One-horse race.
That's that would come to mind if someone was asked to describe the EIWA tournament over the past five years.
The word "parity" would not have been in EIWA coaches' vocabularies, but it is slowly finding its way back to their tongues this year.
For the first time since 2002, it appears as if Lehigh will not win the conference, although it had a very strong season and beat its closest league rival in Cornell.
But many coaches, including Penn's Zeke Jones, feel that the Mountain Hawks lost too many key seniors last year to repeat as EIWA champions.
"They've been a shoo-in the last five years," Jones said. "But this time, it's a five-team race, which is the most parity the league has seen in a while."
Among last year's graduates were Cory Cooperman and Travis Frick, who won five EIWA titles combined. All in all, the team is missing three All-Americans from last year, a situation that Cornell coach Rob Koll called "almost impossible to recover from."
As a result, the Mountain Hawks went into the season ranked behind the Quakers and the Big Red in the EIWA. Without its standout seniors, Lehigh has struggled, including a loss to unranked Cal State-Fullerton.
Recruiting in Bethlehem has undoubtedly been strong, as it would be for any program with an illustrious history. However, part of the reason for the renewed parity has been strong recruiting by other EIWA schools.
"One advantage of the Ivy League is that you don't have up or down years; you're very consistent," Koll said. "You don't have to become dependent on scholarships. Students realize they can go to a school with a top wrestling program and top academics."
With Penn managing to recruit the second-ranked prospect in the country this year, Zack Kemmerer, the appeal of the Ivy League is apparent.
But tespite the loosening of Lehigh's grip on the EIWA, reaction among other coaches is muted and indifferent.
Both Jones and Koll agree that while winning the league is important, they really focus on gaining NCAA berths and producing NCAA champions like Penn senior Matt Valenti.
"If you can win a league title or a national title, which would you rather have?" Jones asked. "It's a no-brainer."
Even though the EIWA is seen as mainly a stepping stone, it is nonetheless a powerful conference, right behind the Big Ten and Big 12 nationally.
So while coaches like Jones and Koll appear to be nonchalant, they are undoubtedly paying attention to what plays out. With four EIWA teams in the NCAA top 25, it's fair to say that the winner of the league could play a part come time for nationals.
