Bucknell University
EIWA Championships
Bucknell Wrestling Competes at EIWA Championships
3/6/2019 2:12:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell wrestling team is set to compete at the 115th EIWA Championships this Friday and Saturday at Binghamton's Events Center in Vestal, N.Y.
2019 EIWA Championships
When: Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9
Where: Events Center – Vestal, N.Y.
Participating Teams: American, #23 Army West Point, Binghamton, Brown, Bucknell, Columbia, #9 Cornell, Drexel, Franklin & Marshall, Harvard, Hofstra, #20 Lehigh, Navy, Penn, #19 Princeton, Sacred Heart
Event Website: EIWAWrestling.org
Live Results: FloWrestling.org
Online Video: FloWrestling.org ($)Â
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST
Bucknell's Projected EIWA Lineup
125: Jakob Campbell (14-10)
133: Geo Barzona (10-8)
141: Noah Levett (2-4)
149: Matthew Kolonia (14-13)
157: #13/16/13 Zach Hartman (23-6)
165: D.J. Hollingshead (12-9)
174: Frankie Guida, Jr. (16-11)
184: Kyle Inlander (12-9)
197: Drew Phipps (22-7)
285: Brandon Stokes (8-10)
About the EIWA Championships
• The field includes 16 teams, including four ranked in the regular season's final National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coaches Poll: No. 9 Cornell, No. 19 Princeton, No. 20 Lehigh and No. 23 Army West Point. Binghamton also received votes. Â
• In 2018, Lehigh won the EIWA Championships at Hofstra's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. With their victory, the Mountain Hawks snapped Cornell's title run at 11.
• Only seven current members of EIWA have captured the team title: Lehigh (35), Cornell (25), Navy (13), Penn (4), Princeton (3), Army West Point (1) and Harvard (1). Â
Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 8
Session 1:
     • 11 a.m. - Championship First Round
     • 2:15 p.m. - First Round Wrestlebacks
Session 2:
     • 6 p.m. - Championship Quarterfinals
     • 7:30 p.m. - Wrestleback Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 9
Session 3:
     • 10 a.m. - Championship Semifinals
     • 11:45 a.m. - Wrestleback Semifinals
     • 12:35 p.m. - 7th-Place Matches
Session 4:
     • 3 p.m. - 1st-, 3rd- and 5th-Place Matches
NCAA Qualifiers from the EIWA Championships
• The EIWA will have 47 automatic qualifiers for the 2019 NCAA Championships, ranking behind only the Big Ten (78) and Big 12 (53).
• The EIWA was second to the Big Ten in automatic qualifiers from the 157-, 174- and 184-pound weight classes. The EIWA was second to the Big 12 in automatic qualifiers in the 197-pound weight class.
• The EIWA received six bids at 157, 184 and 197 pounds.
• At last year's EIWA Championships, Tyler Smith (141) earned an automatic berth. Drew Phipps (184) missed securing the EIWA's final automatic bid in his weight class by one spot.
• Since the Bucknell wrestling program was reinstated ahead of the 2006-07 season thanks in large part to a generous donation from Bill Graham '62, 17 different wrestlers have combined to earn 39 NCAA berths and four All-America certificates.
• Last year, Smith became the fourth Bison since the program was revived to qualify for the NCAA Championships during all four years of his collegiate career. David Marble (133, 2007-10), Andy Rendos (165, 2007-10) and Joe Stolfi (285, 2013-16) previously accomplished the feat. Â
EIWA Allotments
125: 4 Â Â Â 165: 4
133: 4 Â Â Â 174: 5
141: 3 Â Â Â 184: 6
149: 5 Â Â Â 197: 6
157: 6Â Â Â Â 285: 4
    Total: 47
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell went 7-11 (4-7 EIWA) in dual competition during the 2018-19 campaign. The Bison also tied for 14th in a 67-team field at the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in late December.
• Entering the EIWA Championships, Zach Hartman (23-6), Drew Phipps (22-7), Frankie Guida, Jr. (16-11) and Jacob Ferreira (15-11) have all reached the 15-win plateau. Jakob Campbell (14-10) and Matthew Kolonia (14-13) are currently one win away from reaching that threshold.
• Phipps paced Bucknell with a 15-3 dual record, bolstered by his current 12-bout winning streak. Hartman was right behind, posting a 14-4 mark. Both went an impressive 10-1 in EIWA dual action.
