They are ranked pretty high up in one of the toughest conferences for wrestling in the nation. In the Cascade Collegiate Conference pre-season poll, Embry-Riddle came in at number three. The University of Providence is number two, and Southern Oregon, last year’s conference champs, is number one. Also on the poll, Corban University and Montana State-Northern are tied at number four, and Arizona Christian is number five.
Individually for Riddle, heavyweight Kenneth Copley, 174-pounder Daniil Gorshkov, and 141-pounder Adam Stanley are all ranked first in their weight classes. Copley finished third at both the conference tournament and the NAIA national tournament last year, while Gorshkov was the conference champion and placed fourth at nationals. Trenton Bloomquist is also ranked second at 197 pounds.
The Eagles open the season in Kansas versus Avila University on Halloween Day.