the last 25 years, including two-time national champion Jack Cuvo.