LAKELAND, Fla. – The Southeastern wrestling team is set to host its first ever meet at The Fire Pit, the school's new wrestling facility, this Saturday. Most recently, the Fire dropped a pair of duals to University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) and Newberry College. SEU will play host to Allen University and the University of South Florida club team for a total of three dual competitions.
MEET TIMES: Allen vs. South Florida Saturday 10 a.m. | Southeastern vs. Allen Saturday 11:30 a.m. | Southeastern vs. South Florida Saturday 1 p.m.
COVERAGE: Watch Live Stats
FIRE PIT: Saturday will mark the first time Southeastern has hosted an intercollegiate wrestling meet at its new facility. The Fire Pit was a part of an expansion to its Student Activities Center, which opened on April 12, 2016. Its versatility is its greatest quality, allowing it to be used to host special events, assemblies, and much more. SEU modeled its wrestling facility after the Friedman Wrestling Center on the campus of Cornell University.
COLGAN'S CONFIDENCE: Junior
Zach Colgan has been locked in as of late. The Johnson City, N.Y. native was the only Fire wrestler to score victories in both of his matches in the Patriot Duals. Colgan also earned a first place finish in the 174 class in the Shorter Open on November 19
th, making him one of four champions the Fire posted at the competition.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS: Last season, the Fire defeated Allen 40-9 and USF 45-6 at the Florida State Fairgrounds as a part of the Cougar Duals.
THE YELLOW JACKETS: Allen is in its third season as an intercollegiate wrestling program. This will be the team's second dual meet of the season, having recently dropped a faceoff 42-9 versus Brewton Parker College on the road. The Yellow Jackets boast a team of consisting of all freshman. The Yellow Jackets are coached by Robert "Hollywood" Hemmingway, the program's first ever wrestling coach.
THE BULLS: The South Florida club team will participate in their first duals of the season. Freshman James Nereim has been the top performer for the Bulls, posting a 3-1 record on the season. Most recently, Nereim earned a second place finish in the 157 class at the Shorter Open. The head coach of USF is Daniel Gigantelli
