Bucknell University Athletics
Joe Stolfi Named Bison Athlete of the Week After Winning EIWA Title
3/10/2014 3:27:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell junior wrestler Joe Stolfi (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) was named the Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday, less than 24 hours after becoming the third person in program history to win an EIWA individual title. The winner of 18 bouts in a row, Stolfi posted a 4-0 record and defeated top-seeded Billy Smith of Rutgers by a 9-7 score in the finals.
The second-seeded Stolfi, who is ranked 18th nationally in the 285-pound weight class, joined Andy Rendos (2010 – 165 pounds) and Kevin LeValley (2011 – 149 pounds) as Bison to win EIWA crowns.
Thanks to his top-four finish in the 285-pound bracket, Stolfi earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. Last March he finished in the top 12 and was just one victory shy of earning All-America honors.
Three of Stolfi's victories at EIWAs were against fellow seeded grapplers as he pinned seventh-seeded Raymond O'Donnell (Princeton) and posted decisions against sixth-seeded Max Wessell (Lehigh) and Smith.
With two pins Saturday, Stolfi took over the top spot on the program's single-season list with 22, moving ahead of Brian Pitzer. He entered the EIWA Championships ranked second in the country in falls and is now fifth on the school's all-time pins list with 31.
The owner of a 33-6 record this season, Stolfi is tied for third in program history in single-season victories. Twenty-eight of his 33 wins are for bonus points and he has a pair of victories over nationally ranked foes.
Stolfi piled up an 18-3 mark during regular-season duals, placing him third on the program's single-season duals wins list, while his .846 overall winning percentage this winter is eighth in school history.
This is Stolfi's third career Bison Athlete of the Week honor and his first in 2013-14. He is the third different wrestler to earn the award this year.
Stolfi will enter next week's NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., with a 61-27 career record, including 31-3 in bouts decided by fall. He is 15-1 in EIWA duals and 30-15 overall in duals.
Stolfi will be joined at the NCAA Championships by 125-pound sophomore teammate Paul Petrov, who placed sixth in his bracket at EIWAs to earn his first career NCAA bid.
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