Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell to Wrestle at Rutgers Friday, vs. Maryland Saturday at Lower Dauphin High School
1/13/2011 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 13, 2011
About Bucknell
Bucknell has a busy weekend ahead as it wrestles at No. 13 Rutgers and against Maryland at Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown, Pa. The Bison are coming off a 1-2 performance at last week's Virginia Duals and are now 3-6 on the season, including 0-2 opposite EIWA foes. Bucknell has wrestled a difficult schedule this year as four of its six losses have come against ranked foes. The Bison close out the regular season with nine consecutive duals starting this weekend.
About Rutgers (Friday at 7 p.m.)
Rutgers is much improved from the team the Bison hosted last year in Sojka Pavilion. The Scarlet Knights bring a 12-1 record into Friday's match with their lone loss coming to nationally ranked Penn State nearly two months ago. They have won eight matches in a row with the final margin of victory being less than 10 points in just two. Rutgers is in the midst of a stretch where it will compete in seven duals in a nine-day span. The Scarlet Knights will host Army, Cleveland State and Merchant Marine on Saturday. Five ranked wrestlers dot Rutgers' lineup, including No. 5 Mario Mason (149 pounds) and No. 5 DJ Russo (Hwt.).
Watch Bucknell-Rutgers
Friday's Bucknell-Rutgers dual will be broadcast live on KnightVision Broadband via www.scarletknights.com with Danny Breslauer on play by play and Rutgers redshirt senior heavyweight Sean DeDeyn providing the color commentary.
About Maryland (Saturday at 7 p.m.)
Maryland (8-3) brings a three-match winning streak into Saturday evening's neutral-site dual at Lower Dauphin High School. The Terps have scored better than 30 points in half of their wins and are anchored by their three ranked wrestlers - No. 13 Kyle John (157 pounds), No. 5 Josh Asper (165) and No. 17 Mike Letts (174) - who have combined to go 60-13 this season, including 27-3 in duals.
Bucknell-Maryland at Neutral Site
Saturday's Bucknell-Maryland match will take place a Lower Dauphin High School. The Bison are 2-2 when wrestling at neutral sites this year.
Bucknell vs. Rutgers
• Rutgers leads 12-11.
• Teams met last year for the first time in nearly 20 years.
• Bucknell has won three in a row by a combined 83-30 score.
Bucknell-Rutgers Series
Feb. 13, 1960 - Rutgers 26, Bucknell 3 (at Rutgers)
Feb. 11, 1961 - Rutgers 21, Bucknell 6 (at Bucknell)
Dec. 6, 1969 - Rutgers 39, Bucknell 5 (at Rutgers)
Dec. 5, 1970 - Rutgers 20, Bucknell 14 (at Bucknell)
Dec. 4, 1971 - Rutgers 26, Bucknell 11 (at Rutgers)
Dec. 2, 1972 - Rutgers 24, Bucknell 9 (at Bucknell)
Dec. 1, 1973 - Bucknell 22, Rutgers 13 (at Rutgers)
Feb. 22, 1975 - Bucknell 22, Rutgers 15 (at Bucknell)
Feb. 21, 1976 - Rutgers 24, Bucknell 16 (at Rutgers)
Feb. 19, 1977 - Bucknell 18, Rutgers 15 (at Bucknell)
Feb. 25, 1978 - Rutgers 19, Bucknell 18 (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)
Feb. 17, 1979 - Bucknell 24, Rutgers 20 (at Bucknell)
Feb. 16, 1980 - Bucknell 26, Rutgers 15 (Camden, N.J.)
Feb. 7, 1981 - Bucknell 28, Rutgers 15 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 22, 1983 - Rutgers 29, Bucknell 9 (Annapolis, Md.)
