Bucknell's Joe Stolfi Opens Competition at NCAA Wrestling Championships Thursday
3/17/2013 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 17, 2013
In the Herd: NCAA Championships Preview
About the NCAA Championships
This year's NCAA Championships will take place March 21-23 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Bucknell qualified two wrestlers for the event, but an injury forced Corey Lear to withdraw, leaving only 285-pound sophomore Joe Stolfi to represent the Bison. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors. Kevin LeValley (7th at 149) was the last Bison to be named an All-American.
ESPN to Air NCAA Championships
The entire NCAA Championships will air on the ESPN family of networks.
ESPN Broadcasts
Thursday, March 21
First Round, 12 p.m. (ESPN3)
Second Round, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Friday, March 22
Quarterfinals, 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Semifinals, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday, March 23
Medal Round, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)
Finals, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NCAA Qualifiers
Thanks to its two NCAA qualifiers this year, Bucknell has now had 70 individual NCAA berths. Twenty-two of those berths have come in the last seven years by 11 different wrestlers. Joe Stolfi is making his first appearance at NCAAs.
How Stolfi Qualified
Joe Stolfi earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his third-place finish at the EIWA Championships. The top four wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.
First Opponent
Joe Stolfi's first opponent at NCAAs is sixth-seeded Bobby Telford of Iowa. Stolfi and Telford squared off earlier this year in a dual at the Grapple at the Garden in Madison Square Garden. Telford, who was ranked fifth nationally at the time, posted a 6-1 victory to conclude the dual match.
Stolfi vs. the Field
Joe Stolfi is a combined 4-10 against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 285-pound bracket. His wins came against Penn's Steven Graziano (2), Cornell's Stryker Lane and George Mason's Jacob Kettler.
Stolfi Notes
• Stolfi enters the NCAA Championships on a four-bout winning streak. He has won six of his last seven matches and 16 of his last 19.
• Stolfi has not lost back-to-back bouts since Jan. 6.
• Stolfi is 11-4 in bonus-point bouts. His seven pins are tied for the team lead with Corey Lear.
• Stolfi had a team-best 6-1 record in EIWA duals.
• Stolfi is one of four Bison with at least 20 wins this season.
• Stolfi has not faced a ranked opponent since Jan. 6.
• Stolfi is 23-6 against unranked foes this season.
Bucknell's EIWA Championships History
Bucknell first joined the EIWA in 1999-2000 and has wrestled at the EIWA Championships 10 times. The first year the Bison competed they were not awarded team points. Since then, they have five top-10 finishes.
Bucknell's EIWA Team Finishes
2000: no team points awarded
2001: 10th of 14 (30 points)
2002: 12th of 13 (12.5)
2007: 9th of 14 (40)
2008: 8th of 14 (43.5)
2009: t-3rd of 14 (79)
2010: 4th of 13 (103.5)
2011: 8th of 13 (59)
2012: 13th of 14 (28.5)
2013: 10th of 14 (47)
All-Americans
Bucknell has had eight All-Americans in its history, with Bobby Ferraro (1994, 1995), Andy Rendos (2009, 2010) and Kevin LeValley (2010, 2011) earning the honor twice. At least one Bison earned All-America honors three straight years from 2009 to 2011.
Bucknell All-Americans
1989: Tom Marchetti (4th place, 167 pounds)
1991: Bryan Burns (8th place, 190 pounds)
1994: Bobby Ferraro (8th place, 177 pounds)
1995: Bobby Ferraro (7th place, 177 pounds)
2009: Andy Rendos (5th place, 165 pounds)
2010: Andy Rendos (6th place, 165 pounds), Kevin LeValley (7th place, 149 pounds)
2011: Kevin LeValley (7th place, 149 pounds)
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 61-76-2 (.446) since then. Eleven different wrestlers have combined for 22 NCAA appearances and four All-America certificates over that span.
Bucknell's Year-by-Year Records Since Reinstatement
2006-07: 12-9-1, 3-3-1 EIWA
2007-08: 9-11-1, 4-4 EIWA
2008-09: 11-9, 5-3 EIWA
2009-10: 12-6, 6-0 EIWA
2010-11: 7-11, 2-5 EIWA
2011-12: 4-16, 2-4 EIWA
2012-13: 6-14, 2-5 EIWA
Wirnsberger Second on Wins List
Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger ranks second on the Bison career wins list with 61. He has guided Bucknell to a 61-76-2 mark over the last seven years and trails only longtime Bison mentor Bob Ferraro, who posted a 169-175-6 mark from 1974-97. On a career level, Wirnsberger owns a solid 88-98-2 mark.