PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Long Island University men's wrestling team will compete in its inaugural Division I event on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Rutgers University quad match at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
The Sharks will compete against some of the nation's best competition across Divisions I, II, and III. LIU will open the quad match against national-powerhouse Rutgers before taking on Centenary University (N.J.) and The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
LIU OUTLOOK
There will be plenty of fresh faces competing for LIU this weekend, with seven newcomers in the projected lineup. The Shark returners are highlighted by sophomore
Chris Gomez at 149, sophomore
James Langan at 174, and senior
Dan McClure at 184. The trio finished a combined 48-21 last season.
Plenty of newcomers shined during the 2019-20 wrestle-offs, though two grapplers to keep an eye on include senior transfer
Dominick Demarco at 157, and freshman
Jimmy Ryan at 125. Demarco earned a tech fall victory during the third period of the annual wrestle-off event, while Ryan earned a shutout major decision win.
RUTGERS REPORT
Rutgers enters the year as the top team receiving votes in the National College Wrestling Association preseason poll. Three individuals found themselves in the FloWrestling national rankings, as 174-pounder Joseph Grello ranks 17th, heavyweight Christian Colucci ranks 22nd, and 141-pounder Peter Lipari ranks 24th.
The Scarlet Knights return four wrestlers with NCAA Championship experience to the roster for 2019-20, including Grello, Lipari, Matthew Correnti, and Jordan Pagano. In addition, Rutgers boasts the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the country according to FloWrestling.
CENTENARY PREVIEW
The Cyclones boasted a 4-8 record in dual matches last season. Despite touting four NCAA qualifiers, Centenary has no returners with NCAA Championship experience on the roster this season.
Stanley Wojdylak (157) and Michael Foca (149) are two top returners to the lineup this season. Foca boasted a 14-6 record on the mat last season but fell to newcomer Ryan Anderson in wrestle-offs last week. Wojdylak returns for his second season after compiling a 13-4 record in his rookie campaign.
PITT-JOHNSTOWN POWERHOUSE
The Mountain Cats earned the No. 1 ranking in the Division II preseason national poll to begin the 2019-20 campaign and are looking to make a run for a national title. Pitt-Johnstown returns six All-Americans and reloaded its roster with two NCAA Division II National Champions and a state champion as part of its 19-wrestler recruiting class.
Tyler Warner and Connor Craig transferred to Pitt-Johnstown after leading Wheeling Jesuit University to a national runner-up finish at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship. Joining the duo is Pennsylvania state champion Jacob Ealy, along with six state place-winners.
The Mountain Cats also rank eight wrestlers in the Division II Super Region I individual rankings, with two-time National Champion Chris Eddins, along with Brendan Howard, Devin Austin, Warner and Craig taking the No. 1 ranking in their respective weight classes.
LIVE COVERAGE
LIU's bout with the host Scarlet Knights will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network + streaming platform and will be available via a paid subscription online and on all mobile and streaming devices.
