Wrestling Duels Rider & #13 Iowa State at the Virginia Duals

Bucknell (3-3) vs. Rider (2-4)/#13 Iowa State (5-3)
When: Saturday, Jan. 11 – 1:30/3:30 p.m. (ET)
Where: Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, Va.
Watch: FloSports
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST

Projected Bucknell Lineup:
125: Forfeit
133: #30 Kurt Phipps (10-6)
141: #18 Dylan Chappell (13-3)
149: Aiden Davis (6-1) & Braden Bower (3-6)
157: Cade Wirnsberger (9-8)
165: #22 Noah Mulvaney (0-2)
174: #32 Myles Takats (12-4)
184: Logan Deacetis (4-4) & Mikey Bartush (0-2)
197: #29 Dillon Bechtold (10-5)
285: Nolan Springer (6-5) & Logan Shephard (6-8)

Rankings Intermat

Bucknell at a Glance:

• Bucknell looks to move above .500 and obtain its first ranked win of the 2024-25 campaign.
• Rider is the first MAC opponent and Iowa State is the first Big 12 foe that the Bison have wrestled in 2024-25.
• The Bison are 11-25 all-time in 11 appearances at the Virginia Duals.
• The Orange & Blue competed at the Midlands Championships over Christmas Break and finished seventh. It set a program record for the highest finish at the prestigious competition.
• Five Bucknell wrestlers are ranked by Intermat with Dylan Chappell clocking the highest at #18. Freshman Dillon Bechtold remains ranked after his performance at the Midlands Championships.
• 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 Midlands Championships

• Bucknell placed six wrestlers on the podium and scored 81 points to finish seventh out of 25 teams at the 60th Midlands Championships. The Bison's placement ranks the highest in program history shattering the previous mark of 13th set in 1990-91 and 2009-10.
• Five Orange & Blue grapplers won four or more matches with Chappell and Takats leading the way with five wins. Bucknell posted six wins over ranked wrestlers.
• Chappell (141) recorded a medal-winning finish by placing third. The Bison star started the day with a semifinal defeat but rebounded to win two duals to take home bronze.
• Takats (174) regrouped from yesterday's quarterfinal loss to finish with five wins and a third place finish.
• Takats faced Central Michigan's Alex Cramer, ranked #22 nationally, who defeated him on Day One in the third-place match. Takats unlocked vengeance with a decisive 16-2 major decision victory.

Scouting Rider/Series History

• The Broncs are 2-4 overall and 0-1 in MAC competition. Their win-loss record is deceiving as the New Jersey squad has faced a difficult schedule.
• Rider has wrestled four ranked teams to begin the season. They opened with losses to #18 West Virginia and conference foe Northern Illinois before rebounding to defeat Wisconsin 28-12. The Broncs lost to #14 South Dakota State but edged #24 Maryland 18-17. Their latest result was a loss to #18 Pitt.
• Bucknell and Rider share many familiar foes in Maryland, Pitt, and Wisconsin. The Bison lost to Maryland and Wisconsin and will face Pitt in Davis Gym on Jan. 17.
• The Broncs have competed 21 times at the Virginia Duals for a 39-41 record.
• Rider went 8-7 overall and 8-0 in MAC competition during the 2023-24 season. They finished second at the MAC Championships and had Quinn Kinner finish eighth at the NCAA Championships.
• Bucknell and Rider are clashing for the 34th time. Rider leads the all-time series 20-12-1 but the Bison have won the last four matches.

Scouting Iowa State/Series History

• The Cyclones are 5-3 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play.
• Iowa State has gone 2-3 against ranked opponents losing to #20 Stanford, #5 Ohio State and archrival #2 Iowa but they recently defeated #22 West Virginia and #25 North Carolina. They have defeated their three non-ranked foes by 59 combined points.
• The Cyclones own a 24-4 record at the Virginia Duals.
• ISU went 13-2 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play during the 2023-24 season. They won the Big 12 Championship and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships.
• Bucknell and ISU are meeting for the third time. The previous meetings in 1998 and 2019 were Cyclone victories.

A Look Ahead

• Bucknell hosts #18 Pitt at Davis Gym for a Keystone clash on Jan. 17.

Wrestling Duels Rider & #13 Iowa State at the Virginia Duals

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mikey Bartush

Dillon Bechtold

Braden Bower

Dylan Chappell

Aiden Davis

Logan Deacetis

Noah Mulvaney

Kurt Phipps

Logan Shephard

Nolan Springer

Myles Takats

Cade Wirnsberger