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The 28th annual Centennial Conference wrestling championship is set for Saturday in Baltimore, Md. on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. Action is slated to begin at 10 a.m. in Goldfarb Gymnasium.
After a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Centennial teams are eager to vie for championship placings on Saturday. Washington and Lee is the reigning champion, as the Generals claimed their first-ever CC crown at the most recent championship in 2020 at Muhlenberg. The Generals (75.5) edged second-place Muhlenberg (69.5) by six points to become the seventh team in conference history to claim the team title. Ursinus owns the most conference titles with 11 overall, followed by Stevens (5), Merchant Marine (4), McDaniel (4), Johns Hopkins (1), Muhlenberg (1) and Washington and Lee (1)
At the 2020 championship, just 15 points separated first through fourth place, displaying the high-quality depth of competition within the Centennial. This year's championship figures to be another tight chase for the CC title, as evidenced by a hotly-contested Centennial dual season. Ten of the 21 CC duals were decided by 10 points or less, including eight decided by five points or less. Every team posted at least one conference win, while Ursinus and Washington and Lee each registered 5-1 dual records. Merchant Marine (4-2) and Muhlenberg (4-2) also notched winning dual marks in CC competition this winter.
Five individual champions return to this year's championship - Ursinus' Terry Adams, Washington and Lee's Ryan Luth, Johns Hopkins' Dominick Reyes, Merchant Marine's Dominick Esposito, and Muhlenberg's Luca Colestock.
Reyes captured the 165 title in 2020, was the runner-up at 157 in 2019, and the third-place finisher at 157 in 2018. He enters this year's championship with 20.5 more career points at CC championships than the next-closest competitor. Also securing individual titles in 2020 were Adams (125), Luth (157), Esposito (174), and Colestock (197).
Returning runners-up from 2020 include Washington and Lee's Charlie Cunningham (133) McDaniel's Alex LaVeck (157), and Ursinus' Jason Carter (197).
Washington and Lee returns a trio of bronze medalists - Clay Chadwick (3rd place at 285 in 2020), Brad Basham (3rd place at 197 in 2020), and Joe Salerno (3rd at 157 in 2019), while Merchant Marine's Billy Sims won bronze in 2019 at 165. Cunningham (141), LaVeck (165), Salerno (165), and Sims (184) have all bumped up weight classes this season, while Basham has moved down to 184.
A trio of wrestlers enter the championship event ranked in the individual national polls. Reyes is ranked third by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and Intermat, Luth is ranked sixth by the NWCA and ninth by Intermat, and Esposito is 12th in the NWCA poll.
Below is a preview of each weight class:
125: Ursinus' Terry Adams is the defending champion and favorite at 125 after a 19-3 regular season record that included a perfect 5-0 mark in CC duals. Muhlenberg's Joey Lamparelli (27-4 overall, 4-1 CC) and Washington and Lee's Riley Parker (24-6, 4-2 CC) also put together impressive regular season records and will look to challenge Adams on Saturday. Adams defeated both Lamparelli and Parker by decision in CC duals, while Lamparelli edged Parker 3-1 in OT.
133: All previous placewinners have either moved on or moved up in weight classes, meaning that a new 133-pound champion will be crowned this year. Gettysburg's Luke Kowalski will vie for gold in his first CC championship after notching a 23-5 overall and 5-0 CC mark this winter. Merchant Marine's Cameron Pleninger (4-2 CC) and Ursinus' Romeo Rodriguez (3-2 CC) recorded winning conference dual marks, while JHU's Brent Lorin (21-13) boasts the second-most regular season victories in the CC at 133, behind only Kowalski.
