Hawkeyes to wrestle at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 16

The Univesity of Iowa will be one of nine NCAA Division I wrestling programs that will participate in college wrestling's first event held at one sports most prestigious venues.

MSG Sports announced Thursday that the Hawkeyes will be part of "Grapple at the Garden, benefiting Beat the Streets" at New York City's Madison Square Garden, on Sunday, Dec. 16. Bucknell, Chattanooga, Hofstra, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Rutgers will also compete in the two-session event. Beat the Streets is an organization focused on providing opportunities for individuals to benefit from the lessons and skills provided through wrestling, while helping gain exposure for the sport.

In the dual competition, Iowa will face Bucknell in the opening session and then face Hofstra during the second session. The world-famous arena provides a much-needed big stage to a sport that could use it.

“Madison Square Garden has a long and legendary history with collegiate athletics and we look forward to welcoming the finest collegiate wrestlers in the country on December 16,” Executive vice president, MSG Sports, Joel Fisher said in a news release.  “There's no better way to host our first-ever collegiate wrestling meet than with these nine top universities with first-rate wrestling programs.”

The field will include Iowa's two-time NCAA champion and three-time NCAA finalist Matt McDonough, Ohio State NCAA champion Logan Stieber and Oklahoma State national champion Jordan Oliver, who lost to Stieber in the 133-pound finals in March.

This is an honor and privilege for the Bucknell Wrestling program to be invited to compete in this prestigious wrestling event in Madison Square Garden. This is a unique opportunity for our student-athletes to experience such a historic venue and to compete against one of the best wrestling programs of all-time, the Iowa Hawkeyes. We look forward to the challenge," Bucknell Coach Dan Wirnsberger said. "Our participation in this event allows us the opportunity to be involved with something that is even bigger than wrestling, which is the Beat the Streets program of New York City. The organization has a mission to make a difference in young people's lives and teach them life-long skills through the sport. This is an event our student-athletes are excited to be a part of and will always remember."

Iowa has yet to confirm its participation in the event, and the upcoming schedule isn't usually released until later in the year.

Bucknell has announced it will face Iowa at the event.

Hofstra announced plans to wrestle Iowa at MSG as well.

Below is the official news release from MSG Sports (which ran at InterMat and themat.com):

COLLEGE WRESTLING MEET TO MAKE HISTORIC MADISON SQUARE GARDEN DEBUT IN THE INAUGURAL “GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN, BENEFITTING BEAT THE STREETS” BUCKNELL, CHATTANOOGA, HOFSTRA, IOWA, MARYLAND, NEBRASKA, OKLAHOMA STATE, OHIO STATE & RUTGERS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16

New York, NY, June 7, 2012 - MSG Sports announced today that, for the first time in Madison Square Garden history, collegiate wrestling will take to the mat in the inaugural “Grapple at the Garden, benefitting Beat the Streets.” Bucknell, Chattanooga, Hofstra, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Rutgers will participate in the historic event on Sunday, December 16, at The World's Most Famous Arena.

Nine of the country's top college wrestling programs will converge at Madison Square Garden for what will be the first-ever collegiate wrestling dual meet in The Garden's illustrious history. Five of the participating institutions placed in the top 25 during the NCAA Division I Championships. They include Iowa with a third place finish, Ohio State with a fifth place finish and Oklahoma State, which finished in sixth place. Also included are Nebraska and Hofstra, which finished 21st and 23rd respectively.

Oklahoma State and Iowa are by far two of the greatest dynasties in all of college athletics and, together, have a combined total of 57 NCAA wrestling championships. This includes 34 championships for Oklahoma State, which marks a record for the most titles held by one university in any college sport in the country.

“Madison Square Garden has a long and legendary history with collegiate athletics and we look forward to welcoming the finest collegiate wrestlers in the country on December 16,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports. “There's no better way to host our first-ever collegiate wrestling meet than with these nine top universities with first-rate wrestling programs.”

