Wrestling Hosts Indiana in Home Opener Thursday, Travels to Black Knight Invite Sunday

Thursday, November 21

New York, N.Y.

7:30 PM

Columbia University

Indiana

Photo by: Sam Janicki / Michigan Athletics

Wrestling Hosts Indiana in Home Opener Thursday, Travels to Black Knight Invite Sunday

11/20/2024 2:58:00 PM | Wrestling

Live Stream - Indiana Dual Live Results - Indiana Dual Live Stream - Black Knight Invite

Columbia continues its schedule with a dual match and tournament this week

By: Garret Sulak

NEW YORK – The Columbia wrestling team will make its home debut Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. dual match against Indiana inside Levien Gymnasium. The Lions will cap off the week with a trip to West Point, New York for the Black Knight Invite on Sunday.

LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday's dual match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live results will be available through TrackWrestling.

ACCESSING LEVIEN GYMNASIUM
For Thursday's dual match, spectators without a valid Columbia University ID or registered QR code will need to enter campus through the Northwest Science Building at W. 120th & Broadway. Spectators will be able to enter Levien Gym through the NoCo Building lobby doors. After the event, spectators should exit the Dodge Fitness Center by retracing their route through the Northwest Science Building to W. 120th Street.

LAST TIME OUT
Columbia is 1-1 in dual matches this season after opening the dual portion of the schedule with a 27-15 win at Cleveland State last Friday. Columbia then fell to No. 9 Michigan on Sunday, 28-9.

Nick Fine and Richard Fedalen were a highlight of the weekend as they both went 2-0 with bout wins at Cleveland State and Michigan. Fine posted an upset in sudden victory over Michigan's 15^th-ranked Jaden Bullock as the Lions earned three bout wins against the Wolverines.

Columbia capitalized on bonus point opportunities with three pins, a tech fall and a major decision against Cleveland State as the Lions and Vikings split the 10 bouts, taking five each. No. 26 Kai Owen, Fedalen, No. 29 Cesar Alvan, Jack McGill and Fine posted bout wins at Cleveland State. Fedalen, Dominic Rossetti and Fine earned bout wins at Michigan to finish off the weekend road trip.

IVY LEAGUE WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Nick Fine was named the Ivy League Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday after finishing last weekend 2-0 with bout wins in Columbia's dual matches against Cleveland State and No. 9 Michigan.

Fine started the weekend with a 10-1 major decision win against Cleveland State's JR Reed as Columbia cruised to a 27-15 win in the dual against Cleveland State. Fine secured his second victory of the weekend on Sunday with an upset in sudden victory over Michigan's 15^th-ranked Jaden Bullock. Fine is the second Columbia wrestler to garner Ivy League Wrester of the Week honors this season. Cesar Alvan won the award to start the season.

PROJECTED LINEUP
125: Sulayman Bah or Connor Smith
133: Boris Witmer
141: #26 Kai Owen
149: Richard Fedalen or Kenny Duschek
157: Rawson Iwanicki or Dominic Rossetti
165: #31 Cesar Alvan
174: Jack McGill
184: #29 Nick Fine
197: Ike Schmidt or Javen Jovero
285: Billy McChesney or Vincent Mueller
*FloWrestling Rankings

RANKED LIONS
Kai Owen, Cesar Alvan and Nick Fine are all ranked in the FloWrestling poll this week, while Owen and Alvan remain in the Intermat rankings. Fine jumped into the FloWrestling rankings after his upset win over Michigan's Jaden Bullock on Sunday.

Kai Owen (141) – 26 (FloWrestling), 26 (Intermat)
Cesar Alvan (165) – 31 (FloWrestling), 26 (Intermat)
Nick Fine (184) – 29 (FloWrestling), NR (Intermat)

THE INDIANA MATCHUP
Columbia will meet Indiana Thursday in just the second ever meeting between the programs. The Lions and Hoosiers last met in Orlando, Florida in 2010 when Indiana took a 22-15 win. Indiana is 3-0 in duals this season, including wins against Cal Baptist, Cal Poly and Central Michigan. The Hoosiers edged past Central Michigan last Friday on tie-breaker criteria as the two teams split bouts won.

Former Lion Angelo Rini will be back in Levien Gymnasium Thursday night, but on the opposing team bench. Rini previously spent five years as a member of the Columbia wrestling team before heading to Indiana as a graduate student. Rini is Indiana's projected starter at 133 pounds.

BLACK KNIGHT INVITE
Columbia will compete against some of the top talent in college wrestling Sunday at the Black Knight Invite. The Lions will be joined by wrestlers from Army, Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Gardner-Webb, LIU, Michigan State, Penn State and Rutgers. Action Sunday at the Black Knight Invite will be streamed live through FloWrestling.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS 
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on X (@CULionsWR), Instagram (@culionswr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).