Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling to Compete at Virginia Duals Starting Friday
1/8/2009 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 8, 2009
2009 Virginia Duals
Bucknell will be competing in the Virginia Duals for the second consecutive year. The Bison will open with eighth-seeded and No. 24 Kent State Friday at 9 a.m. It is the second straight year the teams have met in the opening match of the Virginia Duals. Bucknell will then wrestle either top-seeded and No. 8 Lehigh or Ohio in either the championship bracket (with a win) or the consolation bracket (with a loss) at 1 p.m. Further matches will be determined by results of the first two. The Bison are guaranteed at least three dual matches during the event, which runs Friday-Saturday, Jan. 9-10. The championship final is slated for Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
2008 Virginia Duals Results
Bucknell wrestled at the Virginia Duals last January and posted an 0-2-1 record. The Bison lost to Kent State (26-9) and Lehigh (16-15) and earned a tie opposite Oregon State (17-17). Shane Riccio, David Marble, Kevin LeValley, Brantley Hooks and Andy Rendos each posted two individual wins as Bucknell wrestled all three matches on day one of the two-day event.
Bucknell vs. First and Possible Second Round Opponents
• Bucknell vs. No. 24 Kent State: Kent State leads, 1-0
- Last Meeting: Jan. 11, 2008 (Kent State 26-9)
• Bucknell vs. No. 8 Lehigh: Lehigh leads, 5-0
- Last Meeting: Jan. 11, 2008 (Lehigh 16, Bucknell 15)
• Bucknell vs. Ohio: Ohio leads, 1-0
- Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2006 (Ohio 26, Bucknell 13)
Virginia Duals Field
The Virginia Duals features 16 teams, including seven ranked squads. Bucknell is one of four EIWA teams (Lehigh, Navy, Penn) that will be competing at the two-day event. The Bison are 0-2 against the teams in the field this year with losses to Central Michigan and Virginia. They still have fellow Virginia Duals participants Lehigh, Liberty and Old Dominion on the upcoming schedule.
Winning Streak
Bucknell (5-4) brings a four-match winning streak into the Virginia Duals. The Bison have not lost since dropping a 30-11 decision to then-No. 24 Virginia at the Northeast Duals the final weekend in November. The winning streak is the longest for the Bison since they won four in a row in November and December of 2006. Bucknell last posted a longer winning streak in 2000-01 when it claimed six in a row.
Above .500
Thanks to its four-match winning streak, Bucknell is now 5-4 on the season. It is the first time the Bison have been above .500 since they completed the 2006-07 campaign with a 12-9-1 record.
Ranked Opponents
Bucknell will be facing its fourth ranked opponent this season when it kicks off the Virginia Duals against No. 24 Kent State. The Bison are 0-3 opposite ranked foes and still have three more teams that show up in the latest national rankings on their schedule following the Virginia Duals.
Well Rested
Bucknell has wrestled just one day since wrapping up the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational the first weekend of December. However, the rest period is now over, as the Bison will wrestle five times in a 16-day span starting with next Saturday's dual at Brown. Included in that stretch is a road match with No. 1 Iowa on Jan. 30.
Ranked Wrestlers
Bucknell's David Marble (133 pounds) and Andy Rendos (165) remain in the national rankings in their respective weight classes. Marble is listed at No. 20, while Rendos is 13th. Both have been ranked all season long. Rendos posted the best win by a Bison this season when he upset then-No. 1 Nick Marable of Missouri in November.
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 72 wins, while Marble is 10th with 67. Additionally, Rendos ranks sixth in program annals with a .783 career winning percentage.
Wins Leader
Freshman Derek Reber leads the Bison in wins this year with 20. He is one of nine Bucknell grapplers to accumulate at least 10 victories this season and he is the ninth Bison to earn 20 wins in a season since the return of the program to varsity status prior to the 2006-07 season.
Most Wins (since 2006-07)
1. Andy Rendos - 28 (2007-08)
2. Eric Lapotsky - 27 (2006-07)
David Marble - 27 (2007-08)
Andy Rendos - 27 (2006-07)
5. Shane Riccio - 25 (2007-08)
6. David Marble - 24 (2006-07)
7. Kevin LeValley - 22 (2007-08)
8. Luke Chohany - 20 (2007-08)
Derek Reber - 20 (2008-09)
Duals Wins Leader
In addition to leading the team in overall victories (20), freshman Derek Reber paces Bucknell with eight duals victories. The 125-pound Lewisburg, Pa., native is 8-0 against unranked foes in duals. Only David Thompson, who as accumulated six of his 12 victories this season in duals, has a higher percentage of wins in dual matches than Reber.
No Rendos
Bucknell's Andy Rendos, who is ranked No. 13 nationally at 165 pounds and has accumulated 72 career wins, the eighth-most in program history, did not wrestle Dec. 19 when the Bison faced Cleveland State, Drexel and Wagner due to a knee injury. Rendos saw his streak of consecutive starts come to an end at 49. He was the starter at 165 ever since the first dual match of his freshman campaign and owns a 40-9 mark in duals.
Wirnsberger in Second Place on Wins List
Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger has moved into second place on the Bison career wins list with 26. In three seasons of competition, Wirnsberger has an overall mark of 26-24-2 at Bucknell. He recently coached his 100th career match (Dec. 19 vs. Wagner) and is 52-46-2 in his head coaching career, which has been split between Bloomsburg and Bucknell.
Up Next
Bucknell will head on the road next Saturday, Jan. 17, for a 7 p.m. match against Brown. The two teams have split their meetings the last two years with the home squad winning each time. It will be the first EIWA match for the Bison since a 32-3 victory at Franklin & Marshall on Dec. 2.