141: This weight class will also feature a new champion. Washington and Lee's Charlie Cunningham, the 2020 runner-up at 133, enters as the favorite with a 13-4 overall mark and 6-0 record in CC duals. Cunningham cruised through the CC duals, posting two falls, two tech falls, one major decision and one decision. Gettysburg's Jake Stein (11-11, 4-1 CC) also posted a winning mark in CC duals, while Muhlenberg's Greg Baum (12-5, 2-0 CC) saw limited action in conference duals this season but finished in fourth place at the 2020 championship. Merchant Marine's Edward Pinc (13-9, 3-3 CC) fell to both Baum and McDaniel's Joe McKneely (8-11, 3-3 CC) in conference duals, but was the only 141-pounder to wrestle Cunningham to a decision.
149: The 149-pound weight class figures to be one of the more wide-open brackets at the CC championship, with no returning placewinners and no clear-cut favorites. Muhlenberg's Brandon Bowles (4-0, 4-0 CC) has impressed in limited action late in the season, having just made his collegiate debut on Feb. 3 vs. Ursinus. W&L's Nic Zamaloff (16-6, 2-1 CC), Ursinus' Dante Monaco (12-8, 3-3 CC) and Merchant Marine's Austin Manning (15-11, 3-3 CC) also have winning overall records this season and will vie for spots on the medal stand.
157: Washington and Lee's Ryan Luth (22-1, 6-0 CC) is the defending champion and has lost just once this season. Ranked No. 6 in the nation by the NCWA, Luth's only loss of the season came to third-ranked Nick Barnhart of Messiah. Looking to challenge Luth will be JHU's Chris Roybal (15-7, 5-1 CC) and Muhlenberg's Anson Dewar (21-8, 3-1 CC).
165: This weight class is once again loaded with talented wrestlers with previous success at the CC Championship. Hopkins' Dominick Reyes (16-0) headlines the group. Ranked third nationally by the NWCA, Reyes is the reigning champion at 165 and has also placed twice throughout his career at 157 (2nd in 2019, 3rd in 2018). Gettysburg's Ray Martin enters the weekend riding a 14-match winning streak which has propelled his season record to 26-5 overall, including 5-0 in CC duals. McDaniel's Alex LaVeck (18-2, 5-1 CC) was the 157 runner-up in 2020, while W&L's Joe Salerno (24-8, 5-1 CC) finished third at 157 in 2019.
174: Merchant Marine's Dominick Esposito (15-3, 6-0 CC) is the defending champion but will face challenges from JHU's Joe Paul (30-7, 5-1 CC) and McDaniel's Michael Bromley (20-9, 4-2 CC), who have also put together impressive seasons thus far. Esposito narrowly defeated both Paul (6-4, SV-1) and Bromley (9-5) by decision in duals, while Paul topped Bromley 7-0 in their regular season matchup.
184: Washington and Lee's Brad Basham (16-9, 6-0 CC), Merchant Marine's Billy Sims (17-5, 3-1 CC) and Ursinus' Gary Nagle (20-5, 4-1 CC) will battle it out for gold in another weight class that is likely to be hotly-contested. Basham edged both Nagle (2-1 dec.) and Sims (4-3 dec.), while Sims downed Nagle by a 2-0 decision in their CC bout. Basham and Sims have both previously earned bronze medals as the CC championships in different weight classes - Basham at 197 in 2020 and Sims at 165 in 2019.
197: This weight class may see a repeat championship bout from 2020 as Muhlenberg's Luca Colestock (22-4, 6-0 CC) and Ursinus' Jason Carter (6-2, 4-1 CC) will look to return to the podium. Colestock defeated Carter 8-3 in the 2020 championship bout and edged him 3-1 in the dual on Feb. 3. Merchant Marine's Max Sims (10-4, 2-0 CC) is also a name to watch as a potential contender in this weight class.
285: Washington and Lee's Clay Chadwick (20-7, 3-0 CC) is the lone returning placewinner in the heavyweight class with a third-place finish in 2020 after taking fourth in 2019. JHU's Hank Behaeghel (14-7, 4-1 CC), Ursinus' Malcolm Hunt (5-1 CC), and Muhlenberg's Ramiro Osuna (14-9, 2-1 CC) also put together winning conference dual records and will aim for the medal stand this weekend.