Grapple at the Garden to feature Dake vs. Jenkins

Four-time NCAA National Champion, Kyle Dake will face off against 2011 NCAA National Champion Bubba Jenkins in a much anticipated freestyle wrestling main event at the second annual Grapple at the Garden, presented by Suplay.com, MSG Sports announced today.  In a unique senior level showcase match promoted in association with Xcel Worldwide, Dake, the former Cornell standout who became the first wrestler in NCAA history to win the national championship in four different weight classes will square off against former NCAA wrestling national champion and current mixed martial arts fighter Jenkins.

Kyle Dake ended his career at Cornell last March becoming the first college wrestler to win four NCAA titles at four different weights in four straight years.

Bubba Jenkins ended his college career at Arizona State in 2011, beating David Taylor (of his former Penn State team) in the 157-pound final.

Tickets start at $20.00 and will go on-sale today and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.thegarden.com/grapple.

Joining Army, Bloomsburg, Boston University, Cornell, Drexel, George Mason, Hofstra, Illinois, Maryland, Penn, Princeton and Rutgers will be four local wrestling programs including Stevens Institute of Technology and NYU in an NCAA Division 3 matchup, as well as a match between the men’s club teams from Stony Brook University and Westchester Community College bringing the total to an unprecedented 16 teams for the one-day dual-meet event.

In addition to the action packed collegiate match ups, the second annual Grapple at the Garden, presented by Suplay.com will also feature the finals of the Public School Athletic League Holiday Tournament, produced in association with Beat The Streets. All 16 participating high schools including Horace Mann, Monsignor Farrell, Brooklyn Tech, Poly Prep, Benjamin Cardoza, Martin Luther King, Eagle Academy, Fordham Prep, James Madison, New Utrecht, Petrides, Martin Luther, Mt. St. Michael, Wingate, Grand Street, and Curtis will be competing in dual meets.

Additionally, the finals of the inaugural Grapple at the Garden middle school championship, produced in association with the Metropolitan Wrestling Association will take place prior to the high school matches.  For all middle school wrestlers interested in registering to compete, please visit www.wrestlereg.com on or after October 1. Valid tournament registration includes two tickets to all Grapple at the Garden festivities. All competitors must have a current USA Wrestling card.

Grapple at the Garden, presented by Suplay.com will feature several stand-out wrestlers including Illinois’ Jesse Delgado who won his for first-ever NCAA Championship this year. Delgado defeated No. 4 seed Nico Megaludis from Penn State 7-4 in the championship match to give the Illini their first national champion in the 125 lb weight class. Additionally, Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett placed third in his respective weight class at the 2013 NCAA Championships.

The full day of wrestling on December 1 will include two dual meet sessions with the first starting at 10:00 a.m. with Maryland vs. Cornell, Rutgers vs. George Mason, Illinois vs. Bloomsburg, Hofstra vs. Army, Boston U. vs. Penn, Drexel vs. Princeton, and Stony Brook vs. West Chester CC.  Session two is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. and will feature Cornell vs. Illinois, Rutgers vs. Maryland, Princeton vs. Army, Bloomsburg vs. Penn, George Mason vs. Drexel, Hofstra vs. Boston U, and NYU vs. Stevens.

Suplay.com, the world renowned wrestling gear supplier, has once again signed on as presenting partner of the premier Grapple at the Garden wrestling event.