Wrestling Begins 2026 at LIU

Saturday, January 3

Brookville, N.Y.

1:00 PM

Columbia University

LIU

Nick Fine in 2nd consolation at NCAA Championships

Photo by: Scott Pilutik

1/2/2026 10:40:00 AM | Wrestling

The Lions renew their rivalry with LIU to begin New Year

NEW YORK – Columbia wrestling returns to action after its holiday break, taking on local rival LIU at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y. Saturday's dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's dual match against the Sharks will be streamed live on NEC Front Row, there will not be any live results.

LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, the Lions split a pair of dual meets at Rider. Columbia soundly defeated Clarion 32-9 before falling to the host Broncos 24-19 in a tight contest. Aaron Ayzerov went 2-0 for the Lions; his win via tech fall against Rider brought the Lions back to within five, making it 21-16. But the Broncos sealed the win at 197 when 21st-ranked Brock Zurawski outlasted Jack Wehmeyer for the 2-1 decision.

PROJECTED LINEUP (Intermat/FloWrestling ranking)
125: 33/NR Sulayman Bah
133: Evin Gursoy
141: 18/22 Lorenzo Frezza / Roman Lermer
149: Richard Fedalen
157: Kai Owen / Charles Scanlan
165: 27/26 Cesar Alvan
174: 30/33 Nick Fine / Oliver Howard
184: 19/16 Aaron Ayzerov / Joe Curtis
197: Jack Wehmeyer
285: Vincent Mueller

IN THE RANKINGS
In the latest rankings from Intermat and FloWrestling, Columbia has five athletes ranked in the
top 30. Sulayman Bah is ranked No. 33 in Intermat and unranked in FloWrestling. Lorenzo Frezza is ranked No. 18 in the Intermat rankings and No. 22 in FloWrestling. Cesar Alvan is ranked No. 27 and No. 26, respectively, in the two polls. Nick Fine Checks in at No. 30 in Intermat and No. 33 in FloWrestling. Aaron Ayzerov is ranked in the top-20 in both polls, including No. 16 in the FloWrestling poll.

ABOUT THE SHARKS
LIU enters Saturday's dual with an overall record of 1-8. At home this season, the Sharks are 1-2, with their lone win coming against Nassau Community College on Dec. 8. Last time out, the Sharks fell to Binghamton 40-4 in Vestal, N.Y

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST LIU
According to Columbia's records, Saturday will be the third meeting between LIU and the Lions, the second since LIU merged into one school. All-time, the Lions are 3-0 against their local rivals. The series dates back to January 11, 1972, when Columbia defeated LIU on the road 36-15. In more recent years, the Lions came out on top 45-3 on January 31, 2020. Last time out, Columbia soundly defeated the Sharks, 46-0, on January 9, 2021.

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).