Six Bison Wrestlers Head to NCAA Championships at MSG This Week

About the NCAA Championships
This year's NCAA Championships take place March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bucknell qualified a program-record-tying six wrestlers for the event. Senior 125-pounder Paul Petrov, sophomore 141-pounder Tyler Smith, junior 149-pounder Victor Lopez, senior 174-pounder Rustin Barrick, sophomore 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. Current assistant coach 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 17
First Session, 12 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Second Session, 7 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)

Friday, March 18
Quarterfinals, 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3)
Semifinals, 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)

Saturday, March 19
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.
• Sixteen different Bison wrestlers have combined for 34 NCAA appearances in the last 10 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 41st place out of 69 scoring teams at last year's NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Bucknell has now had at least two NCAA qualifiers in 10 straight years.

NCAA Qualifiers
Thanks to its record-tying six NCAA qualifiers this year, Bucknell has now had 82 individual NCAA berths. Thirty-four of those berths have come in the last 10 years by 16 different wrestlers. Joe Stolfi is making his fourth consecutive NCAA appearance, Paul Petrov his third, sophomores Tyler Smith and Tom Sleigh their second, and senior Rustin Barrick and junior Victor Lopez are making their first appearances at the national tournament.

How They Qualified
• Paul Petrov earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his runner-up 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 at-large berth to the NCAA Championships.

• Victor Lopez earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his fourth-place finish in the 149-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top five wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.

• Rustin Barrick earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his fourth-place finish in the 174-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top seven wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.

• Tom Sleigh earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships based on his seventh-place finish in the 184-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships. The top seven 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 six wrestlers in the weight class earned automatic berths.

First Opponents
• No. 12 seed Paul Petrov's first opponent at NCAAs is unseeded Sean Russell (27-7) of Edinboro. Petrov and Russell have never met. The winner will face the winner of No. 5 Ryan Millhof (Oklahoma) and unseeded Drew Romero (Air Force).

• Tyler Smith's first opponent is 15th-seeded Brock Zacherl (27-1) of Clarion. Smith and Zacherl have never met. The winner will face the winner of No. 10 Todd Preston (Harvard) and Logan Everett (Army West Point).

• Victor Lopez's first opponent is 15th-seeded Daniel Neff (26-8) of Lock Haven. Lopez is 0-4 all-time against Neff with all four losses coming by decision. Lopez and Neff met twice this year with Neff posting matching 8-6 decisions. The winner will face the winner of No. 10 Mike DePalma (Kent State) and Alex Griffin (Purdue).

• Rustin Barrick's first opponent is ninth-seeded Chandler Rogers (27-7) of Oklahoma State. Barrick and Rogers have never met. The winner will face the winner of No. 16 Micah Barnes (Nebraska) and Jack McKeever (Binghamton).

• Tom Sleigh's first opponent is 16th-seeded Matt McCutcheon (16-6) of Penn State. Sleigh and McCutcheon met at last year's East Stroudsburg Open with McCutcheon posting an 8-2 decision. It was the seventh bout of Sleigh's career. The winner will face the winner of top-seeded Gabriel Dean (Cornell) and his opponent, which will be the winner of the pigtail match.

• No. 10 seed Joe Stolfi will face the winner of the pigtail match between Pittsburgh's Ryan Solomon and Nebraska's Collin Jensen in his first match. Stolfi was scheduled to face Solomon at last year's NCAA Championships, but took a medical forfeit due to injury. Stolfi and Jensen have never faced each other. The winner of Stolfi's first match will face the winner of No. 7 seed Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) and Jeramy Sweany (Cornell).

Bison vs. the Field
• Paul Petrov is a combined 8-4 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 125-pound bracket: vs. Darian Cruz (Lehigh ) – 1-1; vs. Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) – 0-1; vs. Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan) – 1-0; vs. Zachary Fuentes (Drexel) – 1-0; vs. Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin) – 2-0; vs. Shakur Laney (Ohio) – 1-0; vs. Ryan Milhof (Oklahoma) – 1-0; vs. Ronnie Rios (Oregon State) – 0-1; vs. Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) – 0-1; vs. Conor Youtsey (Michigan) – 1-0.

