Posted: Mar 27, 2022
Seven EIWA wrestlers earn All-America honors at 2022 NCAA Championships
Story by Betsy Veysman
EIWA Sports Writer
YIANNI DIAKOMIHALIS, CORNELL
CHAMPION AT 149
Diakomihalis is critical of his own performances, but even he was pleased with the way he wrestled in his 11-5 NCAA finals victory over Ridge Lovett of Nebraska.
The junior has now won three NCAA titles - and 94 of 95 college matches - with a year of eligibility to go. He explained his progress at the NCAA press conference.
PAT GLORY, PRINCETON
SECOND AT 125
Glory captured his first four bouts at the NCAA tournament, with three by bonus points, to earn his spot in the national title match at 125 pounds. Along the way, he topped Vito Arujau to reverse their result at the EIWAs.
Glory, a multiple-time All-American, will look to ascend one more level up the podium to the championship next season after going 20-2 in 2022.
At the official NCAA interview after the semis, Glory reflected on being Princeton's first finalist under head coach Chris Ayres.
"It's amazing. It's kind of a culmination all that work, all that adversity, sweat, tears, everything Coach Ayres and the rest of the coaching staff have put into this program. We have a National Champs wall and right next to it an All-American Wall, so every day we walk into practice we see what the legacy has been and the history of our program has been. We're blessed to have the opportunity to add to that and create new thresholds and stepping stones for this program."
QUINCY MONDAY, PRINCETON
SECOND AT 157
Quincy Monday made it two Tigers in the finals when he defeated Michigan's Will Lewan in the semis on Friday night at 157 pounds. The three-time EIWA finalist and 2022 conference champion recorded a pair of 3-2 wins in the opening rounds, followed by a triumph over Ed Scott of NC State to avenge an earlier season loss along the way.
"It's just the culmination of a lot of hard work. Trust in my coaches, my family, my support system. I knew I could get it done. Belief starts with yourself and I believe I can win a title." - Quincy Monday to Intermat after his semifinals win
He fell by decision to Northwestern's Ryan Deakin in the title bout, but will return with his eye on the crown.
VITO ARUJAU, CORNELL
"That's just Vito being himself. Coming back from a hard setback last night, but pushing through. Wrestling for his team, getting a major in the third place match, getting extra points for the team. That's Vito, through and through." Head coach Mike Grey to Quint Kessenich
THIRD AT 125
Arujau went 5-1 at 125 pounds in Detroit, including a pair of bonus wins, to notch third place for his second All-American finish. He completed a terrific 19-2 sophomore campaign as an EIWA champ and the conference tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.
Coach Mike Grey was especially impressed with how Arujau bounced back after the semifinals to not only win with total control, but put up bonus points in his last bout of the tournament to help in the team race.
JORDAN WOOD, LEHIGH
THIRD AT 285 POUNDS
Jordan Wood told Intermat in an interview in Detroit that this season was his finest. That's saying a lot, as he already had a tremendous career prior to the 2021-22 campaign. The Lehigh heavyweight finished his eligibility with a third place showing at the NCAAs, his third time as an All-American.
The first-ever five-time EIWA champion notched his 100th win as a Mountain Hawk in his final bout, completing a 5-1 weekend in Detroit that included a quarterfinals victory over Iowa's Tony Cassioppi.
"When he wrestles, he's going to leave it all out there. We're going to miss him. He's the ultimate team guy. He's very selfless. He puts others first. If you have a whole team of Jordan Woods, you have a great team." - Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro to Intermat
CJ COMPOSTO, PENN
EIGHTH at 141
"This wasn't a couple of months process or a couple of weeks process. This was a multiple year long, lifetime process. I was lucky enough two years ago to get around really great people and look at the goals I was setting for myself and say you can do more than you think you can. Credit to my coaches and teammates for that."
CJ Composto announced his presence to the college wrestling world with his run to the championship match at the Matmen Open in December. He continued to impress with his runner up finish at the EIWAs. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year didn't stop there, putting Penn back on the NCAA podium for the first time since 2016 with an 8th place medal at 141 pounds.
-Composto in an interview on Intermat
JONATHAN LOEW, CORNELL
EIGHTH AT 184
Jonathan Loew was one of the many wrestlers who qualified for the NCAAs in 2020, but didn't get to compete due to Covid cancellation. He made up for that lost opportunity when he took the mat at Nationals, grabbing four victories on the way to All-American accolades from the #11 seed.
Loew posted 11-4 wins over both Layne Malzcewski of Michigan State and Brit Wilson of Northern Illinois before defeating last year's fourth place finisher, John Poznanski of Rutgers, 9-4. He then registered a takedown early in the sudden victory period in the blood round to clinch a spot on the podium.
"This has been a life goal. It really feels surreal. I woke up this morning thinking I had to win three matches today; had to do some heavy lifting. I took it one match at a time. I had [Big Red associate head coach] Donnie Vinson in my corner. He lost his first match here and came all the way back for third so when you get in the wrestlebacks, you have to just come out and fight hard. Leave it all on the mat. What happened earlier on the season doesn't hold any weight. I felt the best I did all season. This was just a really fun experience for me." -Loew to Intermat after winning in the Round of 12