Preparation is underway for the upcoming collegiate wrestling season at Sacred Heart. (Photo courtesy Sacred Heart University wrestling)
The schedule is set and the workouts are underway for the Sacred Heart University men’s wrestling team.
In six short weeks, the Pioneers will open the season at Lehigh, which was ranked No. 26 in the final National Coaches Wrestling Association (NWCA) poll of the season, on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The next weekend, Sacred Heart has three matches against Army, Rutgers and Long Island in one afternoon. On the next day, the Pioneers will participate in the Journeyman Collegiate Classic with four teams that were ranked at the end of last season – No. 4 North Carolina State, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Arizona State and No. 24 Oklahoma.
This all before the Pioneers take on No. 2. Iowa at the Arm Bar at the Armory in Albany, N.Y. on Friday, Nov. 18 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
“It’s one of the toughest schedule, if not the toughest, in the country,” Sacred Heart head coach John Clark said. “It is just tough beginning to end.
“They want to see the best competition. They experienced it before and they want it back,” Clark said, referring to Sacred Heart’s match with defending NCAA champion Penn State last November. “It’s a tough (schedule). But, now they will have to respond.”
After facing the Hawkeyes, Sacred Heart will compete at the Keystone Classic at Pennsylvania on Nov. 20 and participate in the Cliff Keen Collegiate Wrestling Invitational in Las Vegas on Dec. 2-3. Twelve teams that were ranked in last year’s final poll before the NCAA tournament began will be in Las Vegas including No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 North Carolina State, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 10 Cornell and No. 11 Nebraska.
Sacred Heart will have seven dual meets at home in the Pitt Center in Fairfield – a change from previous years when the Pioneers had just two or three duals.
Fans will be able to see American, VMI, Bucknell, Bloomsburg, Hofstra, Long Island University and Brown at the Pitt Center.
The Sacred Heart and Iowa match is part of a tournament called Arm Bar at the Armory in Albany. It will also include North Carolina State where Danbury natives Ryan Jack and Jakob Camacho are expected to wrestle – barring any injuries.
In the first round at 6:30 p.m., Sacred Heart will face Iowa on mat 1, N.C. State will challenge Central Michigan on mat 2 and Buffalo will face Illinois on mat 3. In the second round that begins at 8:30 p.m., N.C. State faces Illinois, Iowa takes on Buffalo and Castleton will challenge the College of New Jersey.
2022-23 Sacred Heart University men’s wrestling
Sat. Nov. 5: At Lehigh
Wrangle Mania at Liberty High School, Bethlehem, Pa
Sat. Nov. 12: vs. Army, 11 a.m.
Sat. Nov. 12: vs. Rutgers, 1 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 12: vs. Long Island University, 5 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 13: at Journeyman Collegiate Classic tournament at Freedom HS, Bethlehem Pa.
Fri. Nov. 18: vs. Iowa at Albany, N.Y., 6:30 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 20: at Keystone Classic (UPenn-Philadelphia)
Fri. Dec. 2 and Sat. Dec. 3: At Cliff Keen Collegiate Wrestling Invitational, Las Vegas
Wed. Dec. 21: AMERICAN*, 7 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 6: at David Lehman Open, Lancaster, Pa
Sun. Jan. 15: VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, 4 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 21: BUCKNELL*, 7 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 29: at Franklin and Marshall*
Sun. Feb. 5: BLOOMSBURG
Sat. Feb. 11: HOFSTRA*, 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 18: LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY*, 7 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 19: BROWN*
Fri. March 3 and Sat. March 4: at EIWA Championships at Philadelphia
*EIWA dual meet
