CLEVELAND, Ohio – When Edinboro competes in the 44th Annual EWL Championships on Saturday, March 9, it will mark the last time the teams will meet as members of the Eastern Wrestling League. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced today a historic membership expansion in the sport of wrestling as the MAC has added seven new affiliate members from the EWL – Edinboro, Bloomsburg, Clarion, Cleveland State, George Mason, Lock Haven, and Rider – to begin competing in the MAC with the 2019-20 wrestling season.
The addition of the seven new affiliate members makes the MAC the second largest NCAA Division I wrestling conference. MAC wrestling membership includes Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio, along with current affiliate members Missouri (since 2013), Old Dominion (since 2013) and SIU-Edwardsville (since 2018). The eight current MAC members will compete in the 2019 MAC Wrestling Championship on March 8-9 in Norfolk, Va. on the campus of Old Dominion University. Next season the 15 MAC wrestling programs will compete in the 2020 MAC Wrestling Championship on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.
In the MAC's release, it was noted that the addition to wrestling membership enhances the MAC's stature as one of the leading Division I Wrestling Conferences in the nation with legendary collegiate wrestling programs and solidifies membership and future growth in the sport of wrestling. This addition will also provide the MAC footprint across the Midwest towards the East Coast.
"For over 30 years the Eastern Wrestling League has afforded Edinboro the opportunity to enjoy great success in Division One wrestling," Edinboro Director of Athletics Dr. Katherine Robbins commented. "The EWL experienced significant change and now will join forces with the Mid-American Conference. That allows us to maintain our rivalries with current EWL schools, while at the same time branching out to face some of the best competition Division I wrestling has to offer. This is an exciting day for Edinboro wrestling, and will lay the foundation for a bright future for our coaches and team."
The affiliation with the MAC will also impact Edinboro's wrestling membership with the PSAC. "With the announcement to join the MAC, Edinboro University and our other EWL partners that are also Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference members have informed the PSAC that we will no longer participate in the conference's annual championship," noted Robbins. "The new affiliation requires that we concentrate fully on our Division I membership and other scheduling opportunities. We thank the PSAC for helping us make a move for the betterment of our wrestling program."
Current head coach Matt Hill is a former Edinboro standout under former head coach Tim Flynn. He took over the program in May 2019 and is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference, serving as an assistant coach for 11 seasons at Kent State. He was a three-time national qualifier at Edinboro and ranks among the career leaders with 105 wins.
"After spending 11 years coaching in the MAC conference at Kent State University, I feel like it's a smart and strategic move for the EWL to join the MAC next season," related Hill. "Being in the MAC will allow us to wrestle the toughest competition in the country weekly and give our wrestlers more opportunities to make the NCAA Championships at our conference tournament each year. I'm excited for the challenge and look forward to wrestling these bigger schools. The bar will be set high and we welcome this exciting opportunity."
Edinboro wrestling debuted on the Division I level in 1986, joining the Eastern Wrestling League in 1988-89. Since that time, the Fighting Scots have enjoyed a rich tradition of excellence under head coaches Mike DeAnna, Bruce Baumgartner, Flynn, and now Hill. In the last 21 years, Edinboro won 15 EWL championships and came in second on four other occasions. That included a string of eight straight team titles, and 12 in a span of 13 years.
Edinboro wrestling has had four Division I national champions – Sean O'Day (1989 – 134 lbs.), Josh Koscheck (2001 – 174 lbs.), Gregor Gillespie (2007 – 149 lbs.), and Jarrod King (2009 – 165 lbs.). The Fighting Scots have celebrated 59 Division I All-Americans.
Since 1987, Edinboro has had nine top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division I National Championships, highlighted by a third place showing in 2015 as Mitchell Port and Dave Habat reached the national championship match at 141 and 149 lbs., respectively, and A.J. Schopp (133 lbs.) and Vic Avery (165 lbs.) placed third.
