Bucknell University
Penn
Bucknell Wrestling Closes Regular Season with 23-13 Loss to Penn
2/12/2012 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 12, 2012
| BUY PHOTOS
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Senior John Regan and sophomore Stephen McPeek both earned decisions on last-second takedowns and the Bucknell wrestling team was tied with Penn heading into the final contested bout, but the Bison ended up losing to the Quakers 23-13 Sunday afternoon in Davis Gym. The match was the final dual of the 2011-12 campaign for the Bison, who fell to 4-16 overall and 2-4 against EIWA opponents.
The match was tied four times (4-4, 7-7, 10-10 and 13-13) and there were three lead changes as neither team won more than two consecutive bouts until Penn (7-6, 4-3 EIWA) posted a decision at 184, a major decision at 197 and earned a forfeit at heavyweight to come back from a 13-10 deficit.
Regan and McPeek kept Bucknell alive for a possible win thanks to strong performances at the ends of their bouts. Regan, a 157-pounder who was honored prior to the match during Senior Day ceremonies, recorded a takedown of Troy Hernandez with three seconds remaining in the third period to tie the score at 4-4. He then earned the riding time point for the victory, his ninth in his last 11 bouts.
McPeek nearly duplicated Regan's effort just two bouts later when he scored a takedown of Canaan Bethea to capture a 4-3 decision. The referee awarded the two points for the takedown just before the final buzzer sounded. McPeek had trailed the entire bout.
Freshman 125-pounder Austin Miller scored Bucknell's only bonus-point victory of the match as he won by a 15-6 major decision to open the scoring. It was his sixth bonus-point win of the season as he registered his team-high 19th victory.
Sophomore 149-pounder Alex Pellicciotti posted the Bison's other win, an 8-2 decision over Mark Pinero. Pellicciotti almost scored a pin in the first period, while Pinero was the aggressor in the second period. Pellicciotti held on for the victory, though, his 13th of the year.
Junior 165-pounder Corey Lear had a chance at gaining a victory as he led 4-0 in the first period and somehow fought off a near-pin at the conclusion of the second period, but he ended up dropping a 9-6 decision to Lorenzo Thomas, who reeled off nine consecutive points before a late Lear reversal.
Penn had three ranked wrestlers in its lineup (No. 14 Bryan Ortenzio, No. 12 Zack Kemmerer and No. 10 Micah Burak) and the Quakers won all three of their weight classes, including two by major decision.
Bucknell will now be idle until the EIWA Championships, which will take place March 3-4 at Princeton.
Penn 23, Bucknell 13
125: Austin Miller (BU) maj. dec. Karim Shafi (Penn), 15-6.
133: No. 14 Bryan Ortenzio (Penn) maj. dec. Shawn Armato (BU), 14-2.
141: No. 12 Zack Kemmerer (Penn) dec. Derrik Russell (BU), 6-0.
149: Alex Pellicciotti (BU) dec. Mark Pinero (Penn), 8-2.
157: John Regan (BU) dec. Troy Hernandez (Penn), 5-4.
165: Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) dec. Corey Lear (BU), 9-6.
174: Stephen McPeek (BU) dec. Canaan Bethea (Penn), 4-3.
184: Erich Smith (Penn) dec. Jamie Westwood (BU), 6-2.
197: No. 10 Micah Burak (Penn) maj. dec. Tyler Lyster (BU), 13-5.
285: Steven Graziano (Penn) Win by Forfeit.