• Tyler Smith is a combined 4-7 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 141-pound bracket: vs. Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech) – 0-3; vs. Rick Durso (F&M) – 1-0; vs. Zachary Horan (Central Michigan) – 0-1; vs. Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) – 2-0; vs. Jordan Laster (Princeton) – 0-1; vs. Robert Mathers (Arizona State) – 1-0; vs. Todd Preston (Harvard) – 0-1; vs. Thomas Thorn (Minnesota) – 0-1.

• Victor Lopez is a combined 4-9 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 149-pound bracket: vs. Matt Cimato (Drexel) – 0-1; vs. Steven Galiardo (Brown) – 1-3; vs. Laike Gardner (Lehigh) – 2-1; vs. Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma) – 0-1; vs. Matthews Kraus (Arizona State) – 0-1; vs. Daniel Neff (Lock Haven) – 0-2; vs. Mike DePalma (Kent State) – 1-0.

• Rustin Barrick is a combined 5-8 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 174-pound bracket: vs. Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) – 0-2; vs. Blaise Butler (Missouri) – 0-1; vs. Brian Harvey (Army West Point) – 0-1; vs. Josef Johnson (Harvard) – 1-0; vs. Nick Kee (Appalachian State) – 0-1; vs. Casey Kent (Penn) – 1-1; vs. Jack McKeever (Binghamton) – 0-1; vs. Matt Reed (Oklahoma) – 1-0; vs. Cody Walters (Ohio) – 0-1; vs. Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State) – 1-0; vs. Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) – 1-0.

• Tom Sleigh is a combined 0-7 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 184-pound bracket: vs. Nate Brown (Lehigh) – 0-1; vs. Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) – 0-1; vs. Samson Imonode (Army West Point) – 0-1; vs. Matthew Miller (Navy) – 0-1; vs. Steven Schneider (Binghamton) – 0-1; vs. Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) – 0-1; vs. Zachary Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) – 0-1.

• Joe Stolfi is a combined 4-2 this year against the other 32 wrestlers in the NCAA Championships 285-pound bracket: vs. Joseph Goodhart (Drexel) – 1-0; vs. Mike Hughes (Hofstra) – 1-0; vs. Ross Larson (Oklahoma) – 1-0; vs. Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) – 1-0; vs. Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) – 0-1; vs. Max Wessell (Lehigh) – 0-1.

Petrov Notes
• 31-5 record this season (109-35 in career)
• Lost in finals of EIWA Championships
• Four-time EIWA placewinner: 6th (2013), 6th (2014), 3rd (2015), 2nd (2016)
• Three-time NCAA qualifier (2014, 2015, 2016)
• Wrestled at 133 pounds as a freshman in 2012-13
• Ranks sixth on Bucknell's all-time wins list (109)
• Won 125-pound title at Michigan State Open and Navy Classic in November
• 9-0 in matches decided by tech fall in career
• 17-3 in tournament competition this year
• Leads team in victories this season
• Has tied career high for wins in a season
• 11-1 in last 12 matches
• Has not lost back-to-back bouts all season
• Two-time member of NWCA All-Academic Team
Petrov Career NCAA Championships Results (1-4)
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.
2015 (No. 16 seed):
• First Round: L, Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 5-4.
• Consolation First Round: L, Dominic Parisi (Appalachian State), 6-4.

Smith Notes
• 22-11 record this season (46-19 in career)
• Posted 1-2 record at EIWA Championships
• Earned at-large bid to NCAA Championships; first Bison with at-large bid since Corey Lear in 2013
• Two-time NCAA qualifier (2015, 2016)
• Became Bucknell's first 141-pound NCAA qualifier last year
• Finished in third place at EIWA Championships in 2015
• Shared team's Freshman of the Year Award with classmate Tom Sleigh last year
• 10-3 in last 13 bouts
• 12-1 in career in bouts decided by major decision
• 14 bonus-point victories this year
• Finished in sixth place at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and in seventh place at the Michigan State Open
Smith Career NCAA Championships Results (0-2)
2015:
• First Round: L, #11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 1:16.
• Consolation First Round: L, Steven Rodrigues (Illinois), 11-4.

