Friday, January 17, 2020 – 7 p.m.
#25 Rider Broncs (6-2, 2-1 MAC) vs. Edinboro Fighting Scots (8-4, 2-1 MAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Alumni Gymnasium
Live Video – ESPN+
Live Twitter Updates – Twitter.com/RiderWrestling

What You Need To Know
- The Rider University wrestling team plays host to conference rival Edinboro Friday night on ESPN+.
- The Broncs are currently ranked No. 25 in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, returning the rankings after earning their first-ever championship at the 40^th Annual Virginia Duals. Rider ranked as highly as No. 20 in the poll earlier this season.
- Rider earned wins over Duke, Maryland and then-No. 17 Virginia to earn the Virginia Duals Championship.
- Peter Lipari, Jesse Dellavecchia and Dean Sherry each went 3-0 at the Virginia Duals, while Jonathan Tropea and Joe Casey posted 2-0 marks.  
- Rider earned a statement victory over then-No. 6 Minnesota on Nov. 15. In the upset victory, Dean Sherry pinned nationally-ranked No. 6 Devin Skatzka. For his performance, Sherry was named MAC East Division Wrestler of the Week.
- The Broncs also had strong tournament showings at the Princeton Open, Keystone Classic and Southern Scuffle. The Broncs placed eight on the podium in Princeton and 12 more at the Keystone Classic, with Jesse Dellavecchia winning the title at both events. George Walton also took the title at 184 at the Keystone Classic. Dellavecchia, Laird and Sherry each reached the podium at the Southern Scuffle, placing second, third and sixth, respectively.  
- Dellavecchia has posted a 20-2 record so far this season and was named Rider Athlete of the Month for November. 
- Four Rider wrestlers are currently ranked nationally, led by Dellavecchia (157), whose highest ranking is No. 5 (WrestleStat). Laird (197) is ranked as highly as No. 8 by FloWrestling, while Sherry (174) takes the No. 17 ranking from FloWrestling. The Open Mat tabs Jonathan Tropea (125) at No. 20.
- Edinboro holds an 8-3 edge in the all-time series with Rider. However, the Broncs have won the last two, including a 21-15 win on Jan. 21, 2018, to snap the Fighting Scots' 24-match EWL winning streak.       
- Edinboro will face Bloomsburg on Thursday, before traveling to Lawrenceville. Most recently, the Fighting Scots defeated Gannon University, 38-0, on Jan. 5. Within MAC competition, Edinboro has Kent State and Ohio, while falling to George Mason.  
- The Fighting Scots are led by Jacob Oliver at 174. The 2019 NCAA Qualifier fell to Dean Sherry in the EWL Championships last season and has posted a 15-4 record this season.
- Rider, along with its six other former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) teams joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for 2019-20, creating a 15-team league that's the second-largest in NCAA Division I wrestling. The Broncs will face tough new competition from the likes of perennially top-ranked Missouri, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Old Dominion, Ohio and Northern Illinois.
- Rider returns four national qualifiers this season in Dean Sherry, who made his second-straight NCAA Championship appearance at 174 last year, along with Anthony Cefolo, Jesse Dellavecchia and Ethan Laird.
- Sherry and Laird both won EWL titles last year, while Cefolo and Dellavecchia finished as runners-up.
- The Broncs were picked fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, while five Broncs were ranked in the top six in their weight classes, led by Ethan Laird in the top spot at 197. Dean Sherry was picked second at 174, Jesse Dellavecchia and Anthony Cefolo took third at 157 and 125, respectively, while Chris Wright took sixth at 133. 
- A Rider wrestler has achieved All-American status on 17 occasions, including 15 different wrestlers. Current assistant coaches Chad Walsh and Ryan Wolfe were the last Broncs to earn All-American in 2017.