• Hartman is the team leader in pins (9) while Phipps has paced the Bison in major decisions (7). Kolonia boasts a team-best three technical falls while Phipps, Geo Barzona and David Campbell are the only Bison who have posted at least one fall, one technical fall and one major decision this season.
• Bucknell's captains are D. Campbell, Garrett Hoffman, Phipps, Nick Stephani and Brandon Stokes.
• In 2018-19, the Bison returned one NCAA qualifier and three EIWA placewinners. Hoffman (184) earned an at-large bid to the 2017 NCAA Championships, where he bowed out after two bouts. D. Campbell (133) and Phipps (184) each took eighth at the 2018 EIWA Championships while Joey Gould (133) was eighth at the 2017 rendition. All but D. Campbell have since changed weight classes.
 • In 2017-18, Bucknell battled injuries and used 22 different starters in dual competition, ultimately finishing with a 3-14 (2-7 EIWA) ledger. The performance of 141-pounder Tyler Smith, one of six seniors lost to graduation, was a bright spot; he became the program's fifth four-time NCAA qualifier and seventh EIWA runner-up.
• The Bison enjoyed one of their most successful stretches in program history from 2014 to 2017, compiling a combined record of 39-14 (23-5 EIWA) and placing third at the 2016 and 2015 EIWA Championships.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger, who is in his 14th year at the helm, has a 120-126-2 record. He 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.
BucknelL's EIWA Championships History
• The Bison joined the EIWA in 1999-2000 and have wrestled at the league's championships 15 times.
• Bucknell boasts 10 top-10 finishes and has placed no lower than sixth three of the past four seasons.
• The Bison have finished as high as third in the team standings. They tied Penn for that spot in 2009 and claimed sole possession of it in 2015 and 2016. Â
• Bucknell wrestlers have captured an EIWA individual title on three occasions. Andy Rendos won the 165-pound crown in 2010, current assistant coach Kevin LeValley earned the 149-pound title in 2011 and Joe Stolfi was the 285-pound champion in 2014.
• Since the wrestling team was reinstated ahead of the 2006-07 campaign, 29 Bison have combined to place on the EIWA podium 58 times.
Bucknell at the 2018 EIWA Championships
• The Bison placed 14th at the 2018 EIWA Championships, held March 3-4 at Hofstra's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead, N.Y.
• Tyler Smith (141) became Bucknell's seventh EIWA runner-up, joining David Marble (2008, 133), Andy Rendos (2009, 165), current assistant coach Kevin LeValley (2010, 149), Joe Stolfi (2015 & 2016, 285), Paul Petrov (2016, 125) and Tom Sleigh (2017, 197). Smith graduated as a three-time EIWA placewinner, as he took third as a freshman in 2015 and fourth as a junior in 2017.
• David Campbell (133) and Drew Phipps (184) took eighth at their first EIWA Championships, each going 2-3 over the course of the event. Phipps missed securing the EIWA's final automatic bid in his weight class by one spot.
Bison Ranked
• At the conclusion of the regular season, Zach Hartman (157) was ranked 13th by Intermat and FloWrestling and 16th by The Open Mat.
• Hartman was ranked eighth by The Open Mat from Jan. 15 to Feb. 3 and by both Intermat and The Open Mat from Jan. 15 to Jan. 27. That national ranking is the freshman's highest to date.
• Hartman first cracked FloWrestling's rankings on Dec. 24. He came in at No. 20; it was the first time in his collegiate career he was ranked by any of the three major wrestling publications: Intermat, The Open Mat and FloWrestling.
• Following his third-place finish at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Hartman entered the Intermat poll (Jan. 8) and The Open Mat rankings (Jan. 3) at No. 10.
• Hartman and Drew Phipps (197) made the third of four NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and the second NCAA rating percentage index, which were released March 1. Hartman was slotted 12th in both while Phipps was 24th in the rating percentage index and 28th in the Coaches' Panel Rankings.
• Hartman has appeared in all three Coaches' Panel Rankings to date, checking in at as high as 10th. Phipps entered the Coaches' Panel Rankings at 26th during its second iteration.
