Bucknell Wrestling Places Four on EIWA Podium

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Bucknell wrestling team placed four on the podium at the 2022 EIWA Championships, which concluded on Sunday at Newman Arena at Bartels Hall.

Zach Hartman took third in the 165-pound weight class with two pins and a major decision over the top-seeded wrestler; the senior, who qualified for the NCAA Championships by finishing in the EIWA's top seven, will now graduate as a four-time EIWA placewinner and four-time NCAA qualifier.

Junior Darren Miller went fifth at 133 pounds while senior Brandon Seidman (125) and sophomore Nick Delp (157) each placed seventh in his respective weight class. Miller and Seidman both earned his second-straight EIWA podium finish; Delp made it onto the podium in his first career appearance at the EIWA's premier event.

Hartman advanced to the EIWA semifinals behind a 28-second pin of Brown's Keegan Rothrock and a 9-5 decision over Drexel's Evan Barczak, Intermat's 26th-ranked wrestler. There, he fell to Harvard's Philip Conigliaro, who was the third seed to his second seed and ranked 13th to his 10th by Intermat. Conigliaro, the eventual EIWA champion, edged Hartman by a 5-2 margin, sealing his victory with a late third-period takedown.

Hartman rebounded with his second pin of these EIWA Championships; he brought Binghamton's Brevin Cassella's shoulders to the mat in 2:34. In the third-place bout, he scored a commanding 16-3 major decision over top-seeded Julian Ramirez of host Cornell, also Intermat's 12th-ranked grappler. During his bout with Ramirez, he posted two takedowns, two reversals and six back points.

Miller gave top-seeded Matt Kazimir of Columbia a battle but was ultimately edged, 4-2, on a reversal that came with 41 seconds remaining in their match. Kazimir, the eventual EIWA champion, was ranked 27th to Miller's 28th in the most recent Intermat poll. After being defeated in the consolation semifinals, Miller edged third-seeded Ryan Anderson of Binghamton by a 2-1 decision; notably, Anderson was ranked ahead of Miller at 19th in the most recent Intermat rankings.

Seidman downed Brown's Reese Fry by a 9-4 decision to secure his seventh-place showing; he registered four takedowns over the course of his win, with two coming in the third period. Delp was a 3-1 victor over Harvard's Trevor Tarsi in his seventh-place bout; Delp scored all of his points during the final frame, ultimately pulling ahead on a takedown with 37 seconds remaining.

Seidman and Delp were both sent to the seventh-place bout following tight losses. In the consolation round of four, Seidman was clipped by Harvard's Beau Bayless, 3-0, while Delp was edged by Cornell's Hunter Richard, 9-8. Delp's loss to Intermat's 26th-ranked grappler came in heartbreaking fashion; after Delp scored a reversal with 16 seconds left that would have given him an 8-7 triumph, Richard picked up one of his own with just two seconds remaining that allowed him to emerge victorious by a 9-8 margin.

Miller and Delp each narrowly missed a chance to compete for one of the EIWA's automatic bids at his weight class; the EIWA had four at 141 pounds and five at 157 pounds. Like Hartman and Miller, Delp suffered a defeat to the eventual EIWA champion in Princeton's Quincy Monday.

Hartman became the fifth Bison to qualify for four NCAA Championships since the wrestling program was reinstated ahead of the 2006-07 season, joining David Marble (133, 2007-10), Andy Rendos (165, 2007-10), Joe Stolfi (285, 2013-16) and current volunteer assistant coach Tyler Smith (141, 2015-18).

Hartman is also the sixth Bison to place at four EIWA Championships, joining Marble, Rendos, Stolfi, Paul Petrov (125, 2013-16) and Victor Lopez (149/157, 2014-17). He previously won the 165-pound title at the 2021 EIWA Championships; he also took second at 157 pounds in 2019 and at 165 pounds in 2020.

Hartman's two pins moved his career total to 28, vaulting him into a tie for seventh in the Bucknell annals. With nine victories by fall in 2021-22, he matched his previous season-best total set as a freshman. He also earned his 18th and 19th career victories over a nationally ranked opponent over the course of the two-day event.

Miller previously went third in the 133-pound weight class at the 2021 EIWA Championships, clinching the conference's final automatic bid that year. Seidman placed sixth in his current weight class at that championship event.

As a team, the Bison placed 11th with 39.5 points. No. 10 Cornell (153), No. 18 Penn (143) and No. 22 Princeton (120.5) were the top three teams, with the Big Red halting fourth-place Lehigh's (111) title run at four.

Bucknell's qualifiers will next compete at the NCAA Championships, slated for March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. On March 8, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will announce the at-large qualifiers. The NCAA brackets and seeding will be unveiled on NCAA.com the following day at 6 p.m.

125: #5 Brandon Seidman (3-2) – 7th Place
Round of 16: W, dec over #12 Reese Fry (Brown) 11-4
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #4 Joe Manchio (Columbia) 1-3 (SV-1)
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #7 Max Leete (American) 2-1 (TB-2)
Consolation Round of 4: L, dec. to #8 Beau Bayless (Harvard) 0-3
Seventh-Place Match: W, dec. over #12 Reese Fry (Brown) 9-4

141: #4 Darren Miller (3-2) – 5th Place
Round of 16: W, dec. over #13 J.J. Wilson (#10 Cornell) 5-2
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #5 Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) 4-2
Semifinals: L, dec. to #1 Matt Kazimir (Columbia) 2-4
Consolation Semifinals: L, fall to #7 Wil Gil (Franklin & Marshall) 5:37
Fifth-Place Match: W, dec. over #3 Ryan Anderson (Binghamton) 2-1 (TB-2)

157: #7 Nick Delp (3-2) – 7th Place
Round of 16: W, dec. over #10 Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart) 3-1
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #2 Quincy Monday (#22 Princeton) 5-9
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #13 Jack Bokina (Brown) 7-0
Consolation Round of 4: L, dec. to #6 Hunter Richard (#10 Cornell) 8-9
Seventh-Place Match: W, dec. over #9 Trevor Tarsi (Harvard) 3-1

165: #2 Zach Hartman (4-1) – 3rd Place
Round of 16: W, fall over #15 Keegan Rothrock (Brown) 0:28
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #7 Evan Barczak (Drexel) 9-5
Semifinals: L, dec. to #3 Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) 2-5
Consolation Semifinals: W, fall over #8 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) 2:34
Third-Place Match: W, maj. dec. over #1 Julian Ramirez (#10 Cornell) 16-3

Note: Individual ranking EIWA seed; team ranking NWCA

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Players Mentioned

Nick Delp

Zach Hartman

Darren Miller

Brandon Seidman