Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Intrasquad Match
Bucknell Wrestling Holds Intrasquad Match to Kick Off 2008-09 Season
10/30/2008 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 30, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Seventeen days before its first match of the 2008-09 season, the Bucknell wrestling team got is first chance to wrestle in front of fans inside Davis Gym Thursday night as it held its annual intrasquad match. The Blue squad, which featured five sophomores and two juniors among its nine wrestlers, defeated the Orange team that had four freshmen in its lineup by a 23-9 margin.
The Blue contingent took the first three matches and the final three matches, while the Orange team claimed the middle three bouts. A 133-pound match was not contested. There were a total of six decisions and two major decisions in the match, while Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) recorded the only pin seconds before the end of the third period at 197 pounds.
Freshman Derek Reber, a native of Lewisburg, got things started right for the Blue team as he defeated sophomore Jose' Matos (Williamstown, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) 3-1 thanks to a first-period takedown. Reber was one of two freshmen to post victories in the match as Orange's Nicholas Czapla (West Falls, N.Y./Warsaw) defeated classmate Kevin Foley (Fredericksburg, Va./Brooke Point) 8-2 at 165 pounds.
At 141 pounds, Luke Chohany (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) posted the biggest win of the night as he defeated freshman Adam Healey (Wilkes Barre, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) 10-1. Chohany led 7-1 late, but picked up two points with a takedown in the final seconds and then earned another point due to riding time.
Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) staked Blue to a 10-0 lead with a tight 7-6 victory over freshman John Regan (Plum Borough, Pa./Kiski School). Regan recorded a takedown with less than 10 seconds left in the bout, but LeValley had a large riding time advantage to earn the extra point that gave him the win.
Ryan Ochalek (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) got the Orange team on the board with an 8-5 victory over Tyler Riccio (Warren, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) at 157. Ochalek led by a 7-1 score at the end of the second period, but Riccio mounted a comeback, drawing to within 7-5 at one point.
After Czapla's win, Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area), who has advanced to two consecutive NCAA Championships at 165 pounds, faced 174-pounder Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills), a 2008 NCAA Championships qualifier. Rendos posted a 5-2 victory thanks to a late takedown and one point for riding time. That narrowed Blue's advantage to 10-9 with three matches remaining.
David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Rob Waltko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and held on for a 6-3 win at 184 pounds. Hahn, who was leading 8-3 at the time, then pinned freshman Nathan Jones (Sidney, Ohio/Troy Christian) at 197 to give Blue a commanding 19-9 advantage. Hahn posted just two pins in 2007-08.
William McCormick (Waukesha, Wis./Heritage Christian), Bucknell's only heavyweight, wrapped up the match with a 10-1 major decision win over 197-pounder Sean LoCurto (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City).
Bucknell will officially open its 2008-09 campaign Sunday, Nov. 16, against No. 5 Missouri. The match will start at 1 p.m. and live video will be available through Bison Vision. Additionally, there will be a clinic featuring 2008 Olympian and two-time national champion Ben Askren preceding the highly anticipated match with the Tigers.
