Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Championships
Bucknell Wrestling Concludes 2023-24 Season on Day Two of NCAA Championships
3/22/2024 9:22:00 PM | Wrestling
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bucknell wrestling's 13th-seeded Kurt Phipps took 7th-seeded Nasir Bailey of Little Rock to overtime with All-American honors and a spot on the NCAA Championship podium on the line, but a takedown by the freshman Trojan broke the 0-0 stalemate just over a minute into the sudden-victory period and ended Bucknell's 2024 postseason run. Phipps emerged from the tournament with a 3-2 record, and all five Bison that reached the national stage go home with at least one win under their belts.
Phipps earned a spot among the final 12 133-pound wrestlers by posting two wins in the consolation bracket during the early session on Friday. He rolled to an 8-0 major decision over 32nd-seeded Cayden Rooks of Indiana in the second consolation round, then blanked 21st-ranked Ethan Oakley of Appalachian State 6-0 in the first consolation round of eight. Phipps and Bailey started all three regulation periods in the neutral position, and neither was able to score until 53 seconds remained in the extra frame.
In five bouts at the championships Phipps gave up just seven combined points to his opponents, ceding three during his first-round win over Minnesota's #20 Tyler Wells and just one to 4th-ranked Dylan Shawver of Rutgers in his second-round loss. Phipps limited his opponents to one or fewer points in 14 of his 28 victories this season.
Dorian Crosby (285) was right on the cusp of joining Phipps in the blood round. The senior was tied with Oklahoma's 11th-seeded Josh Heindselman 1-1 in the third period of their consolation of 8 #1 round, as both wrestlers got on the board with escapes. Heinselman scored the go-ahead takedown with 1:17 to go, and Crosby escaped with 59 seconds left. He took several last-gasp shots, but the bout ended in a 4-2 decision.
Crosby earned a dramatic win earlier in the day, beating Cleveland State's #20 Daniel Bucknavich in the consolation second round. The two went scoreless over the first two periods, and Bucknavich gained a 1-0 lead with an escape four seconds into the third. On the ground in final seconds, Crosby scored the winning takedown with two ticks to go for a 3-1 decision.
Crosby went 2-2 at the tournament, posting a win in the first round over #14 Boone McDermott of Oregon State. The senior wrapped up a 26-11 season. He'll graduate with 50 career wins to 31 losses, and 46 of those wins came in his last two NCAA-qualifying seasons.
Noah Mulvaney (165) was defeated in his consolation second round match, suffering a 16-5 major decision to Michigan State's #21 Caleb Fish. Mulvaney went 1-2 in his first trip to the NCAA Championships and was one of three Bison to post a win in the first round, where he defeated #11 Andrew Cerniglia of Navy on Friday.
Mulvaney, a true freshman, went 28-9 during his first season in Lewisburg and led the team in wins during the regular season. He ranked as high as 12th nationally, placed sixth at the EIWA Championships and was both a Clarion Open and Southern Scuffle champ.
Dylan Chappell (141) also exited during the consolation second round on Saturday after being pinned by Rutgers' #15 Mitch Moore. Chappell posted a 1-2 record for the tournament, earning a win over #33 Todd Carter of Gardner-Webb in the consolation first round on Thursday. He narrowly fell in the first round of the championship bracket to #17 Isaiah Powe of Chattanooga.
Chappell, who has now wrestled at two different weights at the NCAA Championships, finished his season with a 21-11 record. He made a second straight run to the EIWA finals and is now 66-28 in his career, with wins coming at 133, 141 and 149 pounds.
Myles Takats lost in the first consolation round on Thursday, but not before earning a win over 32nd-seeded Brody Baumann of purdue in the consolation pigtail. He went 25-16 during his rookie campaign.
Bucknell's five NCAA qualifiers this season were the team's most since 2016. That year was also the last time Bucknell saw four wrestlers still alive on the second day of the championships. Bucknell's three first-round wins were tied for the most in program history, matching the 2010 trio of Dave Marble, Kevin LeValley and Andy Rendos.
Four of Bucknell's 2024 NCAA qualifiers, Phipps, Chappell, Mulvaney and Takats, return next season.
133: #13 Kurt Phipps (3-2)
Round of 32: W, dec. over #20 Tyler Wells (Minnesota), 5-3
Round of 16: L, dec. to #4 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), 1-0
Consolation Second Round: W, maj. dec. over #32 Cayden Rooks (Indiana), 8-0
Consolation Round of 8 #1: W, dec. over #21 Ethan Oakley (App State), 6-0
Blood Round: L, dec. to #7 Nasir Bailey (Little Rock), 3-0 (SV-1)
141: #16 Dylan Chappell (1-2)
Round of 32: L, dec. to #17 Isaiah Powe (Chattanooga), 9-4
Consolation First Round: W, dec. over #33 Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb), 8-6
Consolation Second Round: L, fall to #15 Mitch Moore (Rutgers), 1:29
165: #22 Noah Mulvaney (1-2)
Round of 32: W, dec. over #11 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy), 11-9
Round of 16: L, tech fall to #6 Mike Caliendo (Iowa), 26-10 (6:22)
Consolation Second Round: L, maj. dec. to #21 Caleb Fish (Michigan State), 16-5
174: #30 Myles Takats (1-2)
Round of 32: L, dec. to #3 Edmond Ruth (Illinois), 4-1
Consolation Prelims: W, dec. over #32 Brody Baumann (Purdue), 12-9
Consolation First Round: L, tech fall to #14 Gaven Sax (North Dakota St.), 15-0 (4:28)
285: #19 Dorian Crosby (2-2)
Round of 32: W, dec. over #14 Boone McDermott (Oregon St.), 6-5
Round of 16: L, fall to #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force), 2:45
Consolation Second Round: W, dec. over #20 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State), 3-1
Consolation Round of 8 #1: L, dec. to #11 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma), 4-2
Players Mentioned
