BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Saturday marks the end of the inaugural regular season of Division I competition for the Long Island University wrestling team who will play host to Sacred Heart University for an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Dual inside the Pratt Recreation Center at 11:00 a.m.
Prior to the match, LIU will honor its two graduating seniors,
Dominick Demarco and
Dan McClure.
Demarco transferred to LIU for his senior season after competing at Camden Community College for two years and Bloomsburg University for one season. During the 2019-20 season he registered five dual wins and ranks seventh on the team with 15 dual points. Off the mat he excels in the classroom, earning a 4.0 grade point average during the fall semester and plans to graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice.
For McClure, a four-year member of the LIU wrestling program, he will search for career win number 50 on Saturday against a nationally-ranked opponent in Kyle Davis. McClure has earned 49 wins during his four seasons and is tied for the team lead with nine wins this season while also ranking third with 21 dual points. During his career he earned Academic All-America honors once and was named to the All-Academic Team one time. In the classroom he carries a 3.7 GPA and plans to graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice as well.
As a team, the Sharks will have their final tune-up before the EIWA championships next weekend at Lehigh University. LIU and Sacred Heart met earlier this season at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, with the Pioneers earning a 27-12 victory. The Blue and Gold have seen different grapplers step up throughout the season, including freshman
Rhise Royster who earned a win in the final seconds against Harvard's Aaron Kruk last week.
Mark Malico also earned a win at 197, pinning Evan Callahan after falling behind on the scoreboard early in the first period.
The Pioneers enter Saturday with a 2-3 record in EIWA duals this season. Kyle Davis comes in ranked in two national polls this week, ranking 32nd in both the Rating Percentage Index and Wrestle-stat poll after compiling 15 wins on the year. Brandon Levesque leads Sacred Heart's probable lineup with 16 wins.
Live results of Sunday's duals will be provided through Track Wrestling and links for each dual can be found on LIUAthletics.com or at the top of this page. Each dual will also be streamed on NEC Front Row. Fans can access the live video by clicking the link at the top of this page or by downloading the NEC On the Run app on all mobile and streaming devices.
