Bucknell University
EIWA Championships
Bucknell Wrestling Places Five on EIWA Podium, Two Earn NCAA Berths
3/5/2023 7:57:00 PM | Wrestling
Dylan Chappell scores runner-up finish at 149 pounds
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Sophomore Dylan Chappell posted a runner-up finish at 149 pounds, and five Bison grapplers finished as placewinners at the conclusion of the 2023 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships at The Palestra on Sunday. Additionally, Dorian Crosby (285) joined Chappell as an automatic NCAA qualifier.
Nick Delp (157) placed fifth, Darren Miller (141) placed sixth, Crosby placed sixth, and Kurt Phipps (133) placed seventh. Delp led all Bison with four wins by battling his way back into the fifth-place match after suffering a loss in the round of 16 on Saturday.
As a team, Bucknell finished in ninth place with 54 points.
Chappell, who moved up a weight class in the middle of the season, became the first Bucknell wrestler to reach the 149-pound finals since assistant coach Kevin LeValley did it in 2011. In order to do so, he upset top-seeded Doug Zapf of Penn in the semifinals with an 8-4 decision Saturday morning. Chappell's loss in the title bout was against three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell, who's currently ranked first in the nation by Intermat.
Dylan Chappell, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒂! The sophomore punches his 🎟️ during his first EIWA Championships and in his first season wrestling at 149 pounds! #OurWay | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/y2qjQSgyFH
— Bucknell Wrestling (@Bucknell_WRST) March 5, 2023
With just two automatic NCAA qualifiers allotted to the EIWA, Chappell's semifinal win was crucial to keeping his season alive. He also knocked off fourth-seeded Trae McDaniel of Army in the quarterfinal round.
Crosby secured his bid early in the day as well by defeating Army's Austin Kohlhofer 3-1 in sudden victory in the consolation quarterfinals. He ended the night with a 3-0 loss to Cory Day of Binghamton, finishing 3-2 for the weekend.
Dorian Crosby, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒂! The junior has earned his spot in the NCAA Championships with a gutsy effort this weekend and all year long.#OurWay | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/zYWO2bd4H1
— Bucknell Wrestling (@Bucknell_WRST) March 5, 2023
Delp, who faced a tall task with the EIWA only receiving three automatic NCAA bids at 157, pulled off three straight wins in the consolation bracket before narrowly falling 2-1 to Harvard's Trevor Tarsi. He salvaged his evening with a dominant 4-0 win over American's Jack Nies in which he racked up more than four minutes of riding time while blanking the Eagle.
Delp, now a two-time EIWA placewinner, improved upon last year's seventh-place finish.
Miller cruised past his first two opponents in the round of 16 and in the quarterfinals on Saturday, but he struggled early during the second day with losses to sixth-seeded Carmen Ferrante of Penn in the semifinals and fifth-seeded Malyke Hines of Lehigh in the consolation semifinals. Needing a win in the fifth-place match to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Miller battled to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Columbia's fourth-seeded Matt Kazimir.
Miller became a three-time EIWA placewinner, finishing as high as third in 2021 while competing at 133 pounds.
Phipps ended his weekend with a win, pinning No. 8 seed Hunter Adrian of Brown in the first period to place seventh. Phipps also collected wins in the round of 16 and in the blood round to finish with three victories and earn a spot on the podium for a second time in his career.
Bucknell's qualifiers will next compete at the NCAA Championships, slated for March 16-18 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. On March 7, 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 8 p.m.
133: #3 Kurt Phipps (3-2)
Round of 16: W, dec. over #14 Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart), 3-0
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #6 Angelo Rini (Columbia), 5-3
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #9 Pat Phillips (Franklin & Marshall), 5-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #12 Jack Maida (American), 15-9
Seventh-Place Match: W, fall over #8 Hunter Adrian (Brown), 2:25
141: #2 Darren Miller (2-3)
Round of 16: W, dec. over #15 Ian Oswalt (Brown), 3-0
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #7 Julian Sanchez (Army), 6-2
Semifinals: L, dec. to #6 Carmen Ferrante (Penn), 1-1 (TB-2)
Consolation Semifinals: L, dec. to #5 Malyke Hines (Lehigh), 3-1 (SV-1)
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. to #4 Matt Kazimir (Columbia), 3-0
149: #5 Dylan Chappell (3-1)
Round of 16: W, fall over #12 Bryce Kresho (Franklin & Marshall), 4:23
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #4 Trae McDaniel (Army), 8-6 (SV-1)
Semifinals: W, dec. over #1 Doug Zapf (Penn), 8-4
Finals: L, maj. dec. to #2 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell), 15-3
157: #11 Nick Delp (4-2)
Round of 16: L, dec. to #5 Trevor Tarsi (Harvard), 9-6
Consolation Round of 8 #1: W, dec. over #14 Conner Decker (Binghamton), 7-0
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #4 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy), 5-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #10 Ty Whalen (Princeton), 9-2
Consolation Semifinals: L, dec. to #6 Trevor Tarsi (Harvard), 2-1
Fifth-Place Match: W, dec. over #9 Jack Nies (American), 4-0
285: #6 Dorian Crosby (3-3)
Round of 16: W, dec. over #11 William Jarrell (American), 5-2
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to #3 Cory Day (Binghamton), 3-2
Consolation Round of 8 #2: W, dec. over #8 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), 11-9 (SV-1)
Consolation Quarterfinals: W, dec. over #12 Austin Kohlhofer (Army), 3-1, (SV-1)
Consolation Semifinals: L, maj. dec. to #1 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard), 8-0
Fifth-Place Match: L, dec. to #3 Cory Day (Binghamton), 3-0
Players Mentioned
