The Centennial Conference Wrestling championship makes its first stop in the Garden State as the Stevens Institute of Technology hosts the 17th annual event on Saturday. The champion of each of the 11 weight classes will advance to the NCAA Division III championship in two weeks, while another "wild-card" wrestler will be selected to participate in the national event. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is the two-time defending champion and the 13th ranked Mariners are the favorite to "three-peat."
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125: The gold should come down to USMMA's defending champion Jordan Alfaro (16-13) or McDaniel's Earl Eppard (15-13). Hopkins' Adam Stevens could also reach the final.
133: McDaniel's Tommy Goretsas (24-9) and Ursinus' Alex Blank (22-8) both have over 20 wins, while Hopkins' Paul Marcello could also reach the final.
141: Stevens' Ryan Bridge (12-2) is undefeated in Conference bouts this winter and is the favorite to win the gold medal before the home folks. W&L's Sam Campbell (15-5) and Ursinus' Dan Glover (20-7) will also factor in the weight class.
149: Ursinus' Connor McCormick (17-0) has 11 falls to his credit and is the favorite. USMMA's Martin Bell (13-10) and McDaniel's Brent Lowe (23-10) are his main contenders.
157: USMMA's Dan Twito (26-6), the defending champ at 149, has the most overall wins, but W&L's David Dennis (13-4) was undefeated in Centennial bouts. Stevens' Charles Favia (19-11) makes 157 the most interesting of the early weight classes.
165: USMMA's Vincent Renaut (20-3) is the defending champion, but will be challenged by Stevens' Joe Favia (22-6) and Johns Hopkins' Eric Levenseller (21-9).
174: This class figures to be a battle between USMMA's Justin Diesel (23-7) - ranked eighth nationally - and Stevens' Bobby Bishop (19-7) with Hopkins' Andrew Giannascoli (6-4) could also reach the final.
184: Ursinus' Nate Murren (20-3) is the favorite and will be challenged by McDaniel's Will Yeo (19-12) and Stevens' Vincent Termini (13-9).
197: The day's best final could pit USMMA's Eric Vincent (24-3) - the two-time defending champion and ranked 10th nationally - and Ursinus' Connor McNamara (27-3).
285: The championship will end on a high note with a talented class of heavyweights, led by 2009 Centennial Wrestler of the Year Brock Glotfelty (35-4) of McDaniel. The defending champion has 15 falls to his credit and is ranked ninth nationally. USMMA's Justin Connell (16-6) and Gettysburg's Bobby Christopher (21-5) will also contend for gold.
You can watch the finals LIVE on your computer, courtesy of Stevens. You can also get the championship bout results by following us on Twitter.
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