Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling 2023-24 Schedule Announced
8/31/2023 12:38:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Head coach Dan Wirnsberger and the Bucknell wrestling team announced the 2023-24 schedule Thursday afternoon. The Bison are once again challenging themselves with a grueling slate of opponents which includes five teams that finished among the top 20 at the 2023 NCAA Championships. The schedule includes eight home duals, seven road duals and a pair of tournaments.
"We are thrilled to release our 2023-2024 schedule," said Wirnsberger. "As always, the Bison will be competing against some of the toughest competition both in our conference and nationally in order to best prepare our student-athletes for March. There is no doubt that the quality of our home schedule will boost our dual meet attendance. Davis Gym and Sojka Pavillion are both outstanding venues that will provide an excellent opportunity for our alumni, fans, and friends of the program to watch the nation's best in our own backyard."
At the end of the regular season, Bucknell will host the 2024 EIWA Championships at Sojka Pavilion. It's Bucknell's first time hosting the conference tournament since 2017.
Bucknell's first three duals are all against teams than ranked top 25 in last year's NWCA Coaches Poll: Oklahoma State, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The season officially gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 11 when the Bison take on the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla. in a rematch of last year's opener.
"I am especially excited for our out-of-league matches. We begin the season at Oklahoma State and will compete against two of the top programs in the Big Ten following our return from Stillwater," said Wirsnberger. "Our home opener will be vs. Minnesota in Davis Gym, and we will hit the road to face Wisconsin in Madison. This will be a fantastic measuring stick as we move into the remainder of the season."
Bucknell hosts the Golden Gophers for its first home competition on Thursday, Nov. 16 before attending the annual Navy Classic for its first tournament action on Sunday, Dec. 3. Nine Bison earned top-8 finishes at last year's Navy Classic.
Bucknell's other non-conference duals include a doubleheader against Bloomsburg and Buffalo on Dec. 17 and a Jan. 19 home matchup with Morgan State.
The Bison kick off 2024 at the Southern Scuffle on New Year's Day, where Kurt Phipps and Darren Miller both placed in 2022.
Bucknell's first EIWA match is scheduled for Jan. 14 at home against LIU. The Bison also host American, Army, and Brown. The team's EIWA road duals include Drexel, Navy, Columbia, Lehigh, and Princeton to close out the regular season on Feb. 23.
After hosting the EIWA Championship on March 8-9, Bucknell's NCAA qualifiers will make the trip to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. for the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Bison placed five on the podium at the 2023 EIWA Championships, including a runner-up finish by Dylan Chappell at 149 lbs. Bucknell finished ninth as a team at the tournament and sent three to the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Joining Chappell in Tulsa, Okla. for the national championships were Dorian Crosby (285) and Kurt Phipps (133).
Wirnsberger is entering his 18th season as head coach of the Bison. He's two wins shy of 150 for his career. Wirnsberger and Bob Ferraro, who led Bucknell to a 169-175-6 record from 1974 to 1997, are the program's only head coaches to reach the 100-win plateau.
Players Mentioned
