Bucknell University
LIU
Wrestling Gears Up for First EIWA Dual Sunday at LIU
1/10/2024 3:24:00 PM | Wrestling
Bucknell (3-3, 0-0 EIWA) at LIU (4-2, 0-1 EIWA)
When: Sunday, Jan. 14 – 12 p.m.
Where: Pratt Recreation Center – Brookville, N.Y.
Watch:Â ESPN+
Follow on Twitter:Â @Bucknell_WRST
Projected Bucknell Lineup:
125:Â Grayson McLellan (0-6)
133: #16 Kurt Phipps (13-2)
141: Braden Bower (11-4)
149: Aiden Davis (8-8) or Riley Bower (7-7)
157: Kolby DePron (10-6) or Nick Delp (5-5)
165: #20 Noah Mulvaney (19-3)
174: Myles Takats (14-8)
184: Mikey Bartush (14-6)
197: Logan Deacetis (11-8)
285: #27 Dorian Crosby (14-5)
Rankings Intermat
Bucknell at a Glance:
• The Bison open EIWA action with a trip to LIU Sunday. Bucknell is 3-3 in duals this season, most recently defeating Buffalo and Bloomsburg. Its three losses were to No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 14 Michigan, and a narrow 24-22 loss at Wisconsin.
• Bucknell is 20-13 in EIWA duals over the last four seasons. The Bison went 4-6 in the conference in 2022-23.
• Bucknell put together a strong showing at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2. Finishing sixth out of 21 as a team, the Bison sent five to the podium and crowned two champions. Kurt Phipps (133) took first place, Noah Mulvaney (165) took first, Dorian Crosby (285) finished runner-up, Mikey Bartush (184) went fourth, and Logan Deacetis (197) finished sixth. Phipps and Mulvaney have now both won two tournaments this season.
• Bucknell also saw four earn first-place finishes at the Edinboro Bobby Kaufman Memorial Open on Sunday: Braden Bower (141), Kolby DePron (157), Mikey Bartush (184) and Logan Deacetis (197). Cade Wirnsberger, wrestling unattached, finished second in the 157 bracket.
• Three Bison appeared in the Intermat and FloWrestling national rankings this week: Phipps, Mulvaney and Crosby. Phipps came in as high as No. 16 by Intermat, and Mulvaney jumped to No. 15 in the FloWrestling rankings.
• The Bison returned all three 2023 NCAA qualifiers: Dylan Chappell (149), Crosby (285), and Phipps (133). Chappell and Crosby were both automatic qualifiers, and Phipps was one of 47 wrestlers to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. Bucknell also returns four of its five EIWA placewinners from a season ago: Chappell, Crosby, Phipps, and Delp (157).
• Bucknell graduated six seniors in 2023, including 2021 NCAA qualifier and three-time EIWA placewinner Darren Miller as well as 2021 EIWA placewinners Mason McCready and Vincent Andreano.
• The Bison added 11 newcomers this season, and the group was dubbed the No. 19 recruiting class in the country by Intermat.
• Chappell, Crosby, Delp and Phipps are serving as team captains this season.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger is in his 18th season with the Bison and his 19th year leading the program since its revival in 2005. He ranks second all-time in program history with 151 career victories.
A Look Back at the Southern Scuffle
• Bucknell wrestlers went a combined 33-22 at the Southern Scuffle, and both Kurt Phipps (133) and Noah Mulvaney (165) went a perfect 5-0 en route to first-place finishes. Dorian Crosby (285) also reached the finals before suffering a loss to 15th-ranked Josh Heindselman go 4-1.
• Seven Bison were still alive entering the second day of the tournament, but both Aiden Davis (149) and Myles Takats (174) lost in the blood round.
• Mikey Bartush (184) ended up at 5-2 for the tournament after losing in the quarterfinals and battling his way back through the consolation bracket to finish fourth.
• Bucknell was one of only four teams with two champions at the 2024 Southern Scuffle.
• Bartush and Phipps both posted wins over nationally-ranked opponents during the tournament. Bartush pinned No. 31 Giuseppe Hoose (Oklahoma) and Phipps won 2-0 over No. 27 Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado) in the finals.
Bison Ranked
• Kurt Phipps (133): 16th by Intermat, 25th by FloWrestling
• Noah Mulvaney (165): 20th by Intermat, 15th by FloWrestling
• Dorian Crosby (285): 27th by Intermat, 26th by FloWrestling
Bison Category Leaders
• Wins: Noah Mulvaney (19)
• Dual Wins: Noah Mulvaney (5)
• Pins: Aiden Davis (4)
• Technical Falls: Dorian Crosby (5)
• Major Decisions: Myles Takats (5)
LIU at a Glance
• The Sharks (4-2, 0-1 EIWA) opened the season 2-0 against Buffalo and Sacred Heart before suffering losses to Virginia and Binghamton. They won their last two duals over Bloomsburg and Edinboro on Dec. 9 and Dec. 22. Buffalo and Bloomsburg are both shared opponents for the Bison and the Sharks.
• LIU's Devin Matthews (141) has lost just once in dual action this season, suffering a fall against Virginia. He's won all five other bouts, followed by Robbie Sagaris (125) and Aeden Begue (285) at 4-2.
• LIU went 3-10 (1-5 EIWA) during the 2022-23 campaign, defeating Sacred Heart twice and VMI. The Sharks went on to finish 17th at the EIWA Championships. They return 14 members of last year's squad.
• Bucknell is 3-0 in the all-time series with LIU, winning matchups in 2019 (39-7), 2022 (29-10) and 2023 (38-4). During last year's dual in Lewisburg, Sagaris picked up a major decision at 125 for LIU's only points of the match. Darren Miller (141) and Dorian Crosby (285) both supplied pins for the Bison, and Mikey Bartush (184) registered a tech fall.
A Look Ahead
Bucknell returns to Davis Gym to take on Morgan State on Friday, Jan. 19 and American on Sunday, Jan. 21.
Players Mentioned
