Hempstead, NY – As the Hofstra University Department of Athletics prepares to serve as institutional host for the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden in March, Hofstra Vice President and Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway announced today that the University will serve as hosts for the 2018 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships.

The 114th edition of the EIWA Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, 2018 at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on the Hofstra campus. 

"We are proud members of the EIWA and first discussed hosting the EIWA Championships on the day we joined the conference," Hathaway said. "The long history of the EIWA has seen some of the best wrestling in the country and Long Island has great wrestling fans. We are excited to be able to bring this championship and all of its talented student-athletes to Long Island for a tremendous weekend of wrestling."

"As a coach, I am honored that our wrestling program has been selected to host the 2018 EIWA Championships on the Hofstra campus," Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach Dennis Papadatos said. "It is truly a gift to be able to bring some of the best student-athletes in the country into our home arena for the great wrestling fans of Long Island. We will continue to work hard to be able to challenge for the EIWA Championship this year and every year leading up to the 2018 tournament."

The 2018 EIWA Championship will be the third conference wrestling championship that Hofstra will host since the turn of the century. The Pride hosted the 2003 and the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Championships at the Mack Sports Complex. Both times Hofstra captured conference titles as part of nine consecutive CAA titles and 12 in 13 seasons.

The Pride joined the EIWA, the largest and oldest wrestling conference in the country, for the 2013-14 season. Hofstra crowned its first EIWA champion that season as Joe Booth captured the 165-lb weight class. 

The 2016 EIWA Championship will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6 at Princeton University. The 2017 Championship being held at Bucknell University. While the Big Red of Cornell have captured nine consecutive conference championships to boost their all-time total to 23, the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh have won the most EIWA championships with 34. Columbia and Pennsylvania have participated in the most EIWA Championships with 111.