Bucknell University Athletics
Four Bison Wrestlers Travel to St. Louis This Week for NCAA Championships
3/16/2015 12:41:00 PM | Wrestling
About the NCAA Championships
This year's NCAA Championships take place March 19-21 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Bucknell qualified four wrestlers for the event. Junior 125-pounder Paul Petrov, freshman 141-pounder Tyler Smith, freshman 184-pounder Tom Sleigh and senior 285-pounder Joe Stolfi will represent the Bison. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors. Kevin LeValley (7th at 149 in 2011) 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 19
First Session, 12 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Second Session, 7 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Friday, March 20
Quarterfinals, 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Semifinals, 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)
Saturday, March 21
Medal Round, 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Finals, 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)
Bucknell NCAA Championships Notes
• The Bucknell wrestling program was discontinued following the 2001-02 season, but was brought back again in 2005 thanks in large part to a generous donation from EIWA Hall of Famer Bill Graham '62.
• Fourteen different Bison wrestlers have combined for 28 NCAA appearances in the last nine years.
• Bucknell has had two different All-Americans in recent years: Andy Rendos - 2009 & 2010; Kevin LeValley - 2010 & 2011.
• Five different Bison wrestlers have combined for eight All-America certificates.
• Bucknell finished in a tie for 52nd place out of 72 scoring teams at last year's NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Bucknell has now had at least two NCAA qualifiers in nine straight years.
NCAA Qualifiers
Thanks to its four NCAA qualifiers this year, Bucknell has now had 76 individual NCAA berths. Twenty-eight of those berths have come in the last nine years by 14 different wrestlers. Joe Stolfi is making his third consecutive NCAA appearance, Paul Petrov his second, and freshmen Tyler Smith and Tom Sleigh their first.
How They Qualified
• Paul Petrov earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his third-place finish in the 125-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top three wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.
• Tyler Smith earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his third-place finish in the 141-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top five wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.
• Tom Sleigh earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his fifth-place finish in the 184-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top six wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.
• Joe Stolfi earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his runner-up finish in the 285-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top five wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.
First Opponents
• No. 16 seed Paul Petrov's first opponent at NCAAs is unseeded Conor Youtsey (22-12) of Michigan. Petrov and Youtsey have never met. The winner will face the winner of No. 1 Alan Waters (Missouri) and unseeded Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion).
• Tyler Smith's first opponent is 11th-seeded Chris Mecate (21-8) of Old Dominion. Smith and Mecate met at January's Virginia Duals with Mecate posting a 12-3 major decision. The winner will face the winner of No. 6 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) and Steven Rodrigues (Illinois).
• Tom Sleigh's first opponent is fifth-seeded Taylor Meeks (37-4) of Oregon State. It will be their first-ever meeting. The winner will face the winner of 12th-seeded Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) and Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State).
• No. 14 seed Joe Stolfi will face South Dakota State's J.J. Everard (20-12) in his first bout at NCAAs. Stolfi and Everard have never met. The winner will face the winner of No. 3 Bobby Telford (Iowa) and Spencer Myers (Maryland).
Bison vs. the Field
• Paul Petrov is a combined 5-5 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 125-pound bracket: vs. Trey Andrews (Northern Colorado) - 0-1; vs. Sean Boyle (Chattanooga) - 1-0; vs. Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) - 1-0; vs. Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) - 0-1; vs. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion) - 0-1; vs. Tim Lambert (Nebraska) - 1-0; vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) - 1-0; vs. Scott Parker (Lehigh) - 1-0; vs. David Terao (American) - 0-2.
• Tyler Smith is a combined 3-3 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 141-pound bracket: vs. Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) - 1-0; vs. Jordan Laster (Princeton) - 0-1; vs. Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) - 0-1; vs. Mike Morales (West Virginia) - 0-1; vs. David Pearce (Drexel) - 1-0; vs. Chuck Zeisloft (Rider) - 1-0.
• Tom Sleigh is a combined 4-13 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 184-pound bracket: vs. Victor Avery (Edinboro) - 0-1; vs. Ophir Bernstein (Brown) - 0-3; vs. Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) - 0-1; vs. Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) - 0-1; vs. Nick Fiegener (Cal Poly) - 1-0; vs. Fred Garcia (Lock Haven) - 0-1; vs. Matthew McCutcheon (Penn State) - 0-1; vs. Jack McKeever (Binghamton) - 3-0; vs. Scott Patrick (Davidson) - 0-1; vs. John Rizqallah (Michigan State) - 0-1; vs. Jakob Scheffel (West Virginia) - 0-1; vs. Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) - 0-1; vs. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State) - 0-1.
• Joe Stolfi is a combined 7-7 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 285-pound bracket: vs. Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Cornell) - 1-0; vs. Tyler Deuel (Binghamton) - 0-2; vs. Nick Gwiazdowski (N.C. State) - 0-1; vs. Jared Johnson (Chattanooga) - 1-0; vs. Jacob Kettler (George Mason) - 1-0; vs. Michael Kroells (Minnesota) - 0-1; vs. Mimmo Lytle (Kent State) - 1-0; vs. David Ng (Harvard) - 1-0; vs. Garrett Ryan (Columbia) - 1-0; vs. Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) - 0-2; vs. Nick Tavanello (Ohio State) - 1-1.
