Bucknell University Athletics
Andy Rendos and Kevin LeValley Named Damon's Bison Co-Athletes of the Week
3/22/2010 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 22, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell wrestling All-Americans Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) and Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) were named Damon's Bison Co-Athletes of the Week on Monday, two days after they became the first pair of Bison to earn All-America honors in the same season. Rendos picked up his second consecutive All-America certificate after a sixth-place finish in the 165-pound bracket, while LeValley claimed All-America honors for the first time after a seventh-place showing in the 149-pound bracket.
Rendos, a senior who finished his stellar four-year career with a program-record 121 victories, joined Bobby Ferraro as the only Bucknell wrestlers ever to be named an All-American twice. Ferraro finished eighth in 1994 and seventh in 1995, while Rendos claimed fifth last year along with his sixth-place medal this past weekend.
A four-time NCAA qualifier, Rendos advanced to Friday's quarterfinals with a 3-0 mark on Thursday. In the quarterfinals, he met eventual national champion Andrew Howe of Wisconsin, who finished the year undefeated. Rendos then posted a pair of consolation-bracket victories, including one over fourth-seeded Jonathan Reader of Iowa State that guaranteed All-America status.
After wrestling six matches in two days, Rendos lost his final two bouts on Saturday to No. 2 Jarrod King of Edinboro and Oklahoma's Tyler Caldwell to finish sixth.
The ninth-seeded Rendos, who went 12-9 in his NCAA Championships career, completed his senior campaign with a 33-7 record, equaling his career high for victories. He became Bucknell's first-ever EIWA champion earlier this month, and owned an eight-match winning streak entering the NCAA Championships.
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After losing a second-round decision, LeValley won three consecutive consolation bouts, including a 7-6 overtime victory over Iowa State's No. 7 Mitch Mueller, guaranteeing All-America honors. After an overtime loss to No. 4 Kyle Ruschell, LeValley faced American's Kyle Borshoff in the seventh-place match and improved to 3-1 in his career against the fellow EIWA grappler with a 5-0 shutout victory.
During the entire 2009-10 season, LeValley did not lose back-to-back matches and his eight losses were all by decision by a miniscule total of 17 points.
LeValley became just the fifth different Bucknell wrestler to be named an All-American, joining Tom Marchetti (1989), Bryan Burns (1991), Ferraro (1994, 1995) and Rendos (2009, 2010).
Neither Rendos or LeValley are strangers to being named Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week. This is the second time this year, and the seventh time in his career, Rendos has garnered the citation, while LeValley has won it three times this year, and four times over his three-year career.
The individual performances by LeValley and Rendos helped the Bison to a 27th-place finish in the team standings despite having just four NCAA qualifiers. Bucknell's finish was its best since the reinstatement of the program four years ago as it had finished 42nd (2007), 60th (2008) and tied for 30th (2009) the previous three years.
