New Brunswick, NJ. - The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce that four new members have been chosen for induction into the EIWA Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday March 9, 2013 at Rutgers University immediately preceding the finals of the annual EIWA Tournament. 

Members selected for the Class of 2013 include Andy Barth, Steve Friedman, Clay McEldowney and Eric Pearson. 

Committee Chairman Jamie Moffatt commented, “The Committee is particularly proud of this unique class of EIWA Hall of Fame members. Each individual is being recognized for his extraordinary commitment to preserving and enhancing his alma mater’s wrestling program, which has strengthened not just that particular university’s on-going program, but certainly that of Ivy League wrestling and the EIWA overall.”
 
ANDREW BARTH, COLUMBIA ‘83

Andy Barth was a member of the Columbia University varsity wrestling team, serving as a senior co-captain of the 1983 team. Andy also represented the NYAC in Greco-Roman and Freestyle events from 1980 to 1985.

As Columbia’s top wrestling supporter, his major gift in 2004 endowed the Lion wrestling program and helped renovate its wrestling room, later named in his honor. In 2005, Columbia announced the endowment of its head wrestling coach post with the title of Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. In June of 2012, Andy received the Outstanding American Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in recognition of his career success and superb contributions to wrestling.

Upon graduation from Columbia Business School in 1985, Andy moved to Los Angeles to work as a financial analyst for The Capital Group, a global financial investment firm. Over the past two decades he has risen through a series of executive and investment roles to become the Chairman of Capital Guardian Trust Company and Capital International Limited. His leadership led to the growth of Capital Group from $25 billion dollars in assets in 1985 to $1.2 trillion dollars in assets in 2011.

As civic contributor, Andy was twice elected to the Board of Governors of the San Marino Unified School District from 1997-2005. Among his honors include the John Jay Award from Columbia in 2011, the International Medical Corporation Global Humanitarian Award in 2011 and the Golden Apple Award in 2006. 

STEPHEN FRIEDMAN, CORNELL ‘59
 
After two EIWA 2nd place finishes to 3-time conference champion, Dave Johnson, Cornell senior Steve Friedman won an Easterns collegiate title in 1959 by beating Lehigh's Greg Ruth, a future 2-time NCAA champion and Olympian. Determined to win a National title, Steve pursued Freestyle as a Columbia University Law School student. 

While training in New York City with two Olympic champions, Henry Wittenberg and Japan's Shozo Sasahara, Friedman was told, "You could beat Doug Blubaugh", the USA's 1960 Olympic champion. Steve achieved that at the 1960 NYAC Christmas tournament just three months after the Rome Olympics. In 1961, Steve won a National AAU Freestyle title at 160.5 pounds before retiring from competitive wrestling.

Professionally, Steve joined Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1966 and became a partner in 1973. He was vice chairman and co-chief operating officer from 1987 to 1990, and co-chairman or chairman from 1990 to 1994. He currently serves as chairman of Stone Point Capital, LLC.

Steve has served as chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and of the Intelligence Oversight Board. He served two years as assistant to President George W. Bush for Economic Policy and director of the National Economic Council. He has also served as board member of The Goldman Sachs Group, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Aspen Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Steve and wife, Barbara Benioff Friedman (also Cornell ’59), have been extraordinary supporters of their school, serving as university trustees, on the Cornell University Council and also other key advisory groups. On campus, both the Friedman Wrestling Center and the Friedman Strength and Conditioning Center are named to recognize their lead gift to enable the project. 
 
H. CLAY McELDOWNEY, PRINCETON ‘69
 
Clay McEldowney captained the Princeton University varsity wrestling team as a senior in 1969. Prior to Princeton, Clay won a National Prep School championship title at 148 pounds while wrestling for The Hill School.

In 1993, in the face of Princeton’s attempt to drop the sport of wrestling, he volunteered to become the chairman of Friends of Princeton Wrestling. This alumni group was created to build an eventually successful funding campaign to raise the $3 million endowment required to save the program. The Tigers’ wrestling alumni presented their offer to the University's executive board in 1996, and the program was formally reinstated in 1997. 

However, there was no practice facility left since the Jadwin wrestling room had been converted to a varsity football weight room. The Friends of Princeton Wrestling then offered to buy back that space to re-acquire the wrestling room. With the roadblocks removed, by 2004 the endowment goal was reached, thus the program became eligible again to receive university funding.

Along with Eric Pearson, Clay was named Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Man of the Year in 1997. Since 2001 Clay has served with Pearson on the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC-based American Sports Council. This past year, Clay, a resident of Pittstown, NJ, was one of two recipients of WIN Magazine’s Impact Award. He was cited for his work in preventing the discontinuation of collegiate wrestling and other "lesser priority" sports. 

Professionally, Clay is a Mechanical Engineer and recently retired as Vice-President of Hatch Mott MacDonald Corporation.
 
ERIC PEARSON, PRINCETON ‘87
 
In 1993, Eric Pearson put his day job (a new business start-up) on hold to serve at minimal pay as full-time head coach of the Princeton University wrestling team. During his four-year tenure as coach, Friends of Princeton Wrestling prevailed over the University administration’s plan to drop the sport. In 1997, Eric’s wrestling team won the NWCA National Championship for highest GPA. 

After this coaching stint, Eric proceeded to co-found and chair for the past 12 years the American Sports Council, the nation’s leading network of sports advocates devoted to saving traditionally male athletic programs and helping to reform the quota impact of Title IX. He is regularly quoted in the national news media regarding any Title IX issues. In 2002, Eric was one of two recipients of WIN Magazine's annual Impact Award for his efforts in reforming Title IX.

Eric wrestled for Princeton University from 1984-87 and was a Second Team All-Ivy selection. Prior to Princeton, Eric was a National Prep finalist wrestling for The Hill School. A member of a true wrestling family, Eric is the son of Max Pearson, a three-time Big Ten champion and 2-time NCAA runner-up in '57 and '58. Eric’s father and older brother, Mark, competed for both The Hill School and the University of Michigan. Mark is the current head wrestling coach at The Hill School.

Eric is a film producer and a founder of Silver Hammer Studios. He currently works and lives in Bangkok, Thailand.