ELMIRA, N.Y. – Entering his first season as the Elmira College men's wrestling head coach, John Franchi has released the 2023-24 schedule for the Purple & Gold. The Soaring Eagles will compete in eight tournaments, including the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships in late February. The schedule also features five duals, with one being against NCAA Division II member, East Stroudsburg University.
 
Elmira will open its season on the road with a dual against the Warriors of East Stroudsburg University on November 1^st beginning at 5:00 P.M. The Soaring Eagles hosted the Warriors in the program's inaugural home dual last year inside Speidel Gymnasium.
 
For the first time this season, the Purple & Gold will compete in the Ithaca College Invitational, which spans two days. Action on day one of the invitational is scheduled to begin at 2:00 P.M., while competition on day two will begin at 9:00 A.M.
 
Another new tournament for the Soaring Eagles will follow as EC travels to Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 12^th for the Electric City Duals. The day-long event is slated to begin at 10:00 A.M. and will take place at the University of Scranton.
 
For the third straight year, EC will take part in the Blue Jay Classic on December 2^nd beginning at 9:30 A.M. The event is hosted by Elizabethtown College and features both Division II and Division III programs from the Northeast.
 
Elmira will take to the mat under the spotlight inside Speidel Gymnasium for a dual against Ursinus College on December 10^th beginning at 2:00 P.M. The match will also serve as Senior Day with the Soaring Eagles honoring the Class of 2024.
 
The Penn College Open awaits the Purple & Gold as Elmira kicks off the second half of its season in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on January 6^th at 10:00 A.M. Elmira then travels to Ursinus to take part in the Will Abele Invitational on January 13^th at 10:00 A.M. This will be the third straight year for Elmira participating in the Will Abele Invitational as Darius Green '24 placed third for the Soaring Eagles at Heavyweight last season.
 
A tri-match between Pitt-Bradford and Niagara County Community College will take place for the Soaring Eagles in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on January 16^th beginning at 7:00 P.M. EC will then travel to Nassau Community College to take part in the New York State Intercollegiate Open on January 20^th.
 
The final tournament action of the regular season for the Purple & Gold will come on January 29^th as Elmira travels to Jamestown, New York, to participate in the Jamestown Community College Open beginning at 9:45 A.M. The final dual of the season is scheduled for February 7^th as Elmira will face SUNY Brockport for the first time beginning at 6:00 P.M.
 
The 2024 NCAA Mideast Regionals will be held on February 24-25^th at a site to be named and will determine the qualifiers for the 2024 NCAA DIII Wrestling Championships. The event will be held on March 15-16^th at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.