Bucknell University Athletics
Andy Rendos Named Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week After Winning EIWA Title
3/8/2010 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 8, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - At this past weekend's EIWA Championships, Bucknell's Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) claimed the first individual title at the event in program history. On Monday, he was awarded the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week award for his 4-0 record on his way through the 165-pound bracket.
A four-time EIWA placewinner who lost in the 165-pound championship match last year, Rendos breezed through his matches, winning the four by a combined 33-4 margin. The top seed in the bracket, Rendos defeated third-seeded Brandon Hatchett of host Lehigh, 9-2, in the championship bout. Rendos also posted wins over the No. 4 seed (Eren Civan) and No. 8 seed (Jeffrey Lemmer) en route to his title.
Rendos, a senior, ended his EIWA Championships career with a 13-4 all-time record. All four losses came to American's Michael Cannon (2007, 2008) and Cornell's Mack Lewnes (2008, 2009). Lewnes (174 pounds) and Cannon (184 pounds) also claimed individual titles at this year's EIWA Championships.
A 2009 All-American, Rendos earned a fourth consecutive automatic berth into the NCAA Championships with his first-place finish. He finished fifth at 165 pounds at last year's NCAAs and owns a 7-6 career mark at the national championships.
Entering this past weekend, Bucknell's best-ever individual finish at EIWAs was second, which David Marble first achieved in 2008 and Rendos matched last March. Rendos finished third, fourth and second in his previous three EIWA appearances.
Thanks to his 4-0 record at the EIWA Championships, Rendos is now 28-4 this year and 116-29 in his four-year career. He is just two victories shy of Bobby Ferraro's program wins record. He has also won eight bouts in a row since returning from a knee injury in late January.
Rendos' victory at 165 pounds helped the Bison take fourth place in the team standings with 103.5 points. Cornell claimed its third straight title, while Penn and Lehigh finished second and third, respectively. Rendos was one of a Bison-record eight placewinners.
This is the first time this year that Rendos has been honored as the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week, but he is no stranger to the award, having claimed it six times in his career, including three times in 2008-09.
Rendos will compete at the NCAAs March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb., with teammates Kevin LeValley, David Marble and Shane Riccio. Additional Bison wrestlers could be selected for one of the at-large spots, which will be announced Wednesday at 6 p.m.
