Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Championships
Bucknell's Rendos One Win from All-America, Four Others Alive in Consolation Brackets at NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/19/2009 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 19, 2009
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Bucknell junior wrestler Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway) defeated two seeded opponents and advanced to within one win of becoming the fourth All-American in Bucknell history on the first day of the NCAA Championships Thursday at the Scottrade Center. Rendos is the lone Bison still alive in the championship brackets, although four others will wrestle in the consolation brackets Friday. David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central), Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon), Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) and David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) helped make it five Bucknell wrestlers in all that advanced to Friday's action.
Rendos, who was unseeded in the 165-pound weight class, went 2-0 Thursday and will be guaranteed a top-eight finish with a win in his Friday morning match opposite No. 2 Andrew Howe of Nebraska. No Bucknell wrestler has finished in the top eight and earned All-America honors since Bobby Ferraro did it back-to-back years in 1994 and 1995.
A three-time national qualifier who now owns a 4-4 career record at the NCAA Championships, Rendos opened Thursday's competition with a tight 2-0 victory over Old Dominion's 10th-seeded Chris Brown, an opponent he lost to during the regular season and was 0-2 against in his career. Rendos then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-2 decision against Nebraska's Stephen Dwyer, the seventh-seeded wrestler at 165 pounds. All the scoring in the match came in the third period.
Even if Rendos does not post his third straight win over a seeded opponent, he will still have a chance to join Ferraro, Tom Marchetti and Bryan Burns as the only All-Americans in program history. Rendos would need just one win in the consolation bracket to guarantee a top-eight showing and would still be able to finish as high as third.
Marble, who like Rendos is competing at his third straight NCAA Championships, also posted two wins in the championship bracket Thursday. However, the junior 133-pounder dropped a 10-5 decision to Kent State's Dan Mitcheff with a berth in the quarterfinals on the line.
Marble posted what was possibly the most impressive win by a Bison wrestler on Thursday when he upset third-seeded James Kennedy of Illinois in the first round. Marble, who had been 0-2 in his career against Kennedy, trailed 5-2 entering the third period, but tied the score and forced overtime. There, Marble recorded a takedown to advance in the brackets. He then posted an easy 11-0 major decision against Wyoming's Cory VomBaur.
At 174 pounds, Riccio, a two-time NCAA qualifier, lost his first match to fifth-seeded Raymond Jordan by an 11-3 margin, but bounced back to defeat 12th-seeded Alton Lucas of Hofstra 2-0 in the consolation round. A third-period escape and the riding time advantage were the differences for Riccio, who was 0-2 at last year's NCAA Championships.
The win over Lucas was the 33rd this year for Riccio, equaling Brian Pitzer's Bucknell record. Riccio is 33-15 overall this season.
LeValley, who along with Thompson and Derek Reber, was making his first NCAA appearance and drew top-seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa in the first round of the 149-pound bracket. LeValley was pinned in that bout, but bounced back with a 10-1 major decision over Nebraska's Robert Sanders in the consolation round.
Thompson rounded out the list of Bison to advance to Friday's action. Much like LeValley he drew a tough first-round match and lost to seventh-seeded Doug Umbehauer of Rider. He then bounced back with a 6-2 decision over Christopher Daggett in a consolation bout.
Reber, the lone freshman in Bucknell's lineup of six NCAA wrestlers, lost both his matches on Thursday, eliminating him from competition.
As a team, Bucknell stands 35th of 76 squads with six points. The Bison finished 60th of 74 last year.
Bucknell, which finished third at the EIWA Championships two weeks ago, advanced a program record six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships despite having just three classes of recruited student-athletes.
Competition at the NCAA Championships will continue Friday morning. The championship matches are slated for Saturday night.
125: Derek Reber (unseeded), Fr., Lewisburg, Pa.
1st Round: L, maj. dec. #5 Charlie Falck (Iowa), 11-3
Consolation 1st Round: L, dec. Ian Moser (Bloomsburg), 11-6 Reber Eliminated
133: David Marble (unseeded), Jr., Harpursville, N.Y.
Pigtails: W, dec. #3 James Kennedy (Illinois), 7-5 sv1
1st Round: W, maj. dec. Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), 11-0
2nd Round: L, dec. Dan Mitcheff (Kent State), 10-5
149: Kevin LeValley (unseeded), So., Hugo, Colo.
1st Round: L, fall #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa), 6:01
Consolation 2nd Round: W, maj. dec. Robert Sanders (Nebraska), 10-1
165: Andy Rendos (unseeded), Jr., Brockway, Pa.
1st Round: W, dec. #10 Chris Brown (Old Dominion), 2-0
2nd Round: W, dec. #7 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 5-2
174: Shane Riccio (unseeded), Jr., Warren, N.J.
1st Round: L, maj. dec. #5 Raymond Jordan (Missouri), 11-3
Consolation 2nd Round: W, dec. #12 Alton Lucas (Hofstra), 2-0
184: David Thompson (unseeded), So., West Liberty, Ohio
1st Round: L, maj. dec. #7 Doug Umbehauer (Rider), 10-1
Consolation 2nd Round: W, dec. Christopher Daggett (Liberty), 6-2
