NEW YORK — Seven home dual meets, six of which include programs ranked nationally in Intermat's preseason rankings, highlight the 2022-23 Columbia wrestling schedule, announced on Wednesday by Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Zach Tanelli.
 
Including the six home duals against ranked foes, Columbia will also visit two more ranked programs as the Lions work towards Ivy League and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association success with an eye on the NCAA National Championships. The Lions will welcome No. 5 Cornell, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Penn, No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 21 Lehigh, and No. 24 Princeton to Morningside, and will visit No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Michigan.
 
Columbia's home opener is scheduled for Dec. 11, against No. 18 Pittsburgh, its Ivy League opener will be on Jan. 20 when they host No. 24 Princeton, and the first EIWA dual will be a visit to American on Jan. 13. 
 
During the month of January, the Lions will play host in 5-of-6 six dual meets scheduled for the first month of 2023. It's the most consecutive home duals for Columbia since hosting six straight from Jan. 19-Feb. 10, 2019.
 
"As the program continues to evolve, so does our schedule," said Tanelli. "We are committed to wrestling the best teams in the nation to prepare us for the EIWA and NCAA tournaments in March. With four Top-10 and eight Top-25 teams on the schedule, we're not afraid to wrestle anyone. We are positioning ourselves to break down barriers when we roll into Tulsa."
 
The Lions, who had their best finish at the EIWA Championships since 2014 and scored the most points in program history (84.5), open the 2022-23 campaign as they did in 2021-22, with a visit to the Southeast Open, hosted by Virginia Tech on Nov. 6 in Salem, Virginia. Columbia opens its dual campaign with a weekend trip to No. 4 Ohio State (Nov. 18) and No. 7 Michigan (Nov. 20), rounding out the opening month of the season.
 
In December, the Lions will compete at the 40th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, set to run in Las Vegas, Nevada from Dec. 2-3. It's the second straight season Columbia will make the trip to the desert and the 16th time in program history.
 
Columbia's lone dual meet in December also doubles as the home opener, when on Sunday, Dec. 11, No. 18 Pitt makes the trip from Western Pennsylvania to visit the Lions on Morningside. The Lions round out 2022 in Coralville, Iowa, where they'll participate in the inaugural Salute 2 Service, which will be hosted at the Xtreme Energy Center and run from Dec. 29-30.
 
2023 begins on the road for Columbia, with a visit to American on Jan. 13, to open its EIWA dual season and get the new year underway. The trip to Washington, D.C., marks the only road trip for the entire month of January, with the next five duals being on Morningside.
 
On Jan. 15, Columbia welcomes No. 6 Oklahoma State to New York City, wrapping up the opening weekend of January. On Jan. 20, No. 24 Princeton opens Columbia's Ivy League campaign, and on Jan. 22, No. 16 Penn visits Columbia for back-to-back Ivy League duals.
 
No. 21 Lehigh pays a visit on Jan. 27, before No. 5 Cornell comes to town on Jan. 29, to finish Columbia's five-match home stretch.
 
The Lions kick off February in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and a visit to EIWA foe Bucknell on Feb. 3. The Lions then return to Ivy League duals with the New England road swing, starting at Harvard on Feb. 10 and ending the weekend at Brown on Feb. 11.
 
The season finale, which doubles as senior day for the Lions, is set for Feb. 19 with a visit from Maryland. The Lions then turn their attention to the EIWA Championships and qualification to the NCAA National Championships.
 
From Mar. 4-5, Penn will play host to the EIWA Championships and Columbia will make the trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, looking to build on its 2022 EIWA Championship success. And from Mar. 16-18, the NCAA Championships will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Columbia will look to make a statement to wrap up the 2022-23 season and Columbia's 120th season.
 
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