Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Purdue
Dragons Kick Off 2021-22 Season; Hosts No. 21 Purdue on Saturday
11/1/2021 1:34:00 PM | Wrestling
PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel wrestling team welcomes No. 21 Purdue University to the Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) on Saturday, Nov. 6, for its season opener at 1 p.m. The team will then head on the road Sunday for the 53rd annual East Stroudsburg Open at Koehler Fieldhouse in East Stroudsburg, Pa.
2021 NCAA QUALIFIERS
The Dragons return several heavy hitters to their 2021-22 roster in addition to five of their six NCAA qualifiers from 2020-21, including Mickey O'Malley, Luke Nichter, Bryan McLaughlin, Evan Barczak and Parker Kropman.
Kropman, O'Malley and McLaughlin were each ranked in the InterMat preseason poll this fall.
Kropman – No. 30 @ 157lbs
O'Malley – No. 18 @ 174lbs
McLaughlin – No. 28 @ 184lbs
AMONG THE RANKS
In addition to their season-opening contest with No. 21 Purdue, the Dragon's schedule also features several ranked opponents, including a road match against No. 7 Oklahoma State on Nov. 28 and a home match against #13 Cornell on Feb. 6.
BOILERMAKER BREAKDOWN
The Boilermakers won four duals last season and finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships. The teams' 4-5 record included three significant victories over ranked opponents, including No. 21 Northwestern, No. 20 Rutgers, and No. 22 Michigan State.
Purdue sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA tournament in 2021, including returners Devin Schroder (125), Parker Filius (141), Kendal Coleman (157), GerritNijenhuis (165), Max Lyon (184), and Thomas Penola (197).
THE SERIES
This will be the fourth time that the Boilermakers and the Dragons face off. The first time these two teams met was on Jan. 19, 2003. Purdue currently holds a 3-0 advantage.
TOURNAMENT STYLE
Drexel's lineup will include three tournament-style matches starting with the East Stroudsburg Open on Nov. 7, followed by the Keystone Classic on Nov. 21 and the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2.
DRAGONS ON FLOWRESTLING/NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA
Drexel Wrestling and FloSports have renewed their agreement to provide live and on-demand coverage of all home matches for the 2021-22 season on FloWrestling. In addition, two of the Dragons matchups will receive regional coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The following Drexel home matches will appear on FloWrestling:
Nov. 6 // Purdue
Jan. 23 // Bucknell
Feb. 5 // Hofstra &LIU
Feb. 6 // Cornell
The following Drexel home matches will appear on NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Jan. 9 // Oregon State
Feb. 18 // Rider
CONFERENCE LINEUP
The Dragons conference slate will feature seven of the EIWA's 17 member schools.
Jan. 14 // at Brown
Jan. 15 // at Binghamton
Jan. 23 // vs Bucknell
Jan. 30 // at American
Feb. 5 // vs Hofstra & LIU
Feb. 6 // vs Cornell
Feb. 13 // at Penn
THE FINALE
The 118th EIWA tournament is set to be hosted by Cornell University on Saturday, Mar. 5, and Sunday, Mar. 6, in the Newmann Arena at Bartels Hall. The EIWA Championships serve as an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and are recognized as one of the most competitive conference tournaments in the nation. It's also the largest, with 17 schools competing for the prestigious EIWA team title and numerous automatic berths to the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Tournament will be held on Mar. 17-19 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Players Mentioned
