Wrestling to Compete at Navy Classic on Saturday

LEWISBURG, Pa. – After wrestling five dual matches, the Bucknell wrestling team will participate in its first tournament of the 2013-14 season this weekend when it makes its annual trip to the Navy Classic. This is the eighth consecutive season the Bison have made the jouney to Annapolis.

The one-day event will take place at Navy's Wesley Brown Field House. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. with the finals slated for 5 p.m. Bucknell will be joined by wrestlers from Brown, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Cleveland State, Franklin & Marshall, George Mason, Kent State, Navy, Ohio, Princeton, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Bison kicked off their 2012-13 season at the Navy Classic where they finished sixth of nine teams and had three placewinners (Paul Petrov – 2nd at 133, Corey Lear – 3rd at 165, Tyler Lyster – 3rd at 197).

Bucknell (2-3, 1-0 EIWA) enters the Navy Classic with two of its wrestlers showing up in the latest Amateur Wrestling News national rankings. Freshman 141-pounder Victor Lopez is ranked 20^th, while junior 285-pounder Joe Stolfi is listed 13^th in his weight class. Lopez is coming off back-to-back pins of ranked opponents from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, while Stolfi is 3-2 on the season and is one of just three current Bison to have more than 30 career victories.

As many as 21 Bison are expected to be in action this weekend. Lopez enters the weekend with the team lead in wins (8). Junior Ray Schlitt has seven victories, while freshman Tyler Greene is third on the squad with six wins.

Bucknell will be idle for nearly a month following the Navy Classic. The Bison will next be in action Saturday, Dec. 21, when they host Pittsburgh at 6 p.m. in Davis Gym. That will be the first home match of the season for Bucknell.

Bucknell's Navy Classic Finishes
2006-07: 4th of 13
2007-08: 3rd of 12
2008-09: 3rd of 12
2009-10: 3rd of 9
2010-11: 2nd of 7
2011-12: 3rd of 7
2012-13: 6th of 9

2013 Navy Classic
Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
Venue: Wesley Brown Field House
Participating teams: Brown, Bucknell, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Cleveland State, Franklin & Marshall, George Mason, Kent State, Navy, Ohio, Princeton, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Tickets: $7 adults, $5 students (18 years and under)
Live Scoring: Brackets will be posted throughout the day on the wrestling page of Navy's official website, www.NavySports.com

Projected session times:
10 a.m. - preliminary rounds
2:30 p.m. – semifinals
5 p.m. - finals