Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra Wrestling team will return to the friendly confines of the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex this Saturday, January 26 when the Pride host the Broncs of Rider University, and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponent the Bison of Bucknell University in a day-night doubleheader. The Rider match begins at noon with the Bucknell contest starting at 7 p.m.

Hofstra will provide live online stats of both matches through Track Wrestling and will also provide live video and audio of the two contests through Pride Productions. Links to both can be found elsewhere on this page as well as on the Hofstra Wrestling schedule page on GoHofstra.com. Tickets for Saturday's matches can be purchased online at Hofstratickets.com, in-person at the Hofstra Athletic Box Office at the Mack Sports Complex, or by phone at (516) 463-TIXX (8499).
 
Hofstra concluded their eight-match road trip with four contests in South Carolina last weekend and posted a 3-1 record. The Pride lost to Northern Illinois (33-7) but bounced back for a 26-11 victory over host The Citadel on Saturday. On Sunday, Hofstra took two matches at Lexington (SC) High School, defeating Davidson (33-8) and Gardner-Webb (32-13).

Several Hofstra wrestlers had outstanding weekends led by freshman Holden Heller, who was 3-1 at 149 pounds. Sophomore Garrett Lambert was also 3-1 at 141 pounds as was freshman Trey Rogers at 184 and junior Omar Haddad at 285 pounds an. Freshman Dylan Ryder was 4-0 on the weekend with two forfeit victories at 125 pounds.
 
Hofstra, which is now 4-7 on the season and 0-2 in EIWA matches, is led by Dylan Ryder, who is 17-9 overall and 9-2 in dual matches this season. Red-shirt sophomore Ricky Stamm is 11-10 at 165/174 pounds this year while Holden Heller, who was selected the GoHofstra.com Student-Athlete of the Week, is 8-6 on the year. Senior Nezar Haddad is 9-9 at 197 pounds.

The Broncs of Rider are 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Broncs have wins over Pennsylvania (20-18), Cleveland State (33-5), Drexel (21-13) and Edinboro (25-11). Their losses have come against Rutgers (28-6), Princeton (23-21), and Iowa State (29-17). Rider is led by 165-pound junior Jesse Dellavecchia, who is 17-3 on the season and ranked 15^th in the country. Red-shirt freshman Travis Layton is 12-9 at 141-pounds while junior Jonathan Tropea is 12-6 at 125-pounds. Eight of the 10 Rider starters have double-digit victories this season.

The Bison of Bucknell are 3-6 on the season and 1-3 in the EIWA. The Bison have wins over VMI (36-3), Cleveland State (25-10) and Harvard (35-3) and losses to Buffalo (25-12), Penn State (42-3), Pittsburgh (34-4), Navy (26-9), Lehigh (34-12) and Brown (20-18). Bucknell will wrestle at Sacred Heart at noon on Saturday before making their way to Hofstra for a 7 p.m. match. The Bison are led by freshman Zach Hartman, who is 16-4 at 157-pounds and ranked eighth in the country by InterMat. Junior Joey Gould is 7-5 at 141 pounds and ranked 22^nd by Track Wrestling. Classmate Drew Phipps is 13-7 at 197 pounds.

Following Saturday's matches, the Pride will hit the road again for an extended period as they will embark upon a six-match road swing. First up, will be two road matches on Saturday, February 2 when the Pride wrestle at Columbia at noon and at Franklin and Marshall at 7 p.m.