Jan. 21, 1984 - Bucknell 24, Rutgers 22 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 19, 1985 - Rutgers 22, Bucknell 20 (at Rutgers)
Jan. 18, 1986 - Bucknell 30, Rutgers 15 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 17, 1987 - Rutgers 25, Bucknell 13 (at Rutgers)
Jan. 16, 1988 - Rutgers 19, Bucknell 18 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 14, 1989 - Bucknell 29, Rutgers 9 (at Rutgers)
Jan. 12, 1990 - Bucknell 28, Rutgers 9 (at Bucknell)
Nov. 27, 2009 - Bucknell 26, Rutgers 12 (at Bucknell)
Last Meeting: Bucknell 26, Rutgers 12 (Nov. 27, 2009)
125: Derrik Russell (B) dec. Joseph Langel (R), 5-0
133: Billy Ashnault (R) dec. No. 13 David Marble (B), 8-3
141: No. 20 Trevor Melde (R) dec. Zac Hancock (B), 7-0
149: No. 13 Kevin LeValley (B) tech. fall Kellen Bradley (R), 15-0 (5:21)
157: Brantley Hooks (B) dec. Braden Turner (R), 6-2
165: No. 6 Andy Rendos (B) pinned Gregory Zannetti (R), 0:58
174: No. 9 Shane Riccio (B) dec. Daniel Rinaldi (R), 6-2
184: David Thompson (B) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (R), 5-4
197: Jay Hahn (B) dec. No. 17 Lamar Brown (R), 9-2
285: No. 10 Dominick Russo (R) pinned Conor Sweeney (B), 1:52
Bucknell vs. Maryland
• Maryland leads 5-1.
• Bucknell defeated Maryland in the Bison's first match after the program was reinstated prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
• Series began in 1980.
Bucknell-Maryland Series
Jan. 9, 1980 - Maryland 24, Bucknell 18 (at Maryland)
Jan. 28, 1989 - Maryland 20, Bucknell 17 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 27, 1990 - Maryland 21, Bucknell 13 (at Maryland)
Jan. 30, 2000 - Maryland 31, Bucknell 6 (at Bucknell)
Jan. 27, 2001 - Maryland 35, Bucknell 7 (at Maryland)
Nov. 11, 2006 - Bucknell 27, Maryland 14 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Last Meeting: Bucknell 27, Maryland 14 (Nov. 11, 2006)
125 - James Knox (M) dec. Greg Hart, 9-5
133 - David Marble (B) dec. Jon Kohler, 14-11
141 - Charlie Pinto (M) dec. Zach Galligan, 6-2
149 - Andrew Schlaffer (M) maj. dec. Michael Guttilla, 19-6
157 - Mike Powers (B) pinned Eric Grida, 6:40
165 - Andy Rendos (B) dec. Jason Kiessling, 3-2 (tb)
174 - Mike Letts (M) maj. dec. Shane Riccio, 11-2
184 - George Mann (B) dec. Rich DiPietro, 6-4
197 - Eric Lapotsky (B) pinned Hudson Taylor, 1:05
285 - George Hingson (B) pinned Jerry Afari, 6:59
Bison Aim for First EIWA Win
Bucknell was 6-0 in EIWA duals last year and entered the 2010-11 campaign on an eight-match EIWA winning streak. The Bison are still looking for their first EIWA victory this season after dropping matches to Lehigh and Princeton last month. Bucknell has finished with at least a .500 record against EIWA competition in each of its four years since the program was reinstated, and are 18-12-1 vs. conference foes since the beginning of 2006-07.
Return of Bucknell Wrestling
The Bucknell wrestling program was discontinued following the 2001-02 season, but was brought back in 2005 thanks in large part to a generous donation from Bill Graham '62. The Bison's first season of competition after reinstatement was 2006-07 and they are 47-41-2 (.533) since then. Seven different wrestlers have combined for 16 NCAA appearances and three All-America certificates over that span.
