Wrestling Opens EIWA Competition at New Member LIU

Friday, December 20

Brookville, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

LIU

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Wrestling Opens EIWA Competition at New Member LIU

12/16/2019 10:56:00 AM | Wrestling

Bucknell (1-2, 0-0 EIWA) vs. LIU (2-12, 0-1 EIWA)
When: Friday, December 20 – 7 p.m.
Where: Pratt Recreation Center – Brookville, N.Y.
Internet Video: NEC Front Row
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are set to begin EIWA competition at new member LIU on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
• Bucknell is 1-2 (0-0 EIWA) in 2019-20 dual action. The Bison most recently bested Bloomsburg, 24-13, in their home opener on Dec. 5 behind a first-period pin by Matthew Kolonia (149) and decisions by six other wrestlers.
• A year ago, Bucknell went 7-11 (4-7 EIWA) during dual competition. The Bison also placed 13th at the EIWA Championships in March and tied for 14th in a 67-team field at the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in late December.
• Bucknell return three NCAA qualifiers: Zach Hartman, Garrett Hoffman and Drew Phipps. The Bison also bring back three EIWA placewinners in Hartman, Phipps and David Campbell.
• Hartman and Phipps are serving as captains in 2019-20. Phipps is in his second season as a captain.
• At the 2019 EIWA Championships, Hartman became the first Bucknell freshman to finish as a runner-up and Phipps earned his second-straight podium finish.
• Hartman rose as high as eighth in the national polls at 157 pounds a year ago. He notably placed third at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships with a 6-1 record.
• The Bison graduated eight seniors in 2019, including three-time EIWA Championships starter D.J. Hollingshead.
• Bucknell's group of eight newcomers includes two state champions, six state placewinners and six team captains.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger is entering his 15th season at the helm of the Bison wrestling program. He has scored 121 career victories, good for second in school history; he was also tabbed as the 2015 EIWA Coach of the Year after Bucknell placed third at the EIWA Championships and qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.
• Wirnsberger and Bob Ferraro, who led the Bison to a 169-175-6 record from 1974 to 1997, are the program's only head coaches to reach the 100-win plateau.

Projected Bucknell Lineup
125: Brandon Seidman (5-6)
133: Darren Miller (6-5)
141: David Campbell (4-6) OR Jacob Hubbard (0-4)
149: Matthew Kolonia (8-4)
157: Jaden Fisher (10-10)
165: #15/15/18 Zach Hartman (11-3)
174: Mitch Hartman (7-5)
184: Kyle Inlander (3-4)
197: Drew Phipps (8-2) OR Mason McCready (1-10)
285: #-/-/18 Garrett Hoffman (1-0) OR Nate Feyrer (1-4)

Inside the Bison Projected Lineup
• The Bison have three NCAA qualifiers in their projected starting lineup: Zach Hartman, Garrett Hoffman and Drew Phipps. In addition, Hartman, Phipps and David Campbell are EIWA placewinners.
• Phipps has started Bucknell's past 36 duals dating back to the 2017-18 campaign. He started every dual a season ago and all but the Lehigh dual in 2017-18.
• Phipps is currently riding a 15-bout winning streak in dual competition; he was last defeated in dual action on Jan. 5, 2018 at Navy.
• Hartman, who started every 2018-19 dual at 157 pounds, has moved up a weight class this season.
• Mitch Hartman, the older brother of Zach, started for the first time since his sophomore year against Bloomsburg. The elder Hartman started the CSU Bakersfield and Edinboro duals during the 2017-18 campaign.
• Hoffman put an exclamation mark on Bucknell's victory over Bloomsburg, scoring a 9-2 decision in his return from an injury suffered in January of his sophomore year. It was his first appearance mat since the 2018 Virginia Duals.
• Three Bison earned their first dual start this season: Brandon Seidman (125), Darren Miller (133) and Jaden Fisher (157). Seidman is a sophomore while Miller and Fisher are freshmen.
• Campbell's start would be his first of the 2019-20 campaign and first at the 141-pound weight class. A start for Jacob Hubbard (141) or Mason McCready (197) would be the first of their collegiate career.
• In 2018-19, Bucknell used 19 starters in dual competition. Three Bison started every dual: Hartman, D.J. Hollingshead (165) and Phipps (197). Hollingshead was lost to graduation.
• Matthew Kolonia started all but the American dual in 2018-19. After starting the first four duals at 141 pounds, he moved up to 149 pounds, his current weight class.
• At least three different starters took the mat at three weight classes: 133 (3), 141 (4) and 285 (4).

Category Leaders
• Wins: Zach Hartman (11)
• Dual Wins: Zach Hartman and Drew Phipps (3)
• EIWA Dual Wins: N/A
• Pins: Zach Hartman (4)
• Technical Falls: Zach Hartman (2)
• Major Decisions: Matthew Kolonia (3)

Bison Ranked
Zach Hartman (165): 15th The Open Mat and Intermat, 18th FloWrestling
Garrett Hoffman (285): 18th FloWrestling

Returning NCAA Qualifiers
Zach Hartman: 2019 at 157
Garrett Hoffman: 2017 at 184
Drew Phipps: 2019 at 197

Returning EIWA Placewinners
David Campbell: 2018 (8th at 133)
Zach Hartman: 2019 (2nd at 157)
Drew Phipps: 2019 (6th at 197), 2018 (8th at 184)

LIU at a Glance/Series History
• The Sharks are currently 2-12 (0-1 EIWA). They most recently fell at Drexel, 42-3, on Dec. 14 in their first ever EIWA dual.
• LIU is the EIWA's newest member. The program was formed when Division I LIU Brooklyn and Division II LIU Post merged ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. The wrestling team, which competes on LIU Post's campus, was elevated to the Division I level with the merger.
• In 2018-19, their final season at the Division II level, the then Pioneers went 7-11. They sent one wrestler to the NCAA Division II wrestling championships: Joe Calderone, a graduate student who became the program's second three-time All-American.
• This will be the first meeting between the Bison and Sharks.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison next attend the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30.

Note for projected lineup: 2019-20 record in parentheses; rankings are Intermat/The Open Mat/FloWrestling; lineup is subject to change