Bucknell University Athletics
Wrestling Wraps Up Regular Season Friday at Binghamton
2/20/2014 9:37:00 AM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell wrestling team will conclude its 2013-14 regular season Friday with a 7 p.m. dual match at first-year EIWA opponent Binghamton. The match will be broadcast live and free of charge on bubearcats.tv.
A win Friday will help Bucknell (9-11, 4-4) reach 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2009-10 and finish above .500 in conference action for the first time since that same season.
The Bison own a 3-1 edge in the all-time series against the Bearcats that began in 2000-01. Bucknell captured the first three meetings by a combined 72-43 score before losing a 36-6 decision two years ago in Stillwater, Okla. The squads have not met in a Binghamton home match since January 2001.
The Bison concluded their home schedule last Saturday with a convincing 36-9 win over VMI. Bucknell captured eight of the nine bouts that were contested and had four bonus point victories. It was the fifth win this season by at least 15 points for the Bison, who are outscoring their opponents 381-371 in their 20 dual competitions.
Junior 285-pounder Joe Stolfi continues to rank second nationally in pins. His 20 wins by fall this year put him in a tie for first on the program's single-season pins list with Brian Pitzer, who had 20 pins in 1998-99. Stolfi is a team-best 28-6 overall and his 17 dual victories put him in a tie for third with Kevin LeValley on that single-season ledger. He has won 13 straight bouts and is ranked 17th nationally. Projected opponent Tyler Deuel is ranked 19th and will be the sixth ranked foe for Stolfi this year.
Sophomore 125-pounder Paul Petrov continued his strong wrestling last weekend. After earning a forfeit on Friday at Franklin & Marshall, he posted a tech fall to get the match vs. VMI started. It was his 13th win in his last 14 bouts and upped his season mark to 27-7. Seventeen of Petrov's 27 victories have been for bonus points.
Freshman 184-pounder Rory Bonner has also been strong of late, winning three straight low-scoring bouts by decision. He is now 11-15 on the year with seven of those victories coming during dual competition.
Binghamton brings a 5-11 overall record into Friday's match. The Bearcats, who are in their first year as a member of the EIWA, are 2-6 against conference opponents. The upper weight classes are strong for Binghamton as Deuel is ranked at 285 and Cody Reed is 19th nationally at 197. The Bearcats have four grapplers with 20 wins in their lineup, including Reed and Deuel.
Following Friday's match, Bucknell will next be in action at the EIWA Championships March 8-9. Penn is the host of the event this year. The Bison finished 10th at last year's EIWA Championships and had five placewinners: Petrov (6th at 133), Corey Lear (6th at 165), Robert Marchese (8th at 184), Tyler Lyster (8th at 197) and Stolfi (3rd at 285).
Bucknell vs. Binghamton
Record: Bucknell leads 3-1
First Meeting: 2001
Streak: Binghamton +1
Last Bucknell Win: 2006
Last Binghamton Win: 2012
Series:
Jan. 10, 2001 – Bucknell 20, Binghamton 12 (Vestal, N.Y.)
Feb. 10, 2002 – Bucknell 25, Binghamton 23 (Lewisburg, Pa.)
Dec. 2, 2006 – Bucknell 27, Binghamton 8 (Lewisburg, Pa.)
Jan. 29, 2012 – Binghamton 36, Bucknell 6 (Stillwater, Okla.)
Bucknell's Projected Lineup (9-11, 4-4 EIWA)
125: Paul Petrov (27-7)
133: Grim Gonzalez (16-20)
141: Connor Lapresi (11-20) or Bob Hauser (4-11)
149: Victor Lopez (20-16)
157: Ray Schlitt (19-21)
165: Rustin Barrick (17-18)
174: Robert Schlitt (14-11)
184: Rory Bonner (11-15)
197: Tyler Lyster (18-15)
285: No. 17 Joe Stolfi (28-6)
Binghamton's Projected Lineup (5-11, 2-6 EIWA)
125: David White (21-8)
133: Mike Sardo (5-17)
141: Nick Tighe (22-18)
149: Joe Bonaldi (13-8)
157: Colton Perry (6-21)
165: Vincent Grella (7-13)
174: Ben Price (2-13)
184: Caleb Wallace (13-12)
197: No. 19 Cody Reed (23-8)
285: No. 19 Tyler Deuel (25-5)
Players Mentioned
