COLLEGE CORNER: Hoffman runnerup at EIWA tournament
Feb. 27—Former Hazleton Area High School and current Lehigh University wrestler Jimmy Hoffman finished runnerup. at the 117th EIWA Championships Friday at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Lancaster County.
Army's Pj Ogunsanya denied Hoffman the crown with an 8-3 decision in the title bout.
Hoffman, who was seeded second for the tournament, reached the finals with two dominant performances.
In the quarterfinals, he roughed up seventh-seeded C. Gomez of Long Island University, advancing with a 16-0 technical fall in 4:46.
Hoffman didn't let up in the semifinals, taking out third-seeded L. Nichter of Drexel, also by 16-0 technical fall in 4:33.
The redshirt junior from Drums, compiled a 2-3 record during the regular season, abbreviated by the coronavirus pandemic. He entered the tournament ranked 25th nationally at 149 pounds in the latest coaches rankings in NCAA Division I.
Hoffman, who has a three-year mark of 28-17 with the Mountain Hawks entering Friday's action, finished sixth at last season's EIWA Championships, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. The tournament, however, was eventually cancelled during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lehigh was seeking its fourth straight EIWA team championship Friday. Hoffman's teammates Jaret Lane (125) and Malyke Hines (132) captured individual titles before the former Cougar star even stepped on the mat for his championship bout.
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