Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling Travels to No. 1 Iowa Friday
1/29/2009 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 29, 2009
About this Friday's Match vs. Iowa
Bucknell will head on its longest road trip of the season as it travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the No. 1 Hawkeyes Friday evening. The Bison enter the difficult matchup with an 8-7 overall record and they have won seven of their last 10 duals. Iowa is undefeated at 17-0 and has been ranked No. 1 all year in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA national rankings. The Hawkeyes have nationally ranked wrestlers in nine of their 10 starting lineup positions and seven of those are listed in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. Bucknell does have two nationally ranked grapplers in David Marble (No. 20 at 133) and Andy Rendos (No. 15 at 165). Both Marble and Rendos are two-time NCAA qualifiers.
About Iowa
The most successful program in the recent history of college wrestling, Iowa is in search of its 22nd national championship in the last 35 years this season. The Hawkeyes captured nine straight titles from 1978-86 and boast 219 All-Americans and 62 individual champions since the mid-1970s.
Bucknell vs. Iowa/Big Ten
Friday's meeting will be the first-ever match between Bucknell and Iowa. However, the Bison have wrestled five matches against four other Big Ten teams, going 0-5. Bucknell is 0-1 all-time against Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State and 0-2 against Penn State, which is just over an hour to the west of Lewisburg.
Last Weekend
Bucknell hosted a pair of duals last weekend and posted a 1-1 mark. The Bison defeated Liberty on Saturday afternoon by a 37-12 score behind pins from David Marble and David Thompson. Twenty-four hours later Bucknell entertained No. 18 Old Dominion, but came away on the wrong side of a 21-9 score. All 10 matches were decided by decision, marking the second time in four outings that had occurred for the Bison.
Bucknell Wrestling History
Bucknell's wrestling program dates back to 1944. Since then, the Bison have totaled a 337-381-16 record and have had four All-Americans. The Bucknell program was reclassified as a club-varsity sport following the 2001-02 campaign, but was brought back as a varsity program a few years later. Bucknell, which does not have a senior on its roster, is now in its third year of competition since the resumption of the program. The Bison had four different wrestlers combine for six trips to the NCAA Tournament in the first two years after the program's return (2007, 2008).
Three-Year Wins Record
With 12, 9 and 8 wins over the last three years, Bucknell has 29 victories over that span. That is one shy of the program record for victories in a three-year span. From 1987-88 to 1989-90, the Bison went 30-12.
Ranked Opponents
Bucknell has faced five ranked opponents this season and is 0-5 in those matches. It marks the second consecutive year the Bison have wrestled five ranked teams. Bucknell still has Friday's match against No. 1 Iowa and next Friday's battle with EIWA foe No. 7 Lehigh on its schedule. The Bison are a solid 8-2 against unranked foes.
Individual Ranked Opponents
Bucknell will be facing up to nine ranked wrestlers when it takes on Iowa Friday evening. The Bison have experience facing ranked individuals as Friday's probable starters have wrestled 36 matches against ranked foes. However, those Bison are just 5-31 in those bouts, with David Marble and Andy Rendos combining for all five victories. Rendos posted the most impressive win by a Bucknell grappler when he defeated then-No. 1 Nick Marable of Missouri in November.
Bucknell's Probable Starters vs. Ranked Opponents (USA Today/Intermat/NWCA)
125 - Derek Reber (0-4)
133 - David Marble (3-6)
141 - Adam Healey (0-2)
149 - Kevin LeValley (0-4)
157 - Tyler Riccio (0-5)
165 - Andy Rendos (2-3)
174 - Shane Riccio (0-5)
184 - David Thompson (0-4)
197 - Rob Waltko (0-1)/Nathan Jones (0-2)
Starting Lineups
Bucknell has utilized 12 different starting lineups in its 15 dual matches this season. The Bison have not used the same lineup in back-to-back matches since Nov. 29 at the Northeast Duals. Each of the last 10 matches have featured a different starting unit.
Top 10
Both David Marble and Andy Rendos now appear among the top 10 in Bucknell history in victories. Rendos stands eighth in program history with 76 wins, while Marble is ninth with 72. Additionally, Rendos, who is 19-1 against unranked opponents this year, ranks sixth in program annals with a .784 career winning percentage. Marble is 10th in that category with a .720 career winning percentage.
Bucknell-Iowa Connection
While Bucknell has never wrestled Iowa, there is at least one connection between the two programs. Bison third-year assistant coach Dave Hoffman wrestled for Iowa head coach Tom Brands at Virginia Tech. Brands is in his third year with the Hawkeyes and has led them to a 52-6 record.
Another Bucknell-Iowa Connection
Bucknell athletic director John Hardt is a native Iowan and a 1984 graduate of the University of Iowa. A member of the Hawkeyes' 1982 Rose Bowl team, Hardt also earned his law degree from Iowa and is a doctoral candidate in Iowa's College of Education. Hardt is in his ninth year heading the Bucknell Department of Athletics and Recreation.
Wirnsberger in Second Place on Bucknell Wins List
Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger has moved into second place on the Bison career wins list with 29. In three seasons of competition, Wirnsberger has an overall mark of 29-27-2 at Bucknell. He recently coached his 100th career match (Dec. 19 vs. Wagner) and is 55-49-2 in his coaching career, which has been split between Bloomsburg and Bucknell.
Success vs. EIWA
Friday's match against Iowa will be Bucknell's third consecutive nonconference matchup. Andy Rendos and Derek Reber are both anxious to return to EIWA duals since they have combined to post an 8-0 record this season in EIWA duals.
Closing in on Pins List
Even though he has not recorded a pin since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational the first weekend of December, Andy Rendos is just two pins shy of joining the Bucknell career pins list. Rendos has six pins this year, which give him 17 in his career. Robert Greenly, Doug Mays and Gene Santoli are currently tied for 10th place on that list with 19.
Difficult Losses
Bucknell's 15 opponents have a combined record of 100-98-3 this year. However, the Bison have lost to a handful of quality teams as the seven opponents they have lost to are a combined 67-31-2.
Record of Bucknell's Opponents
All - 100-98-5
Teams Bucknell has lost to: 67-31-2
Teams Bucknell has defeated: 33-67-3
Up Next
Bucknell will wrap up its home schedule on Sunday when it hosts EIWA foe Columbia at 1 p.m. The Lions defeated the Bison 21-16 last year. Bucknell has a solid 4-3 home record this season with two of the three losses coming to ranked opponents (No. 5 Missouri, No. 18 Old Dominion).