Tough Matchups
Rutgers and Maryland will have up to eight ranked wrestlers in their projected lineups for this weekend. Bison individuals are 9-27 against ranked foes. Bucknell's projected starters at 157 (Hooks & Czapla), 165 (Lear) and 174 (Thompson) might each face two ranked opponents this weekend. Lear's road appears to be the hardest as he could square off against the nation's No. 5 (Josh Asper - Maryland) and No. 8 (Scott Winston - Rutgers) wrestlers on back-to-back nights. The most-anticipated match of the weekend will be Friday's bout between No. 4-ranked Kevin LeValley and No. 5-ranked Mario Mason (Rutgers).
Senior Class Leads the Way
Bucknell's five-person senior class (Jay Hahn, Brantley Hooks, Kevin LeValley, Scott Sechler, Rob Waltko) has been strong this year. The five veterans have combined for a 61-32 mark with four of them already in double figures in victories. The rest of the team is a combined 110-122.
Big Wins
Bucknell's average margin of victory in its three duals wins this year has been 31-9.7.
LeValley Remains Undefeated
Senior 149-pound All-American Kevin LeValley posted a 3-0 record against three nationally ranked opponents at the Virginia Duals last weekend to improve to 18-0 on the season. He is currently ranked fourth nationally and has not lost a regular-season bout in more than a year.
LeValley Moves Up Career Wins List
Thanks to an 18-0 record this year, senior 149-pounder Kevin LeValley has improved his career mark to 111-37 (.750). He is now tied for third on Bucknell's career wins list with 2010 graduate and current assistant coach David Marble. LeValley enters the weekend just 10 wins behind Andy Rendos' one-year-old program standard (121).
Kevin LeValley Notes
• 18-0 record this season
• Last regular-season loss was Jan. 8, 2010
• Went 36-4 during 2010 calendar year
• First-ever Bison to win individual title at Midlands Championships
• 6-0 vs. ranked opponents in 2010-11 and 15-7 since the beginning of 2009-10
• Six-time Bison Athlete of the Week winner
• Defeated then-No. 12 Torsten Gillespie at NWCA All-Star Classic to become first Bison to win at that event
• Ranked No. 4 in the nation at 149 pounds
• Won 18 consecutive dual matches
• Won 10 consecutive EIWA dual matches
• 2010 All-American
• Two-time NCAA qualifier and EIWA placewinner
Bucknell vs. Ranked Opponents
Rutgers will be the fifth ranked opponent for the Bison in their first 10 matches this season. Bucknell has wrestled 23 ranked opponents since the beginning of 2006-07 and is 1-22 in those matches. The lone win over that span was a 17-16 victory over No. 25 Columbia in February 2007.
Even Record
While Bucknell is under .500 this year, it has split its dual bouts evenly (45-45) with its opponents. Nineteen of those victories have come in the middle weights (149, 157, 165). The Bison have won at least five bouts in six of their nine duals.
Hooks Nears Top 10
Senior 157-pounder Brantley Hooks enters the weekend with a 78-62 career record. He is just four victories shy of tying Mike Van Doren for 10th place on Bucknell's all-time wins list.
Wirnsberger Second on Wins List
Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger has guided the Bison to a 47-41-2 record over the last five years. He now ranks second on the Bucknell all-time wins list, trailing only longtime Bison mentor Bobby Ferraro, who posted a 169-175-6 mark from 1974-97.
2011 EIWA Championships
Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion will host the 107th EIWA Championships March 5-6. It is the first time the Bison will be the host school for the prestigious event. It will be the second wrestling competition to ever be held in the eight-year-old Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell's primary basketball venue. The Bison hosted 23-time NCAA champion Iowa and Rutgers in the facility in November 2009. (Buy Tickets)
Up Next
Bucknell will return home for the first time since mid-December when it hosts Old Dominion (Friday, Jan. 21) and Liberty (Sunday, Jan. 23) next weekend. The Bison are 6-2 in their last eight home duals. Four of Bucknell's final seven duals are at home.