• In the first rating percentage index, Jakob Campbell (125) and Kyle Inlander (184) were each ranked 32nd in his respective weight class. Joey Gould (141) joined Hartman in the first Coaches' Panel Rankings, checking in at 29th.
Bison Riding Win Streaks
• Three wrestlers projected to take the mat at the EIWA Championships are currently riding win streaks: Drew Phipps (+12), Frankie Guida, Jr. (+2) and Brandon Stokes (+2).
• Phipps's active win streak is the longest recorded by a Bison this season. Over its course, he has registered bonus points in six bouts, with two technical falls and four major decisions.
• Geo Barzona and Zach Hartman have each won five of his past six duals. Hartman also strung together an eight-bout winning streak from Dec. 30 to Jan. 26. Â
Starting Lineups
• Over the course of the regular season, Bucknell used 19 starters in dual competition. Three Bison started every dual: Zach Hartman (157), D.J. Hollingshead (165) and Drew Phipps (197).
• At least three different starters took the mat at three weight classes: 133 (3), 141 (4) and 285 (4).
• Kyle Inlander (184) was the lone returning wrestler to start for the first time this season. In addition, four freshmen started: Brett Rezendes (133/141), Noah Levett (141), Hartman (157) and Jacob Ferreira (184). Of Bucknell's first-time starters, Hartman, Inlander and Levett are expected to compete at the EIWA Championships.
Bucknell Individuals at the EIWA Championships
• Four of the Bison projected to compete at the 2019 EIWA Championships have previous postseason experience. Of that group, only Drew Phipps has earned a spot on the EIWA podium, taking eighth in the 184-pound weight class at the 2018 rendition.
• D.J. Hollingshead, the lone senior expected to start, will be making his third EIWA Championships appearance. He wrestled at his natural 165 pounds in 2018; at the 2017 EIWA Championships, he competed up a weight class at 174 pounds.
• Previous EIWA placewinners David Campbell (8th at 133 in 2018) and Joey Gould (8th at 133 in 2017) are not expected to compete at the 2019 EIWA Championships due to injury. Gould moved up to 141 pounds this season, most notably placing fifth at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.
• Two freshmen (Zach Hartman and Noah Levett), three sophomores (Jakob Campbell, Frankie Guida, Jr. and Matthew Kolonia) and one junior (Kyle Inlander) are projected to make their EIWA debut.
• Listed below are the EIWA results for Geo Barzona, Hollingshead, Phipps and Brandon Stokes:
Geo Barzona
Career Record at EIWAs: 1-2
2018: 1-2 (125 pounds)
Gage Curry (American), L, Dec. (2-7)
Jacob Martin (Hofstra), W, Dec. (7-5)
Zack Fuentes (Drexel), L, Maj. Dec. (1-9)
D.J. Hollingshead
Career Record at EIWAs: 1-4
2017: 0-2 (174 pounds)
#13 Casey Kent (Penn), L, Tech Fall (0-18, 4:31)
Andrew Psomas (Columbia), L, Dec. (3-10)
2018: 1-2 (165 pounds)
Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), L, Maj. Dec. (1-11)
Jacob Conners (Franklin & Marshall), W, Fall (6:34)
#20 Andrew Mendel (Army West Point), L, Maj. Dec. (0-9)
Drew Phipps
Career Record at EIWAs: 2-3
2018: 2-3 (184 pounds) - 8th Place
Noah Stewart (Army West Point), W, Dec. (5-1)
#3 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), L, Dec. (1-8)
Kanon Dean (Harvard), W, Dec. (5-4)
#20 Alex DeCiantis (Drexel), L, Dec. (6-10)
Joe Heyob (Penn), L, Maj. Dec. (5-13)
Brandon Stokes
Career Record at EIWAs: 1-2
2018: 1-2 (285 pounds)
Antonio Pelusi (Franklin & Marshall), L, Fall (1:50)
Angus Cowell (Harvard), W, Dec. (4-0)
Brett Dempsey (American), L, Dec. (0-5)
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell's NCAA qualifiers will compete at the NCAA Championships, slated for March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• On March 12, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will announce the 44 at-large qualifiers. The NCAA brackets and seeding will be unveiled on NCAA.com the following day at 6 p.m.
Note for projected lineups: 2018-19 record in parentheses; rankings are Intermat/The Open Mat/FloWrestling; lineups are subject to change
Players Mentioned
