Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bucknell Wrestling Challenges Lehigh Friday Evening in Davis Gym
2/9/2023 12:01:00 PM | Wrestling
Bucknell (6-7, 4-4 EIWA) vs. Lehigh (7-9, 4-3 EIWA)
When: Friday, Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.
Where: Davis Gym – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST
Projected Bucknell Lineup
125: Grayson McLellan (0-15)
133: No. 25 Kurt Phipps (27-8)
141: No. 32 Darren Miller (16-6)
149: Dylan Chappell (21-7)/Braden Bower (13-8)
157: Riley Bower (5-10)/Nick Delp (8-6)
165: Chase Barlow (9-14)
174: Sam Barnes (10/17)/Coy Bastian (3-6)
184: Mason McCready (11-9)/Mikey Bartush (15-8)
197: Nolan Springer (13-13)
285: No. 17 Dorian Crosby (17-9)
Rankings are Intermat
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 6-7 (4-4 EIWA) with two duals remaining on the schedule. Bucknell will be at home in Davis Gym for the next two weekends before heading off to the EIWA Championships during the first week of March.
• Kurt Phipps (133) and Dorian Crosby (285) both went 2-0 last weekend, despite Bucknell's losses to Columbia and Navy. Phipps remains the team's leader in wins with 27 on the season. He's won eight consecutive, while Crosby improved to 9-0 in dual action.
• Phipps, Darren Miller (141) and Crosby are each in the national rankings by Intermat, FloWrestling and WrestleStat this week. Crosby made his first appearance in the Intermat rankings at No. 31 after defeating his fourth ranked opponent this year.
• Three Bison appeared in the first NCAA Coaches' Poll released Jan. 19: No. 21 Phipps, No. 14 Miller and No. 30 Crosby.
• The Bison went 12-6 (7-3 EIWA) during the 2021-22 season. Bucknell placed four at the 2022 EIWA Championships, two of which (Miller and Nick Delp) returned for the 2022-23 season. Bucknell has six returning EIWA placewinners overall, and Miller is the team's lone returning NCAA qualifier, earning an automatic bid at 133 pounds in 2021.
• Bucknell welcomed nine newcomers to the team this season after losing six to graduation in the spring. Notably, the Bison lost All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Zach Hartman (165).
• Bucknell's grueling 2022-23 schedule includes trips to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle. In dual action, the Bison face three ranked teams from the preseason top 25.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger is in his 18th season at the helm of the Bucknell wrestling program. He's scored 148 career victories, good for second in school history; he was also tabbed as the 2015 EIWA Coach of the Year after the Bison placed third at the EIWA Championships and qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.
• Wirnsberger and Bob Ferraro, who led Bucknell to a 169-175-6 record from 1974 to 1997, are the program's only head coaches to reach the 100-win plateau.
A Look Back at Last Weekend's Duals
• Bucknell fell 25-12 to Columbia on Friday before dropping a 25-9 matchup with Navy the following day.
• The Bison came back from a 17-3 deficit against the Lions and trailed by just four at 16-12 with two bouts to go, but Columbia ended up sealing the dual. The Lions won six of the 10 bouts.
• Four of Columbia's five national-ranked wrestlers earned wins, while Bucknell's Darren Miller (141) defeated No. 21 Matt Kazimir. Dorian Crosby (285), Kurt Phipps (133) and Dylan Chappell (149) also picked up victories for the Bison.
• Bucknell defeated two more ranked wrestlers in the Navy dual, but the Midshipmen ultimately took seven of 10 bouts. Crosby posted a 5-3 decision over No. 19 Grady Griess, while Phipps won 4-0 over No. 31 Brendan Ferretti. Nick Delp (157) also added a 7-2 win over Devon Deem in the final matchup of the weekend.
Bison in the NCAA Coaches' Rankings
Kurt Phipps (133): 21st
Darren Miller (141): 14th
Dorian Crosby (285): 30th
Bison Ranked
Kurt Phipps (133): 25th by Intermat, 22nd by FloWrestling, 21st by WrestleStat
Darren Miller (141): 32nd by Intermat, 21st by FloWrestling, 28th by WrestleStat
Dorian Crosby (285): 31st by Intermat, 17th by WrestleStat
Category Leaders
• Wins: Kurt Phipps (27)
• Dual Wins: Kurt Phipps (11)
• EIWA Dual Wins: Kurt Phipps (8)
• Pins: Mikey Bartush (7)
• Technical Falls: Nine Tied (1)
• Major Decisions: Chappell, Crosby (5)
Lehigh at a Glance
• The Mountain Hawks improved to 7-9 (4-3 EIWA) with a 26-9 win over Army last Saturday. Lehigh was ranked sixth in Friday's NWCA Mid-Major Top 20 poll. They're also currently receiving votes in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll after falling out of the top 25 earlier in the year.
• Lehigh finished fourth at the 2022 EIWA Championships. Eight Mountain Hawks finished as placewinners, and seven of them are back this season.
• As a team, Lehigh finished in a tie for 25th with 17.5 points at the 2022 NCAA Championships, qualifying seven wrestlers.
• Seven Lehigh wrestlers appeared in this week's Intermat rankings: Connor McGonagle (133, 5th), Malkye Hines (141, 23rd), Max Brignola (149, 32nd), Josh Humphreys (157, 4th), Tate Samuelson (184, 19th), Michael Beard (197, 2nd) and Nathan Taylor (285, 29th).
• Lehigh leads 15-1 in the all-time series with the Bison, dating back to 1974. Bucknell's one win over the Mountain Hawks was during the 2013-14 campaign.
• The Bison made headlines across the sport's tight-knit community by defeating No. 22 Lehigh, 18-17, in Bethlehem, Pa. on Nov. 9, 2013. Bucknell won five of the 10 bouts, with Alex Pellicciotti's victory at 149 perhaps the most impressive. He defeated No. 19 Mitch Minotti, one of three ranked Mountain Hawks, by a 5-4 margin.
• Lehigh was ranked No. 23 during last season's meeting on Feb. 12, 2022. The Mountain Hawks pulled away from the Bison behind a five-bout winning streak that stretched between 174 and 125 pounds. All but the heavyweight bout, a pin by four-time EIWA champion Jordan Wood of Lehigh, were decided by decision.
• Kurt Phipps, Darren Miller and Nick Delp all collected wins for the Bison in the last matchup with Lehigh.
A Look Ahead
• Princeton visits Davis Gym on Friday, Feb. 17 for Bucknell's final dual of the season. The Bison then spend two weeks preparing for the 2023 EIWA Championships, which are scheduled for March 4-5 and will be hosted by Penn.
Players Mentioned
