Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
After Historic Finish, Wrestling Team Announces Loaded — Seriously Loaded — 2017-18 Schedule
September 20, 2017 | Wrestling
The 2017-18 Schedule
Princeton wrestling coach Chris Ayres believes enough in his team that he's willing to take them anywhere to compete against the best.
Want proof? Check out the 2017-18 schedule (and the preseason FloWrestling rankings).
#2 Ohio State? We'll meet you in Delaware.
#3 Michigan? See you at Purdue.
#8 Virginia Tech? Let's head to Madison Square Garden.
#6 Lehigh and #13 Rutgers? Well, you guys can come to Princeton.
Princeton, coming off a historic 2017 season when the team finished third at EIWAs and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, announced its upcoming schedule Wednesday, and it features arguably the toughest non-league slate of competition in program history.
There is a method to Ayres' madness, of course. He wants his guys completely prepared for their final two trips: Long Island (EIWAs) and Cleveland (NCAAs).
"I love this schedule," Ayres said. "I think any coach can say that they believe in their wrestlers and the training they design, but to show it with action is a much higher level of conviction, and this schedule shouts that we believe in this program.
"I have to give special recognition to Coach [Sean] Gray for coordinating this schedule as it was one of the most challenging years to coordinate ever. We have a standard number of Top 20 or Big 10 teams we want to wrestle each year, and late in the scheduling process we didn't meet that standard, so there was a lot of scrambling late in the game to add Ohio State, Michigan, and Purdue. It wasn't easy getting there, but Coach Gray was diligent in finalizing what I think is a great schedule."
The 2017-18 season begins Nov. 4 at home with the Princeton Open, which will lead in to the 2017 NWCA All-Star Classic, set for Nov. 5 at Jadwin Gym (3:00 pm). Princeton will also compete in the Navy Classic before its dual match opener, a Dec. 1 home showdown with the sixth-ranked Lehigh Mountain Hawks, a team led by 2017 NCAA champion Darian Cruz.
December will feature the neutral-site matches with both #8 Virginia Tech (Madison Square Garden) and #2 Ohio State (the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware), before Princeton returns to the Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30.
Princeton will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., during the first weekend of January for matches against Purdue and #3 Michigan, and then will return home for two more matches before opening its Ivy stretch in February.
Following a Feb. 3-4 weekend at both Harvard and Delaware, Princeton will close November with a fascinating four-match homestand, which will include a Feb. 10 showdown with Ivy champion Cornell, and a Feb. 18 match with #13 Rutgers.
Princeton wrestling coach Chris Ayres believes enough in his team that he's willing to take them anywhere to compete against the best.
Want proof? Check out the 2017-18 schedule (and the preseason FloWrestling rankings).
#2 Ohio State? We'll meet you in Delaware.
#3 Michigan? See you at Purdue.
#8 Virginia Tech? Let's head to Madison Square Garden.
#6 Lehigh and #13 Rutgers? Well, you guys can come to Princeton.
Princeton, coming off a historic 2017 season when the team finished third at EIWAs and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, announced its upcoming schedule Wednesday, and it features arguably the toughest non-league slate of competition in program history.
There is a method to Ayres' madness, of course. He wants his guys completely prepared for their final two trips: Long Island (EIWAs) and Cleveland (NCAAs).
"I love this schedule," Ayres said. "I think any coach can say that they believe in their wrestlers and the training they design, but to show it with action is a much higher level of conviction, and this schedule shouts that we believe in this program.
"I have to give special recognition to Coach [Sean] Gray for coordinating this schedule as it was one of the most challenging years to coordinate ever. We have a standard number of Top 20 or Big 10 teams we want to wrestle each year, and late in the scheduling process we didn't meet that standard, so there was a lot of scrambling late in the game to add Ohio State, Michigan, and Purdue. It wasn't easy getting there, but Coach Gray was diligent in finalizing what I think is a great schedule."
The 2017-18 season begins Nov. 4 at home with the Princeton Open, which will lead in to the 2017 NWCA All-Star Classic, set for Nov. 5 at Jadwin Gym (3:00 pm). Princeton will also compete in the Navy Classic before its dual match opener, a Dec. 1 home showdown with the sixth-ranked Lehigh Mountain Hawks, a team led by 2017 NCAA champion Darian Cruz.
December will feature the neutral-site matches with both #8 Virginia Tech (Madison Square Garden) and #2 Ohio State (the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware), before Princeton returns to the Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30.
Princeton will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., during the first weekend of January for matches against Purdue and #3 Michigan, and then will return home for two more matches before opening its Ivy stretch in February.
Following a Feb. 3-4 weekend at both Harvard and Delaware, Princeton will close November with a fascinating four-match homestand, which will include a Feb. 10 showdown with Ivy champion Cornell, and a Feb. 18 match with #13 Rutgers.
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