Wrestling Faces Two EIWA Foes in Upcoming Weekend Bouts

Bucknell (4-5, 2-0 EIWA) vs. Drexel (5-8, 1-1 EIWA)
When: Friday, Jan. 24 – 6 p.m.
Where: Davis Gym – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST

Bucknell (4-5, 2-0 EIWA) vs. #21 Army (6-1, 3-0 EIWA)
When: Sunday, Jan. 26 – 2 p.m.
Where: Davis Gym – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST

Projected Bucknell Lineup:
125 - Chris Nucifora (0-1)
133 - #30 Kurt Phipps (12-7)
141 - #17 Dylan Chappell (15-4)
149 - Braden Bower (3-7) or Kolby DePron (0-1)
157 - Cade Wirnsberger (9-11) or Riley Bower (0-1)
165 - #22 Noah Mulvaney (2-3)
174 - #19 Myles Takats (15-4)
184 - Logan Deacetis (6-8)
197 - #28 Dillon Bechtold (12-6)
285 - Nolan Springer (7-5) or Logan Shephard (6-10)

Rankings Intermat

Bucknell at a Glance:

• Bucknell looks to move above .500 and remain undefeated in EIWA play with a 2-0 weekend.
• This is the first all-EIWA weekend for the Bison.
• The Orange & Blue dropped a 28-10 decision to #12 Pitt last Friday in front of a packed Davis Gym crowd.
• Five Bucknell wrestlers are ranked by Intermat with Dylan Chappell clocking the highest at #17. Takats moved up from #27 to #19 after defeating Pitt's No. 17 Luca Augustine, a two-time NCAA qualifier.
• Bucknell had the No. 25 recruiting class in the country by Intermat.
• Head coach Dan Wirnsberger is in his 19th season with the Bison and his 20th year leading the program since its revival in 2005.

A Look Back at the Pitt Dual

• Bucknell fell 28-10 to the #12 Panthers despite several individual wins and a rocking Davis Gym Crowd.
• The Orange & Blue led 7-5 early in the match when Phipps (133) and Chappell (141) recorded back-to-back victories.
• Pitt roared back with three straight wins to take the lead forever.
• Takats, ranked No. 27 and that week's EIWA Wrestler of the Week, scored a takedown 20 seconds into sudden victory for a 4-1 win over No. 17 Luca Augustine at the 174-weight position.
• Pitt finished off the competition with two more wins.

Scouting Drexel/Series History

• The Dragons are 5-8 overall and 1-1 in EIWA play.
• Drexel has challenged itself with multiple ranked foes recording a 2-5 mark against such teams. They defeated #22 Cal Bakersfield 33-9 and #22 Cal Poly 23-16. The Dragons were slain 41-3 by #1 Penn State.
• In league play, Drexel were sunk 29-9 by Navy but rebounded to defeat Binghamton 23-10.
• Drexel's Giuseppe Hoose (184) was named EIWA Wrestler of the Week for defeating Binghamton's No. 25 Will Ebert.
• The Dragons went 8-10 overall and 5-4 in EIWA play during the 2023-24 season. They placed 12th at the EIWA Championships.
• Bucknell and Drexel are meeting for the 32nd time. The Dragons own the series record 19-12. The Bison have won three of the last four competitions.

Scouting Army/Series History

• The Black Knights are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in EIWA play.
• Army only scheduled 12 duals this season, including a 35-6 victory over Gardner-Webb on the USS Yorktown. The Black Knights have only played one ranked team in a respectable 23-16 defeat to #2 Iowa. They defeated Purdue, 20-19.
• In EIWA play, the Black Knights have unhorsed all competition defeating American, LIU, and Morgan State by an average of 33.2 points.
• Army is ranked #21 in the NWCA Poll and #24 in the Flo Wrestling Poll. They have seven wrestlers ranked by Intermat.
• The Black Knights went 7-4 overall and 6-1 in EIWA play during the 2023-24 season. They placed 3rd at the EIWA Championships and 34th at the NCAA Championships.
• Bucknell and Army are meeting for the 23rd time. The Black Knights own the series record 18-4. Army has won the last seven matches.

A Look Ahead

• The Bison play back-to-back matches at Lock Haven (Jan. 30) and at home in EIWA competition versus Navy (Jan. 31) next week.

Wrestling Faces Two EIWA Foes in Upcoming Weekend Bouts

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Players Mentioned

Dillon Bechtold

Braden Bower

Riley Bower

Dylan Chappell

Logan Deacetis

Kolby DePron

Noah Mulvaney

Chris Nucifora

Kurt Phipps

Logan Shephard

Nolan Springer

Myles Takats

Cade Wirnsberger