Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling Travels to EIWA Championships This Weekend
3/1/2007 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 1, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The all-freshmen Bucknell wrestling squad will begin action in its first postseason tournament this Friday as the Bison will travel to the EIWA Championships at East Stroudsburg University. The two-day tournament, slated for Mar. 2 and 3 in Koehler Fieldhouse, will consist of four sessions, with the first set for 11 a.m. on Friday morning.
In the most recent EIWA rankings that were released at the conclusion of the regular season, the Orange and Blue had three wrestlers land at the No. 4 spots in their respective weight classes: David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central) at 133, Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway) at 165 and Eric Lapotsky (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel Area) at 197.
Marble, who wrestles in one of the most competitive weight classes in the conference with four EIWA 133-pounders tabbed in the latest InterMat/NWCA/NWMA Division I Individual Rankings, enters the tournament with a record of 21-8. He finished his freshman campaign with a 16-6 mark in duals, including a 6-1 clip against EIWA opponents. Since suffering a 4-0 defeat to Ricky Donald of Bloomsburg on Dec. 17, Marble has yet to lose a bout with 10 consecutive wins. On Feb. 10 against Navy, he upset then 10th-ranked Joe Baker with a come-from-behind 8-6 victory.
Rendos, who is currently 20th in the nation and has been a fixture in the national polls throughout the season, posted 14 wins in a row before falling to Matt Button of Harvard in overtime in his final dual match of the year. Rendos broke Bucknell's single season dual-meet victories record, surpassing the previous mark of 16, finished with a duals record of 19-3 (6-1 EIWA) and is presently 23-3 overall.
After beginning 2006-07 with an overall record of 4-3, Lapotsky has rattled off 18 straight victories, compiling an overall slate of 22-3. Lapotsky, who has not lost a bout since Nov. 21, tied Rendos for the Bucknell dual-meet wins record, ending up at 19-2 in duals, 6-1 in EIWA matches. He is among the conference leaders in pins with a squad-best 12 on the year, as well.
Rounding out the list of the projected Bison competitors are: Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) at 125 with an overall record of 14-13, Zach Galligan (Boonville, N.Y./Adirondack) at 141 (6-15), Jack Conroy (Westport, Conn./Green Farms Academy) at 149 (6-15), Brantley Hooks (Spartansburg, S.C./James F.Byrnes) at 157 (15-10), Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) at 174 (15-9), George Mann (Orange, Ohio/Orange) at 184 (8-16), and George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) at heavyweight (13-10).
Forty-seven EIWA wrestlers will advance to the NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Mar. 15-17, second in qualifier allotments to only the Big Ten's total of 72. The top three finishers in each weight class at the EIWA Championships will be awarded automatic bids, while a vote by the EIWA coaches will determine the remaining 17 wild card selections.
