Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
George Mason
Wrestling Improves to 8-3 with Home Wins Over George Mason & Sacred Heart
1/17/2015 5:39:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell wrestling team won dual matches against George Mason and Sacred Heart by a combined 70-12 score Saturday afternoon at Davis Gym. The Bison opened with a 34-6 non-conference win over the Patriots and after a brief break, downed fellow EIWA member Pioneers, 36-6. Bucknell, which is ranked 24th nationally, improved to 8-3, 2-0 EIWA on the year and has now won three duals in a row.
While the scores of the two matches were similar, the path to them was not. The Bison won three overtime bouts and two others where they needed a late takedown to avoid overtime against George Mason (6-5), while they opened the Sacred Heart (0-9) match with two pins and a major decision on their way to five bonus-point victories.
“We knew the George Mason match was going to be tough,” commented Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger. “They are well coached and have outstanding athletes. It was nice to see our guys stay focused and determined and come out on top in some close matches.
“Against Sacred Heart we wanted to be more aggressive and take more shots in the first period and we did that after not really accomplishing that goal earlier in the day.”
Bucknell had wins in 17 of its 20 bouts during the two matches. Five of the victories were by fall, including a pair by No. 14 Paul Petrov at 125 pounds as he extended his personal winning streak to four. The junior has won nine of his last 10 bouts and is now 16-3 on the season.
The Bison opened a 21-0 lead in the opening match against George Mason. Five straight close bouts followed Petrov's opening pin. Grim Gonzalez used a takedown in the final 10 seconds to defeat Tim Johnson by a 3-1 margin at 133 pounds. Then the overtimes started.
Tyler Smith posted a 7-5 victory at 141 with a reversal early in the tiebreaker period. He had scored a tying takedown with about 20 seconds left in the third period to force the extra session.
At 149 pounds Victor Lopez defeated Konbeh Koroma 3-2 in the first tiebreaker as well. Riding time helped him tie the score 2-2 at the end of regulation and he then scored an escape for the OT win.
Rustin Barrick kept the string of overtime wins alive for the Bison at 157 pounds. He overcame a 5-2 deficit to force overtime and then scored a takedown in the second sudden victory period to win 8-6. Barrick moments earlier had a takedown at the buzzer of a period wiped off the board.
Robert Schlitt did not need overtime, but he still had a close one at 165, defeating Patrick Davis 10-7. Schlitt had a late takedown to snap a 7-7 tie and then earned the riding time point as well to post his 10th victory of the year.
Tom Sleigh (pin at 184), Tyler Lyster (decision at 197) and No. 19 Joe Stolfi (major decision at 285) helped the Bison close out the match with three convincing wins.
George Mason did not have much time to rest as the Patriots battled Sacred Heart approximately 10 minutes after the conclusion of their match against the Bison. George Mason won that match 23-13 to finish 1-1 on the day.
Prior to Bucknell returning to the mat, the 1957-58 Bison squad that was the first undefeated team in program history was honored along with Coach Bill Wrabley.
Bucknell then opened a 22-0 lead on Sacred Heart as Petrov (fall), Gonzalez (fall) and Smith (major decision) opened with three straight bonus-point victories. Lopez and Logan Kerin then registered wins by decision to extend the lead to 22.
After two straight wins by decision by Sacred Heart at 165 and 174, the Bison closed out the day with victories by Sleigh, Lyster and Stolfi. Lyster registered his first tech fall of the year, while Stolfi posted his 13th pin and moved into sole possession of third place on the program's all-time list with 45. He is now a team-best 26-5 on the year.
Bucknell continued its success against its two opponents on Saturday. The Bison are now 7-0 all-time against George Mason and 4-0 all-time against Sacred Heart.
Thanks to Saturday's two victories, Bucknell is now just two wins shy of equaling last year's win total.
The Bison will wrap up their three-match homestand Friday, Jan. 23, against Columbia. Start time is 7 p.m. in Davis Gym. The match will air live on Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network.
Match 1: Bucknell 34, George Mason 6
125: No. 14 Paul Petrov (B) pinned Ibrahim Bunduka (GMU), 2:25.
133: Grim Gonzalez (B) dec. Vince Rodriguez (GMU), 3-1.
141: Tyler Smith (B) dec. Sahid Kargbo (GMU), 7-5 (tb1)
149: Victor Lopez (B) dec. Konbeh Koroma (GMU), 3-2 (tb1)
157: Rustin Barrick (B) dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU), 8-6 (sv2)
165: Robert Schlitt (B) dec. Patrick Davis (GMU), 10-7.
174: Ryan Forrest (GMU) pinned Brenan McAllister (B), 2:37.
184: Tom Sleigh (B) pinned Daniel Mika (GMU), 4:49
197: Tyler Lyster (B) dec. Matt Meadows (GMU), 3-0.
285: No. 19 Joe Stolfi (B) maj. dec. Jake Kettler (GMU), 11-0.
Match 2: George Mason 23, Sacred Heart 13
125: Patrick Skinner (SHU) maj. dec. Ibrahim Bunduka (GMU), 16-6.
133: Vince Rodriguez (GMU) tech fall Tim Johnson (SHU), 22-6.
141:Sahid Kargbo (GMU) dec. Kyle Brady (SHU), 5-4 (tb1)
149: Brendan Goldup (SHU) dec. Ryan Hunsberger (GMU), 2-1.
157: Greg Flournoy (GMU) dec. Casey Mitchell (SHU), 6-4.
165: Johnny Vrasidas (SHU) dec. Patrick Davis (GMU), 7-6.
174: Conan Schuster (SHU) dec. Ryan Forrest (GMU), 4-2.
184: Ryan Hembury (GMU) dec. Elliott Antler (SHU), 5-3.
197: Matt Meadows (GMU) dec. Sasha Oliinyk (SHU), 14-7.
285: Jake Kettler (GMU) pinned John Hartnett (SHU), 1:33.
Match 3: Bucknell 36, Sacred Heart 6
125: No. 14 Paul Petrov (B) pinned Patrick Skinner (SHU), 6:14.
133: Grim Gonzalez (B) pinned Tim Johnson (SHU), 2:39
141: Tyler Smith (B) maj. dec. Kyle Brady (SHU), 17-7.
149: Victor Lopez (B) dec. Brendan Goldup (SHU), 10-7.
157: Logan Kerin (B) dec. Casey Mitchell (SHU), 4-3.
165: Johnny Vrasidas (SHU) dec. Robert Schlitt (B), 8-3.
174: Conan Schuster (SHU) dec. Brenan McAllister (B), 11-4.
184: Tom Sleigh (B) dec. Elliott Antler (SHU), 9-3.
197: Tyler Lyster (B) tech fall Sasha Oliinyk (SHU), 17-1 (6:49)
285: No. 19 Joe Stolfi (B) pinned Jon Hartnett (SHU), 1:28.
Players Mentioned
