SALEM, Va. — When Columbia Wrestling takes the mat on Sunday, Nov. 7 at the Southeast Open hosted by Virginia Tech, to open its 2021-22 season, it will be 610 days since the "Nation's Oldest Program" has competed, finally the Lions are back.
 
The last time Columbia took to the mat was on the final day of the 2020 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, where Joe Manchio (125) and Matt Kazimir (141) had both punched their tickets as sophomores to the 2020 NCAA Division I National Championships after posting second place finishes.  They were joined by Angelo Rini (133) finishing on the podium in seventh place for a strong showing by the Lions in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.
 
On Sunday Columbia returns, with the tournament in Salem, Virginia getting started at 9 a.m.  Doors open at 8 a.m. and any fans traveling down south of the Mason Dixon Line can purchase tickets at the door for $15.  FloWrestling/FloArena will provide a live stream (subscription required) and live results of the action throughout the day.
 
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
Southeast Open – Live Stats | Watch (FloWrestling [$]) | Social Media (@culionswr)
 
CAPTAINS OF THREE: At the start of the season, at Columbia's outdoor practice during Columbia Football's Homecoming game on Oct. 16, Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli announced that Kazimir and Manchio will be joined by Brian Bonino as the 142nd, 143rd and 144th Lions to be named team captains for the 2021-22 season. 
 
"All three bring unique elements to the program that consistently elevate the men and women of this team to be better versions of themselves," said Tanelli.  "They deserve to have a title associated with their leadership." 
 
Bonino, who wrestles at 184 pounds, is the lone senior of the group and this will be his first year back on the mat after two seasons.  He enters his senior season with a 16-19, 4-4 EIWA, 2-2 IVY collegiate record.  During his sophomore season Bonino cracked the starting lineup and earned a pair of wins at the 2019 EIWA Championships.
 
Kazimir's 2019-20 season was a solid one, going 26-9 and earning a team-high eight wins via fall.  He finished the year ranked as the No. 28 141-pounder according to Trackwrestling, going 7-5 in EIWA bouts through the season.  Kazimir brings experience and a 44-14, 13-6 EIWA, 5-4 IVY career record into the 2021-22 season.
 
Manchio finished second at the 2020 EIWA Championships after pinning the No. 5 125-pounder in the nation in the semifinals to lock up a National Championship qualification.  He finished the 2020 season with a 25-11 record and comes into the 2021-22 season with a 45-26, 12-11 EIWA, 3-7 IVY career record and he also posted a fifth-place finish at the 2019 EIWA Championships and already has seven wins under his belt at the EIWA Championships.

NATIONALLY RANKED LIONS:  Three Lions earned preseason national rankings ahead of the season, with Manchio, Kazimir and Rini all being ranked by either FloWrestling or Intermat.  

Kazimir carries the highest rankings among the Lions, with the 141-pound junior being ranked No. 16 by Intermat and earning an honorable mention in FloWrestling's rankings.  In the Intermat rankings, Kazimir is the second-highest ranked at 141 pounds in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association.
 
At 125 pounds Manchio's No. 28 ranking comes from Intermat, while he earned an honorable mention from FloWrestling.  Manchio is one of five 125-pounds ranked from the EIWA, making it one of the toughest weight classes in the conference heading into the season.  As for Rini, he snagged himself a No. 32 ranking from Intermat at 133 pounds.
 
NEW FACES/EXPERIENCED RETURNERS:  Having not competed since the 2019-20 season, Columbia has themselves a large collection of new faces with 18 Lions wearing the Columbia Blue for the first time this weekend and going forward.  That group of Lions covers every weight class from 125 pounds to 285 pounds, with state champions and qualifiers among the mix.
 
"It's exciting to finally get these guys to wear the Columbia C and sit in their corners," said Tanelli.  "We spend a lot of time invested in the recruiting process and we have been invested in their success since they committed to Columbia.  The staff and myself are ready to help those guys get going here at Columbia."
 
Returning for Columbia will be a collection of experienced wrestlers.  Among them are NCAA Championship qualifiers Manchio and Kazimir, along with 20-match winners in Kyle Mosher (157) and Rini.  Danny Conley (285), Joe Franzese (184), Andrew Garr (149), Lennox Wolak (174) and Sam Wustefeld (197) all return having been key parts of the 2019-20 starting lineup.
 
TOP SCHEDULE: This year's schedule is chalk full of top 25 competition with the Lions facing seven teams that have been ranked inside the NWCA Preseason Top 25. 
 
"We want to be the best, and in order to be the best you have to beat the best," said Tanelli.  "The guys wanted to face tough competition and we created this schedule along with the leaders of the team.  It won't be a cakewalk, but that's not what we want, we want to get our guys in position to win EIWA titles and score at nationals."
 
The stretch begins with a visit on Morningside by the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines on Friday, Nov. 19.  The remainder of the top 25 meetings will be on the road with a visit to No. 24 Lehigh (Jan. 14), a meeting against No. 7 Oklahoma State (Jan. 16) in Morgantown, West Virginia, a trip to No. 22 Princeton (Jan. 22), No. 13 Cornell (Jan. 29), No. 15 Pitt (Feb. 6) and a final meeting to wrap up the season with No. 19 Rutgers (Feb. 19) in Piscataway, New Jersey.
 
It's easily one of the toughest schedules the program has ever faced but should prepare the Lions for the top competition they will see at the EIWA Championships and the NCAA National Championships.
 
LEVIEN HOME:  For the first time since 2015, when the Lions hosted a doubleheader, Columbia Wrestling will be on Schiller Court in Levien Gymnasium.  Locked in and set are the Nov. 19 match against No. 4 Michigan and the Jan. 9 EIWA opener against LIU.
 
"We want to grow Columbia Wrestling and ever year I've been here it has been evolving and growing," said Tanelli.  "And for us we want to create a better atmosphere for both our fans and the students.  We are excited to grow the Columbia Wrestling experience by moving into Levien Gym."
 
Tickets will be sold to the Michigan match with more information to follow.
 
COLUMBIA'S PROJECTED LINEUPS
Southeast Open (Nov. 7, 2021)
Salem, Va. (Cregger Center)
 
125 POUNDS
Joe Manchio
Nick Babin
 
133 POUNDS
Spencer Good
Zack Witmer
 
141 POUNDS
Gunnar Fuss
Kenny Duschek
 
149 POUNDS
Matt Arciuolo
Jerome Scott III
Dominic Rossetti
Danny Fongaro
 
157 POUNDS
Matt Romanelli
Kyle Mosher
Cesar Alvan
 
165 POUNDS
Joshua Ogunsanya
Jack McGill
Chimenum Tasie-Amadi
 
174 POUNDS
Aaron Ayzerov
Sam Webster
Nick Fine
 
184 POUNDS
Brian Bonino
 
197 POUNDS
Joe Franzese
Javen Jovero
 
285 POUNDS
Jalen Stephens
Danny Conley
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsWR), Instagram (@culionswr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).