Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Championships
Rendos Advances to Quarterfinals of NCAA Wrestling Championships, Three Bison Still Alive After Day One
3/18/2010 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2010
OMAHA, Neb. - Aiming for his second consecutive All-America honor, Bucknell's Andy Rendos reached another milestone Thursday on the first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Qwest Center. Thanks to a 3-0 record, the senior broke the program record for career wins and is now 119-29 in his four-year career. Additionally, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the 165-pound bracket, placing him one win shy of becoming the second two-time All-American in school history.
Three other Bison wrestlers competed on Friday and two of the three posted 1-1 records and remain alive in the consolation brackets. David Marble and ninth-seeded Kevin LeValley both won their first bouts, but lost by tight scores in the second round. 174-pounder Shane Riccio lost his first match by just one point and proceeded to drop his consolation match by a 7-3 decision.
The ninth-seeded Rendos, who finished fifth in the 165-pound bracket last year, advanced to the quarterfinals despite needing to wrestle an extra pigtail bout. He won his first two matches by a combined 22-4 score, before edging Central Michigan's Tyler Grayson in the second round, 3-2, to earn a second consecutive berth in the 165-pound quarterfinals.
Rendos has now won 11 consecutive bouts and is 31-4 this season. Two of those losses came to Wyoming's Shane Onufer, an opponent Grayson defeated on Thursday for the right to face Rendos.
Whether he wins his quarterfinal bout against Wisconsin's Andrew Howe on Friday morning or claims a consolation bout, Rendos will join Bobby Ferraro as the only two-time All-Americans in program history. Ferraro, who had held the wins record with 118 before Thursday, was an All-American in 1994 and 1995.
A four-time NCAA qualifier, Rendos will face a stiff challenge Friday morning against Howe, who extended his unbeaten record this year to 34-0 with a pin and a major decision on Thursday.
While Rendos is the only Bison alive in the championship bracket, LeValley, Marble and Rendos still have high goals as they must now work their way through the consolation rounds.
LeValley, who is seeded ninth at 149 pounds, opened his day with a 6-3 decision over Northwestern's Andrew Nadhir. However, he then lost to Boise State's eighth-seeded Jason Chamberlain, 5-2. Two of LeValley's seven losses this season are to Chamberlain, who posted a 5-3 victory over LeValley at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December.
Marble, who like Rendos is a four-time NCAA qualifier, posted an 11-1 major decision against Lock Haven's John Trumbetti, nearly mirroring his 12-1 major decision during the regular season, in the opening round. He was then matched against fourth-seeded Jordan Oliver from Central Michigan. Marble lost 6-4, but just missed scoring a takedown in the closing moments of the match that would have tied the score.
Riccio, a three-time NCAA qualifier, was the lone Bison to drop his first match as he lost to Missouri's Dorian Henderson, 3-2. He then came back and faced Utah Valley's Brad Darrington in the consolation bracket and dropped a 7-3 decision after beating Darrington 2-0 during a regular-season meeting in Las Vegas. Riccio ended his impressive Bison career with a 108-49 record, including 33-11 this season.
While three of Bucknell's four wrestlers suffered losses on Thursday, the four losses were all by decision and came by a combined 10 points.
With his 3-0 mark, Rendos improved to 10-6 in his NCAA career.
In the team standings, Bucknell was tied for 18th following the morning session. Iowa, a team the Bison hosted in Sojka Pavilion in November, was in first place.
Competition will resume Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Bucknell Results
133: David Marble (unseeded), Sr., Harpursville, N.Y.
First Round: W, maj. dec. John Trumbetti (Lock Haven), 11-1
Second Round: L, dec. #4 Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), 6-4
149: Kevin LeValley (No. 9 seed), Jr., Hugo, Colo.
First Round: W, dec. Andrew Nadhir (Northwestern), 6-3
Second Round: L, dec. #8 Jason Chamberlain (Boise State), 5-2
165: Andy Rendos (No. 9 seed), Sr., Brockway, Pa.
Pigtail: W, dec. Kyle Bounds (Michigan State), 8-2
First Round: W, maj. dec. Edwin Hojilla (UNC Greensboro), 14-2
Second Round: W, dec. Tyler Grayson (Central Michigan), 3-2
Next Match: #1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin)
174: Shane Riccio (unseeded), Sr., Warren, N.J.
First Round: L, dec. Dorian Henderson (Missouri), 3-2
Consolation Round 2: L, dec. Brad Darrington (Utah Valley), 7-3
Riccio Eliminated
