Bucknell University Athletics
Paul Petrov Named Bison Athlete of the Week
12/7/2015 4:40:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell wrestling 125-pounder Paul Petrov (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) earned his first career 5th Quarter Fresh Bison Athlete of the Week honor on Monday after placing fifth in his weight class at the very competitive Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational over the weekend. The senior beat two 2015 NCAA All-Americans and posted a 6-2 record on his way to his team-best finish at the event.
Petrov was not the only Bison grappler to have success as Bucknell placed 10th in the team standings out of 40 schools, a full 15 spots higher than its 2014 finish. Thirteen teams listed in the NWCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll were at the Cliff Keen Invitational and the Bison were listed ahead of six of them (Virginia, Northern Iowa, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Oregon State).
Petrov, who is ranked 14th nationally by Intermat, entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed in the 125-pound bracket. He was 10-0 on the season and opened with three consecutive victories to move to the quarterfinals. The final of those three wins was a 4-1 decision over eighth-seeded Conor Youtsey of Michigan, who placed sixth at last year's NCAA Championship.
The win over Youtsey put Petrov in a quarterfinal match against top-seeded Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State, the 2015 NCAA champion at 125 pounds. Petrov lost by a 9-4 decision.
A third straight match against an All-American followed for Petrov, who beat seventh-seeded Zeke Moisey of West Virginia in his first bout on Saturday. Petrov pinned Moisey – the 2015 NCAA runner-up – in 4:16.
Petrov advanced to the consolation semifinal with a win over Northern Colorado's Trey Andrews before suffering a 3-2 loss to Oregon State's Ronnie Rios. He then claimed fifth place thanks to a default by Oklahoma's Ryan Milhoff.
Petrov's tournament featured eight matches and five of those were against seeded opponents. He had three bonus-point victories, and his two losses came by just six total points to a pair of seeded foes.
A two-time NCAA qualifier, Petrov is now a team-best 16-2 this season and his 94-32 career record places him eighth on the program's all-time list, one victory ahead Brian Pitzer.
Bucknell will next be in action Dec. 19 when it hosts Gardner-Webb in a 2 p.m. dual inside Davis Gym. The match will be broadcast live on the Patriot League Network.
Players Mentioned
