ITHACA, NY – Five members of the Rutgers wrestling team remain alive in the championship bracket heading into semifinal action at the 2003 EIWA Championships. The 2003 EIWA Championships, hosted by Cornell University, ended day one action this evening with half of the Scarlet Knights’ contingency poised for a run at an individual championship. With 36.50 points, RU is sitting in fourth place after one day of competition - on track for one of its best-ever finishes.

At 149, Greg Austin (Seaville, NJ) won both his bouts, knocking off Princeton’s John Knorring (13-0) and Columbia’s Eric Norgaard (9-4) to set up a meeting with Harvard’s Jesse Jantzen. At 157, Amir Khan (Voorhees, NJ) also won his first two bouts, beating Eric Fantegrossi of American (14-5) and Army’s Jeremy Connor (9-4) to set up a semifinal bout with Cornell’s Gabe Webster.

Andy Roy (Wall, NJ) has lived up to his second seed, upending Columbia’s Nick Connor, 10-1, and ESU’s John Carr, 6-5, to advance to a semifinal meeting with Penn’s Matt Herrington.

Seniors Ryan McGrath (Blairstown, NJ) and Frank Sabatino (Hazlet, NJ) are also alive and well after day one. McGrath knocked off Matt Fisher of Princeton, 7-1, and Joe Forsman of Army, 5-2, while Sabatino recorded wins vs. Mike Pahira of ESU, 9-1, and American’s Jared Hyman, 6-2.

Shaun Sehar (Harrisburg, PA), Andrew Tilles (Devon, PA) and Jon Rodriguez (Bound Brook, NJ) all lost in the first round of action. Rudy Medini (Colonia, NJ) won his first bout, 9-2, over Shawn Smith of ESU, but dropped a 16-0 technical fall to Princeton’s Greg Parker. He closed action with a pin in his first consolation match.

The EIWA Championships conclude tomorrow – 36 wrestlers will earn spots at the 2003 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

RESULTS