Lopez Notes
• 28-12 record this season (78-42 in career)
• Finished in fourth place at EIWA Championships to earn automatic berth to NCAA Championships
• Three-time EIWA pacewinner: 8th (2014), 4th (2015), 4th (2016)
• Making first NCAA appearance
• Team captain
• Three consecutive 20-win seasons
• Has increased win total every year (23 -> 27 -> 28)
• Six winning streaks of at least three matches this year
• 9-2 in last 11 bouts
• 13-2 in bonus-point matches
• Finished second at December's Lock Haven Classic
• Finished third at November's Navy Classic
• Finished seventh at November's Michigan State Open

Barrick Notes
• 27-10 record this season (60-44 in career)
• Finished in fourth place at EIWA Championships to earn automatic berth to NCAA Championships
• EIWA placewinner: 4th (2016)
• Wrestled at 165 in 2013-14 and 157 in 2014-15
• Career-high 27 victories this year after 33 in first three years
• Missed freshman year due to injury
• In second year as a team captain
• Finished in fourth place at Navy Classic and in seventh place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
• 13-match winning streak from December to February was second-longest by a Bison all season
• 17-4 in last 21 bouts
• 12-1 in bonus-point bouts
• 10-0 in career in bouts decided by fall

Sleigh Notes
• 26-8 record this season (56-26 in career)
• Finished in seventh place at EIWA Championships to earn automatic berth to NCAA Championships
• Two-time EIWA placewinner: 3rd (2015), 7th (2016)
• Two-time NCAA qualifier
• Won Lock Haven Classic and finished second at Navy Classic this year
• 13-5 in tournament competition this year
• 9-0 in career in bouts decided by tech fall
• Tied for fourth nationally in wins by tech fall this year (7)
• 26-2 against unranked opponents
• 16-1 during a 17-match stretch from Dec. 19 to Feb. 13
Sleigh Career NCAA Championships Results (0-2)
2015:
• First Round: L, #5 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State), 9-0.
• Consolation First Round: L, Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State), 3-1 (tb1).

Stolfi Notes
• 20-2 record this season (119-39 in career)
• Four-time NCAA qualifier
• Joins David Marble and Andy Rendos as the only four-time NCAA qualifiers in program history
• Finished in the top 12 at 2013 NCAA Championships, coming one win short of All-America honors
• 5-5 career record at NCAA Championships
• Became third Bison to win an individual EIWA title in 2014
• Finished second at EIWA Championships each of the last two years
• Forced to injury default in this year's EIWA Championships finals
• Four-time EIWA placewinner: 3rd (2013), 1st (2014), 2nd (2015), 2nd (2015)
• Tied for fourth nationally in pins (12) this season
• Owns Bucknell record for career pins (64)
• Ranks third on Bucknell's career wins list (119)
• Owns Bucknell record for single-season pins (23 in 2013-14)
• Led nation in pins (20) last year
• Missed early part of this season due to injury suffered at last year's NCAA Championships
• Posted team-best 15-match winning streak from Jan. 8 to March 6
• 85-11 career record in bonus-point bouts
• Won December's Lock Haven Invitational in first action of season
• 29-2 career record in EIWA duals
Stolfi Career NCAA Championships Results (5-5)
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
2015 (No. 14 seed):
• First Round: W, J.J. Everard (South Dakota State), fall (6:29)
• Second Round: L, Spencer Myers (Maryland), fall (8:30)
• Consolation Second Round: Medical Forfeit vs. Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh)

Bison Headlines
• Bucknell outscored its opponents 445-273 in 18 duals this season.
• Bucknell finished 12-6 this year as it reached double-figures in victories for a third straight year for the first time in program history.
• Bucknell has a program-record 37 wins over the last three years, eclipsing the previous record of 32.
• Bucknell's senior class will graduate with 43 dual victories, the second-most in program history behind the Class of 2010's 44 wins.
• Bucknell used nine different starting lineups in its 18 dual matches this year.
• Bucknell had two or fewer starters at nine of its 10 weight classes.
• The only weight class that had more than two different starters was 141 pounds.
• No Bison started all 18 duals.
• Bucknell faced three ranked opponents in 2015-16. The Bison have now wrestled 51 ranked foes over the last nine campaigns.
• Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger ranks second on the Bison career wins list with 98.
• Bucknell returned regular starters at nine of 10 weight classes this year.
• Bucknell's EIWA lineup consisted of one freshman, two sophomores, three juniors and four seniors.