EIWA sets up two divisions for dual meet competition

The EIWA announced this week that they will have two divisions to determine regular season dual meet champions. (Photo courtesy EIWA Conference)

For years, the dual meet portion of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) has meant little in terms of team competition.

Individual wrestlers would get points for seeding for the EIWA championship meet in February, with the winner crowned as conference champion.

Beginning this season, teams will have divisional championships to chase. The EIWA announced on Wednesday a new two division alignment.

The EIWA’s 12 teams will be spilt into two divisions – Independence and Patriot. Next year, in 2025-26, the league will launch a full divisional dual meet schedule.

Sacred Heart will be in the Independence Division along with Binghamton, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Hofstra, Long Island University and Morgan State. The Patriot Division will include American, Army West Point, Bucknell, Lehigh and Navy.

“Creating two divisions within the EIWA provides the opportunity for member teams to establish dual meet consistency and create exciting rivalries that our fans can count on seeing year in and year out,” said Kyle Borshoff, the president of the EIWA Coaches Association and head coach at Binghamton.

“Creating the Independence and Patriot divisions allows us to highlight the excitement that surrounds the dual meet portion of our season, as all of our teams work to establish themselves as divisional champions,” he said.

Six Ivy League schools (Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard and Penn) left the league at the conclusion of last season. Ivy League teams have been part of the EIWA, the oldest wrestling conference in the nation, since its founding in 1905.

The first Independence Division dual meet took place Saturday when Hofstra (2-1, 1-0) defeated Sacred Heart, 33-12. The Pioneers are 1-5 and 0-1 EIWA Independence.

The 2025 EIWA championship meet will be March 7-8 at Lehigh University.