The “Grapple at the Garden, benefitting Beat the Streets” will showcase the many talents of college's top wrestlers including Iowa's two-time NCAA champion Matt McDonough, who recently captured the 125 lb. championship at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships this season as well as Ohio State's Logan Stieber, who in his first season captured the 133 lb. title at the NCAA Championships, defeating number one seed and defending national champion Jordan Oliver from Oklahoma State.

Long Island native and 2011 ACC Coach of the Year, Kerry McCoy will lead his Maryland Terrapins into the Garden when they take on Nebraska and Ohio State. McCoy, a two-time Olympian, four-time World Cup Champion and three-time NCAA All-American, captured the silver medal in the 2003 World Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden.

Additionally, prior to rebuilding The Ohio State University wrestling program, head coach Tom Ryan spent 11 years as head coach at Hofstra. Ryan, who grew up on Long Island, and his Buckeyes team will now face off against his former school during session one on December 16th.

The full day of wrestling on December 16 will consist of two separate sessions with the first starting at 10:30 a.m. with Rutgers vs. Chattanooga, Maryland vs. Nebraska, Ohio State vs. Hofstra and Iowa vs. Bucknell. Session two will begin at 12:30 p.m. and feature Rutgers vs. Nebraska, Oklahoma State vs. UTC, Ohio State vs. Maryland and Iowa vs. Hofstra.

Tickets will be available at a later date. To sign up for the exclusive Pre-Sale, please visit www.MSGINSIDER.com.

Bucknell Head Coach, Dan Wirnsberger:

"This is an honor and privilege for the Bucknell Wrestling program to be invited to compete in this prestigious wrestling event in Madison Square Garden. This is a unique opportunity for our student-athletes to experience such a historic venue and to compete against one of the best wrestling programs of all-time, the Iowa Hawkeyes. We look forward to the challenge.

"Our participation in this event allows us the opportunity to be involved with something that is even bigger than wrestling, which is the Beat the Streets program of New York City. The organization has a mission to make a difference in young people's lives and teach them life-long skills through the sport. This is an event our student-athletes are excited to be a part of and will always remember."

Hofstra Head Coach, Rob Anspach:

“We are truly excited about participating in the “Grapple at the Garden” in the World's Most Famous Arena. The Pride has wrestled in some of the great venues around the country over the years. But it is special to bring nine of the top schools in the nation into our backyard for one of the greatest dual match events ever. While we have hosted events at the New York Athletic Club in the city numerous times, the magnitude of wrestling in Madison Square Garden, along with the outstanding teams that are participating, should make this a must-see event for every sports fan.”

Chattanooga Head Coach Heath Eslinger:

“We are very excited about participating in the “Grapple at the Garden”. To be one of the first collegiate teams to compete in an arena as historic as Madison Square Garden will be a big thrill for everyone involved with our program. It also gives us a chance to challenge ourselves against some of the best teams in the NCAA on one of the biggest stages in the country.”

Maryland Head Coach Kerry McCoy:

"We are really excited to have our team participate in this inaugural event. MSG is the World's Greatest Arena. To compete on that stage will be an awesome experience for our student-athletes."

Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning:

"We are very excited to be part of a great event in NYC's Madison Square Garden, which will make for a tremendous atmosphere. Also, New York is an area where we recruit and have a lot of familiarity with HS coaches, so we are truly excited about this unique opportunity."

Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale:

“Rutgers Wrestling is proud to have the opportunity to compete inside our country's most recognizable arena, Madison Square Garden. The Grapple at the Garden event will bring some the nation's top wrestling programs to New York City, which is right in Rutgers' backyard. This is an excellent opportunity for Scarlet Knight fans to be loud and proud in the Garden. Our team and coaching staff will be ready to go.”

Ohio State Head Coach Tom Ryan:

“The Buckeyes are looking forward to being a part of the MSG Duals and competing against so many great institutions while enjoying all the excitement the Big Apple has to offer,” Tom Ryan, Ohio State head coach, said. “Competing against Coach Anspach's Hofstra Pride, the defending CAA champions, and Coach McCoy's Maryland Terrapins, the defending ACC champions, will provide us with some great mid-season challenges.”