Petrov Notes
• 27-5 record this season (78-28 in career)
• Advanced to semifinals of EIWA Championships before finishing third
• Has finished 6th (2013), 6th (2014) and 3rd (2015) at last three EIWA Championships
• Wrestled at 133 pounds as a freshman in 2012-13
• Two-year team captain
• 2014 NCAA qualifier
• Second among current Bison with 78 career victories
• 15-2 in last 17 bouts
• Has not lost back-to-back bouts since Dec. 5-6
• Won Navy Classic in November
• 7-0 in matches decided by tech fall in career
• 10-3 in tournament competition
• One of four Bison to start all 19 duals this season
Petrov Career NCAA Championships Results
2014:
• First Round: L, #16 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), 6-1
• Consolation First Round: W, Jade Rauser (Utah Valley), 12-8
• Consolation Second Round: L, #15 Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh), 3-1.
Smith Notes
• 24-6 record this season
• Posted 5-1 record at EIWA Championships on way to third-place finish
• 11-1 in last 12 bouts
• 11-3 record in tournament competition
• Bucknell's first 141-pound NCAA qualifier
• Has not lost back-to-back bouts since Jan. 9
• 12-1 in bonus-point matches
• Teamed with classmate Tom Sleigh to give Bison multiple freshman NCAA qualifiers for the first time since 2007
• Named Bison Athlete of the Week March 9 after third-place finish at EIWA Championships
Sleigh Notes
• 30-16 record this season
• Wrestled team-high 46 bouts
• 12th different Bison to reach 30 wins in a season
• Posted 3-2 record at EIWA Championships on way to fifth-place finish
• 17-10 record in tournament competition
• Placed second at December's Lock Haven Invitational
• Three separate winning streaks of at least five matches
• 11-4 in bonus-point matches
• Teamed with classmate Tyler Smith to give Bison multiple freshman NCAA qualifiers for the first time since 2007
• One of four Bison to start all 19 duals this season
Stolfi Notes
• 36-7 record this season (98-36 in career)
• Three-time NCAA qualifier
• Finished in top 12 at 2013 NCAA Championships, coming one win short of All-America honors
• 4-4 career record at NCAA Championships
• Became third Bison to win an individiual EIWA title in 2014
• Three-time EIWA placewinner (3rd in 2013, 1st in 2014, 2nd in 2015)
• Leads nation in pins this season (19)
• Owns Bucknell record for career pins (51)
• Owns Bucknell record for single-season pins (23 in 2013-14)
• Ranks second on Bucknell's single-season wins list (36)
• Ranks seventh on Bucknell's career wins list (98)
• One of four Bison to start all 19 duals this season
• Named Bison Athlete of the Week (Jan. 12)
• Won 20 bouts in a row from Dec. 20 to Feb. 14
• 23-2 in last 25 bouts
• 69-10 career record in bonus-point bouts
• Won December's Lock Haven Invitational
• Placewinner at Clarion Open, Navy Classic and Cliff Keen Invitational this year
• Missed most of freshman campaign (2011-12) with an injury and expects to use final year of eligibility in 2015-16
Stolfi Career NCAA Championships Results
2013:
• First Round: L, #6 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 8-1
• Consolation First Round: W, Justin Grant (Bloomsburg), 8-4
• Consolation Second Round: W, #12 Adam Chalfant (Indiana), fall (6:38)
• Consolation Third Round: W, Benjamin Apland (Michigan), 6-2
• Consolation Fourth Round: L, #10 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan), 7-3
2014:
• First Round: L, #16 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State), 14-6
• Consolation First Round: W, Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa), fall (3:24)
• Consolation Second Round: L, Billy Smith (Rutgers), 10-6
Bison Headlines
• Bucknell concluded the season ranked 24th nationally in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. Bucknell climbed into the national rankings for the first time in program history in December and was listed as high as 22nd.
• Bucknell outscored its opponents 487-233 in its 19 duals this season.
• Bucknell this year had a 10-match winning streak, the second-longest in the history of the program. The Bison did not lose from Jan. 9 to Feb. 20.
• The school record for consecutive wins is 11 that covered parts of two seasons (1987-88 and 1988-89).
• Bucknell outscored its opponents 269-92 during its win streak and won 73 of 100 bouts.
• Bucknell's 15 victories this season are a new school record.
• The previous record for wins in a season was 12 by the 2006-07 and 2009-10 squads.
• Bucknell has reached double figures in wins in back-to-back years for just the second time in program history.
• Bucknell's two-year win total of 25 is the most in program history.
• Bucknell's third-place finish at the EIWA Championships marked the best-ever finish at the event for the Bison. Bucknell has been a member of the EIWA since 1999-2000.
• Paul Petrov and Joe Stolfi are team captains along with Rustin Barrick and Tyler Lyster.
• Bucknell faced four ranked opponents in 2014-15. The Bison have now wrestled 48 ranked foes over the last eight campaigns.
• Paul Petrov (125), Grim Gonzalez (133), Victor Lopez (149), Robert Schlitt (165), Tom Sleigh (184) and Joe Stolfi (285) each started at least 18 duals this year.
• Tenth-year head coach Dan Wirnsberger ranks second on Bucknell's all-time wins list with 86 victories.
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 86-91-2 (.486) since then. Twelve different wrestlers have combined for 24 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
2013-14: 10-11, 5-4 EIWA
2014-15: 15-4, 8-1 EIWA
Players Mentioned
