BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Head coach Joe Patrovich announced the inaugural LIU wrestling Division I schedule of competition for the 2019-20 season on Wednesday, August 21. The campaign features 15 dates of regular-season competition, including eight duals against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association opponents.
 
Earlier this year, the EIWA accepted LIU as the league's 17th member, joining some of the most respected wrestling programs on the East Coast. Last season, nine EIWA schools finished the year ranked in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/National Duals Selection Committee Mid-Major Top-20 Poll.
 
LIU opens its season on Saturday, Nov. 2 when it takes on nationally-ranked Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Centenary University at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The following weekend, the Sharks travel to upstate New York to partake in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, battling nationally-ranked opponents Virginia University and the University at Buffalo, along with Sacred Heart University on the opening day.
 
A three-week stretch of elite competition continues at the 'Boro Duals in Edinboro, Pa. when the Sharks grapple nationally-ranked Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Ohio University, along with Mercyhurst University.
 
LIU will take a hiatus from team competition on Sunday, Nov. 24 when individuals compete at the New York State Intercollegiate Championship in Oswego, N.Y. The Sharks will put in their final preparation for EIWA competition on Friday, Dec. 6 when they battle George Mason University, Gardner-Webb University, and Davidson College in Fairfax, Va.
 
Saturday, Dec. 4 marks the opening conference bout of the season when the Sharks travel to the City of Brotherly Love for a 5:00 p.m. bout with Drexel University. The first home bout of the season is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20 when LIU hosts Bucknell University at 7:00 p.m.
 
As the calendar turns to 2020, LIU will compete in its final two non-conference bouts of the season at Bloomsburg University on Friday, Jan. 3 before hosting the Citadel on Saturday, Jan. 11. The final five weeks of the season feature six EIWA bouts, beginning with road competitions at the University of Pennsylvania and Hofstra University. Four-consecutive home bouts complete the regular season as the Sharks host Columbia University, Brown University, Harvard University, and Sacred Heart University. LIU will honor its senior class on Saturday, Feb. 22 prior to its bout with the Pioneers in the season finale.
 
The 2020 EIWA Conference Championship will be held at the Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on the campus of Lehigh University on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7.