Bucknell Wrestling Edged by American, 22-21

LEWISBURG, Pa. – In a back-and-forth dual that came down to the final bout, American edged the Bucknell wrestling team, 22-21, on Friday night at Davis Gym.

The Bison (6-8, 4-4 EIWA) and Eagles (4-4, 4-2 EIWA) combined to post bonus points in six of 10 bouts, including three technical falls and two pins. For Bucknell, D.J. Hollingshead (165) pinned Anthony Wokasch in dramatic fashion early in the second period while Nick Stephani (174) earned a 16-0 technical fall over Colin Shannon one bout later. In addition, Drew Phipps (197) scored a commanding 14-0 major decision over Prince Hyeamang.

With the Bison clinging to a 21-19 lead entering the final bout, Jack Mutchnik (141) downed Brett Rezendes by an 8-1 decision to propel American to its single-point victory. Mutchnik entered that bout with a 20-8 record while Rezendes, a freshman 133 pounder, was pressed into the Bucknell starting lineup one weight class up due to injury.

Through four bouts, the Bison held a 14-5 advantage thanks to Hollingshead's pin and Stephani's technical fall. In the second bout of the evening, Zach Hartman downed Kizhan Clarke by a 7-4 decision to become the first Bison to reach the 20-win plateau this season. Hartman, a freshman ranked as high as 10th nationally, now boasts a 20-5 overall record, including an 8-0 mark in EIWA dual action.

After a Tanner Harvey (184) technical fall trimmed Bucknell's lead to 14-10, Phipps's major decision made it an 18-10 dual. A Niko Camacho (285) pin drew American back within two, at 18-16, entering the three lightweight bouts.

Jakob Campbell (125) earned a decisive 11-5 decision over Gage Curry, who qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships thanks to a fourth-place showing at the EIWA Championships. But the Eagles took the next two bouts by 8-1 decisions to stretch their winning streak over the Bison to two duals.

This was Bucknell's first dual of the season that started at a weight class other than 125 pounds. Stephani's technical fall was the second of his career while Phipp's major decision gave him five on the season, good for first among Bison. Phipps also stands second to Hartman with 18 victories, four shy of his career-high total set last year.

Bucknell next travels to Army West Point for a 2 p.m. dual on Sunday

American 22 – Bucknell 21
149: Michael Sprague (AU) tech fall over Joey Schiele (BU) 26-6 (7:00)
157: #12/10/12 Zach Hartman (BU) dec. over Kizhan Clarke (AU) 7-4
165: D.J. Hollingshead (BU) fall over Anthony Wokasch (AU) 3:46
174: Nick Stephani (BU) tech fall over Colin Shannon (AU) 16-0 (4:55)
184: Tanner Harvey (AU) tech fall over Jacob Ferreira (BU) 20-5 (6:59)
197: Drew Phipps (BU) maj. dec. over Prince Hyeamang (AU) 14-0
285: Niko Camacho (AU) fall over Eric Chakonis (BU) 3:56
125: Jakob Campbell (BU) dec. over Gage Curry (AU) 11-5
133: Josh Terao (AU) dec. over David Campbell (BU) 8-1
141: Jack Mutchnik (AU) dec. over Brett Rezendes (BU) 8-1

Rankings are Intermat/The Open Mat/FloWrestling

Next Event

Players Mentioned

David Campbell

Jakob Campbell

Eric Chakonis

Jacob Ferreira

Zach Hartman

D.J. Hollingshead

Drew Phipps

Brett Rezendes

Joey Schiele

Nick Stephani