Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling Announces 2011-12 Schedule, Bison to Host November Dual vs. Nebraska in Sojka Pavilion
7/20/2011 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
July 20, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell wrestling team will be returning to Sojka Pavilion this November. The Bison, who hosted a highly successful EIWA Championships in the facility this past March, will face national power Nebraska Nov. 10 in their season-opening dual in Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell will also have four other home dates in its customary home, Davis Gym, in 2011-12.
Ticket information for the Nebraska dual will be released at a later date. The Huskers have placed in the top 10 of the team standings at the NCAA Championships six times since 2000 and have had at least one All-American every year since 1989. Bucknell and Nebraska met last November in Lincoln, Neb., and the Bison held a one-point lead going into the final bout, but fell by a 19-16 score in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Bucknell will host Nebraska's fellow Big Ten member Michigan State on Dec. 3 in Davis Gym. Bison head coach Dan Wirnsberger wrestled for the Spartans and was a three-time All-American under current Michigan State head coach Tom Minkel.
The annual Bison Duals will take place Dec. 17 with Bucknell hosting Central Michigan and Princeton. A total of three dual matches will take place.
The Bison will wrap up their home schedule in February with a pair of weekend EIWA duals. They will host American on Sunday, Feb. 5. The following Sunday, Feb. 12, they will welcome Penn to Davis Gym.
Bucknell's early season schedule features a number of familiar tournaments, including the Navy Classic (Nov. 19), Penn State Open (Dec. 4) and the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30). Additionally, the Bison will make a return to the Northeast Duals for the first time since 2008-09 when they face Maryland, Eastern Michigan and Northern Iowa in Binghamton, N.Y., Nov. 26.
A number of road duals dot the January calendar as Bucknell will wrestle at Old Dominion (Jan. 11), the Virginia Duals (Jan. 13-14), Lehigh (Jan. 21) and George Mason (Jan. 27). On Jan. 29 the Bison will travel to Stillwater, Okla., for a second straight year and take on Oklahoma State as well as Binghamton. The Cowboys finished in fourth place at the 2011 NCAA Championships and had three All-Americans and one national champion.
Bucknell will round out the regular season in February with road duals at Army (Feb. 7) and Lock Haven (Feb. 10) in addition to its two home EIWA matches with American and Penn.
Overall, the Bison will face no fewer than six teams that finished in the top 18 at last year's NCAA Championships.
This year's NCAA Championships will take place in St. Louis, Mo., March 15-17, two weeks after the EIWA Championships at Princeton, March 3-4.
Note: The home matches against Nebraska (Nov. 10) and American (Feb. 5) are scheduled to be broadcast live on Bison Vision
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