From the time that Royce Eyer came to Lycoming College from Orangeville, Pa., it was clear that he would be a solid member of the team willing to help the team in any role possible. After wrestling at 134 pounds and winning 26 matches as a freshman, he won 20 more as a sophomore at 165 pounds. As a junior, he dropped two weight classes back and the results showed, as he went 35-5 win 15 pins, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships and winning his first MAC title at 149 pounds. As a senior, he was even better at 157 pounds, destroying the school record by winning 46 matches, his second MAC title and becoming the eighth national champion in school history. Eyer entered the national tournament as the No. 2 seed, winning four matches en route to the title match while also posting a pin and a major decision. In the finals, he faced off with Ryan Ciotoli of Ithaca College, who had beaten Eyer twice in the regular season. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Eyer had to comeback to win, and he did, using second and third period takedowns for the 4-3 win. More than a decade after his last match, Eyer still holds school records for career (127) and single-season wins (46, 2000-01) and career pins (51). Besides his work on the mat, the marketing and finance major was also an exemplary student, earning NWCA Scholar All-American honors three times and Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors as a senior. He has continued his association with the wrestling program in the decade since he graduated, serving as an assistant coach for head coach Roger Crebs multiple times and he was inducted into the Lycoming College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
