Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Wrestling Opens Virginia Duals Friday vs. No. 15 Wyoming
1/6/2011 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 6, 2011
About the Virginia Duals
The 31st annual Virginia Duals (Jan. 7-8) features six brackets, including two college, three high school and a middle school tournament. Bucknell is part of the 16-team National College bracket that includes five squads ranked in the latest Intermat poll. The ranked teams in the field include No. 4 Penn State, No. 10 Lehigh, No. 11 Michigan, No. 15 Wyoming and No. 19 Arizona State. The Bison will face the 15th-ranked Cowboys in their opening match Friday at 11 a.m. with a potential second-round meeting with the 10th-ranked Mountain Hawks on the horizon. Each of the 16 teams are guaranteed at least three matches during the two-day bracketed event. There is a consolation bracket and team finishes will be decided through eighth place. The first round kicks off Friday at 9 a.m., while Saturday's championship match is slated for 8:30 p.m.
About Bucknell
Bucknell enters the Virginia Duals with a 2-4 overall record this year and is 0-2 against EIWA foes. The Bison have not competed in a dual since splitting with Drexel (W, 34-9) and Princeton (L, 18-16) on Dec. 17. Bucknell, last week, wrestled at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., and finished 18th of 44 teams, one spot ahead of fellow EIWA member American. Highlighting the two-day event for the Bison was Kevin LeValley, who went 5-0 and captured the 149-pound title.
Bucknell vs. Wyoming
Bucknell will be facing No. 15 Wyoming, its first-round opponent, for the first time in program history. The Cowboys bring an 0-2 record into the Virginia Duals, but won the Reno Tournament of Champions its last time out. Five Cowboys placed in the top five of their brackets and Wyoming wrestlers combined to post a 41-20 record at the competitive event. The Cowboys edged out perennial power Boise State by 1.5 points for first place in the team standings.
Potential Second-Round Matchups
Bucknell will face either No. 10 Lehigh or UNC Greensboro in its second match on Friday at 3 p.m. Its result vs. Wyoming will determine if the second match is in the quarterfinal round or in the consolation bracket.
Potential Match vs. Lehigh Counts in EIWA Record
If Bucknell does meet Lehigh at the Virginia Duals, it will count in the Bison's EIWA record. The Bison were 6-0 against EIWA foes last year but are still looking for their first EIWA victory this season.
Probable Lineup
Below is the probable lineup for the Bison this weekend. In addition to those 11 wrestlers, head coach Dan Wirnsberger has decided to bring junior Nicholas Czapla (12-9 in 2010-11), freshman Stephen McPeek (6-4) and sophomore Derrik Russell (9-7) along and they will be available to compete as well.
Bucknell's Probable Virginia Duals Lineup (record)
125: Derek Reber (9-6)
133: Alex Pellicciotti (5-6)
141: Eric Harris (0-3)
149: No. 4 Kevin LeValley (15-0)
157: Brantley Hooks (10-7)
165: Corey Lear (15-5)
174: David Thompson (9-7)
184: Joe McMullan (4-10) or Rob Waltko (9-9)
197: Jay Hahn (15-5)
Hwt.: Conor Sweeney (6-10)
Bucknell vs. Ranked Opponents
Wyoming will be the fourth ranked opponent for the Bison in their first seven matches this season. Bucknell has wrestled 22 ranked opponents since the beginning of 2006-07 and is 1-21 in those matches. The lone win over that span was a 17-16 victory over No. 25 Columbia in February 2007.
Virginia Duals History
This is the fourth straight year Bucknell has competed at the Virginia Duals. The Bison have posted a 2-6-1 record at the event over the last three years. The two victories have come against Ohio (W, 22-13) in 2009 and UC Davis (W, 32-3) in 2010.
LeValley Moves Up Career Wins List
Thanks to a 15-0 record this year, senior 149-pounder Kevin LeValley has improved his career mark to 108-37. He is now tied for fourth on Bucknell's career wins list with 2010 graduate and former teammate Shane Riccio. LeValley enters the weekend just 13 wins behind Andy Rendos' one-year-old program standard (121).
Kevin LeValley Notes
• 15-0 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
• 3-0 vs. ranked opponents in 2010-11 and 12-7 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 15 consecutive dual matches
• Won 10 consecutive EIWA dual matches
Tough Matchup for Lear
Bucknell sophomore 165-pounder Corey Lear will have a tough matchup against Wyoming as he will have to face No. 6 Shane Onufer. Onufer is 12-0 this year and is 84-18 in his career with 24 pins. He defeated two-time Bison All-American Andy Rendos twice last year. Onufer will be the fifth ranked opponent for Lear this year.
Outscoring Opponents
While Bucknell is under .500 this year, it has outscored its opponents 116-113. The Bison have also won 31 of 60 bouts in their duals.
Wirnsberger Second on Wins List
Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger has guided the Bison to a 46-39-2 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. (Purchase EIWA Tickets)
Up Next
Bucknell will continue a string of matches away from home when it wrestles at EIWA foe Rutgers next Friday, Jan. 14. Match time is 7 p.m. The Bison defeated the Scarlet Knights 26-12 last November in Sojka Pavilion.
