Bucknell University
NCAA Championships
Four Bison Wrestlers Advance to Second Day of NCAA Championships
3/17/2016 11:15:00 PM | Wrestling
NEW YORK, N.Y. – A program-record-tying six Bucknell wrestlers earned invitations to the NCAA Championships and four Bison will advance to the second day of the popular event, which is taking place at Madison Square Garden the next three days. Tyler Smith (141), Victor Lopez (149), Tom Sleigh (184) and Joe Stolfi (285) each won one bout Thursday and will be wrestling in the consolation brackets of their weight classes on Friday morning.
Paul Petrov (125) and Rustin Barrick (174) were also in action Thursday, but both veterans saw their careers come to a close with a pair of losses.
Bucknell is in 16th place out of 72 teams with nine points. Penn State is in first place with 27.5 points. Ohio State and Oklahoma State are tied for second place with 24 points.
Lopez and Sleigh advanced to the second day thanks to wins over seeded opponents in their first matches, while Smith and Stolfi earned their wins in consolation bouts.
Lopez, who earned his first berth to the NCAA Championships thanks to a fourth-place finish at the EIWA Championships, wasted little time in posting his first career NCAA victory as he pinned No. 15 seed Daniel Neff of Lock Haven in 2:55. Lopez had been 0-4 all-time against Neff.
The win over Neff set up a bout with No. 2 Brandon Sorensen from Iowa, who finished fourth nationally last year. Lopez kept it close, but lost by a 3-1 score. He will face unseeded Coleman Hammond of Cal State Bakersfield Friday morning.
Sleigh's first-round win came against No. 16 Matt McCutcheon from Penn State by a 4-3 decision. It was Sleigh's first career NCAA win after going 0-2 in his first trip to the national tournament last March.
In the second round, Sleigh was matched with top-seeded Gabriel Dean from Cornell, a two-time All-American and a 2015 national champion. Dean pinned Sleigh in just under two minutes, setting up a Friday morning consolation match for Sleigh against No. 15 Nicholas Gravina from Rutgers.
Smith lost his first bout of the day to Clarion's No. 15 seeded Brock Zacherl and then earned a medical forfeit in the consolation bracket. He will take on Lehigh's 16th-seeded Randy Cruz on Friday.
Stolfi, the No. 10 seed who entered the day with a team-best five career NCAA victories, ended the day on a high note. After suffering a 9-2 loss to Nebraska's in his first bout, Stolfi bounced back and pinned Cornell's Jeramy Sweaney in the wrestlebacks. Stolfi trailed 6-1 at the time of his pin, the 65th of his career.
Stolfi, who is now 120-40 in his career, will open up Friday with a bout against No. 9 Michael Kroelis from Minnesota.
Petrov, the No. 12 seed who was making his third straight NCAA appearance, suffered a pair of losses by decision, including one in overtime to Edinboro's Sean Russell. He concluded his Bison career with a 109-37 record, good for sixth on the program's all-time wins list.
Barrick, who was making his first career NCAA appearance, lost my major decision and tech fall to seeded opponents on Thursday. A leg injury seemed to be hampering him in his consolation loss to Virginia Tech's Zach Epperly, who was a returning All-American.
Bucknell's wrestlers had a difficult draw on Thursday as they had seven matches against seeded opponents.
The Bison that advanced to day two of the NCAA Championships need three more wins to finish in the top eight of their weight classes and earn All-America honors. Bucknell's last All-American was current assistant coach Kevin LeValley in 2011.
The NCAA Wrestling Championships will continue Friday starting at 11 a.m. The semifinals will take place starting at 8 p.m.
Bucknell Wrestler Results
125: Paul Petrov (#12 Seed)
First Round: L, dec. Sean Russell (Edinboro), 9-8 (sv)
Consolation First Round: L, dec. Drew Romero (Air Force), 9-4.
Petrov Eliminated
141: Tyler Smith
First Round: L, dec. #15 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 7-3.
Consolation First Round: W, medical forfeit Zachary Horan (Central Michigan).
Next Match: Consolation Second Round - #16 Randy Cruz (Lehigh)
149: Victor Lopez
First Round: W, fall #15 Daniel Neff (Lock Haven), 2:55.
Second Round: L, dec. #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 3-1.
Next Match: Consolation Second Round – Coleman Hammond (Cal State Bakersfield)
174: Rustin Barrick
First Round: L, maj. dec. #9 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), 10-2.
Consolation First Round: L, tech fall #8 Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech), 17-2.
Barrick Eliminated
184: Tom Sleigh
First Round: W, dec. #16 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), 4-3.
Second Round: L, fall #1 Gabriel Dean (Cornell), 1:57.
Next Match: Consolation Second Round - #15 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers)
285: Joe Stolfi (#10 Seed)
First Round: L, dec. Collin Jensen (Nebraska), 9-2.
Consolation First Round: W, fall Jeramy Sweany (Cornell), 5:24.
Next Match: Consolation Second Round - #9 Michael Kroelis (Minnesota)
Players Mentioned
