Bucknell's Zach Hartman and Drew Phipps Finish as EIWA Runners-Up

Saturday, March 7

Bethlehem, Pa.

All Day

Bucknell University

EIWA Championships

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bucknell's Zach Hartman and Drew Phipps Finish as EIWA Runners-Up

3/7/2020 5:18:00 PM | Wrestling

Six Bison earned spots on the 2020 EIWA podium

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell's Zach Hartman (165) and Drew Phipps (197) finished second at the EIWA Championships, which wrapped up on Saturday at Lehigh's Stabler Arena.

Mitch Hartman (174) joined his younger brother on the podium, earning a sixth-place showing at his first EIWA Championships. In addition, Jaden Fisher (157), Kyle Inlander (184) and Brandon Stokes (285) placed eighth, helping the Bison take seventh in the 17-team field with 57.5 points.

Z. Hartman, who became Bucknell's first freshman to finish as an EIWA runner-up a year ago, is the second Bison to twice finish second at the EIWA Championships; heavyweight Joe Stolfi previously accomplished the feat in 2015 and 2016.

Phipps became Bucknell's ninth EIWA runner-up, joining David Marble (2008, 133), Andy Rendos (2009, 165), Kevin LeValley (2010, 149), Joe Stolfi (2015 & 2016, 285), Paul Petrov (2016, 125), Tom Sleigh (2017, 197), Tyler Smith (2018, 141) and Z. Hartman (2019, 157; 2020, 165). It was Phipps's third-straight EIWA podium finish; he previously took sixth at 197 pounds in 2019 and eighth at 184 pounds in 2018.

Z. Hartman and Phipps each punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships, slated for March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. They will be making their second-straight appearance at NCAA wrestling's premier event.

Bucknell's six placewinners represented its highest total since 2017; that season, the Bison placed six on the podium en route to a sixth-place finish in the 16-team field. M. Hartman, Inlander and Stokes, all seniors, and Fisher, a freshman, are first-time EIWA placewinners.

In the team standings, No. 10 Lehigh defended its title with 154 points. No. 18 Cornell (120) and No. 17 Army West Point (112) rounded out the top three. Bucknell was tied with Lehigh and Columbia with two runners-up.

Phipps scored one of the most impressive upsets of the day to earn his spot in the EIWA finals, knocking off top-seeded Patrick Brucki (Princeton) by a 7-4 decision. Phipps, the fifth seed, scored a takedown early in the first period to set the tone; he then rode out Brucki for the majority of the second period. Phipps extended his lead to 5-1 in the third period's first minute with an escape and a takedown; while Brucki answered with an escape and a takedown of his own, Phipps pulled out the win, adding another escape and the riding time point to his total. Brucki, Intermat's sixth-ranked wrestler, placed fourth at the NCAA Championships and won the EIWA title a year ago.

Z. Hartman advanced to the EIWA finals in dramatic fashion, edging second-seeded Philip Conigliaro (Harvard), in the first sudden victory period. Z. Hartman overcame an early 4-1 deficit, evening the score at 6-6 to force overtime; notably, Z. Hartman picked up the equalizing takedown early enough in the third period to erase Conigliaro's riding time advantage that would have given him a 7-6 win. Just 22 seconds into overtime, following a scramble, Z. Hartman picked up a takedown to walk away an 8-6 victor.

Phipps and Z. Hartman both ran into formidable opponents in the finals. Phipps was downed by second-seeded Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), a 2018 All-American who ranked as high as first in the country that year. Z. Hartman was clipped by top-seeded Tanner Skidgel, the reigning EIWA champion. While Z. Hartman scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds, he ran out of time to complete his second-straight comeback.

M. Hartman reached the consolation semifinals with a 3-2 decision over Anthony Wokasch. M. Hartman's go-ahead takedown came with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation. While Stokes went 0-2 on Saturday, both of his losses were tight; he was sent to the seventh-place bout with an overtime loss to sixth-seeded Ben Goldin (Penn), where he was edged, 7-4, by Niko Camacho (American).

Stokes, a native of nearby Milton, notably began his collegiate career at 165 pounds; in addition, he was originally slated to drop down to 184 pounds this year after two seasons spent as an undersized heavyweight.

157: #7 Jaden Fisher (2-3) – 8th place
Round of 16: W, dec. over #10 Holden Heller (Hofstra), 6-5
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #2 Markus Hartman (#17 Army West Point), 3-6
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #5 Kyle Mosher (Columbia), 4-2
Consolation Round of 4: L, dec. to #6 Hunter Ladnier (Harvard), 3-10
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. to #11 Jack Stanton-Taddeo (Navy), 4-10

165: #3 Zach Hartman (3-1) – 2nd place
Round of 16: W, maj. dec. over #14 Riley Jacops (Columbia), 10-2
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #6 Grant Cuomo (#12 Princeton), 5-3
Semifinals: W, dec. over #2 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard), 8-6 (SV-1)
Finals: #1 L, dec. to #1 Tanner Skidgel (Navy), 2-4

174: #8 Mitch Hartman (3-3) – 6th place
Round of 16: W, dec. over #9 Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart), 3-1 (SV-1)
Quarterfinals: L, tech fall to #1 Jordan Kutler (#10 Lehigh), 0-16 (5:42)
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #14 James Langan (LIU), 7-4
Consolation Round of 4: W, dec. over #16 Anthony Wokasch (American), 3-2
Consolation Semifinals: L, maj. dec. to #3 Ben Harvey (#17 Army West Point), 0-11
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. to #6 Sage Heller (Hofstra), 2-6

184: #11 Kyle Inlander (2-3) – 8th place
Round of 16: L, fall to #6 Travis Stefanik (#12 Princeton), 2:26
Consolation Round of 8 #1: W, dec. over #14 Reid Robilotto (Franklin & Marshall), 6-2
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #8 Joe Franzese (Columbia), 9-3
Consolation Round of 4: L, dec. to #5 Jonathan Lowe (#18 Cornell), 6-12
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. to #10 Charles Small (Hofstra), 2-9

197: #5 Drew Phipps (3-1) – 2nd place
Round of 16: W, dec. over #12 Robert Hetherman (Sacred Heart), 5-2
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #4 Jacob Koser (Navy), 9-3
Semifinals: W, dec. over #1 Patrick Brucki (#12 Princeton), 7-4
Finals: L, maj. dec. to #2 Ben Darmstadt (#18 Cornell), 0-11

285: #13 Brandon Stokes (2-3) – 8th place
Round of 16: L, maj. dec. to #4 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofsta), 0-8
Consolation Round of 8 #1: W, dec. over #12 Aidan Conner (#12 Princeton), 9-5
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, inj. default over #2 Ben Sullivan (#17 Army West Point), 1:16
Consolation Round of 4: L, dec. to #6 Ben Goldin (Penn), 1-3 (SV-1)
Seventh-Place Match: L, dec. to #11 Niko Camacho (American), 4-7

Note: Number listed beside wrestler is EIWA Championships seed; number listed beside team is national ranking