Wrestling Falls 18-12 to No. 18 Oklahoma

LEWISBURG, Pa.- Bucknell tied No. 18 Oklahoma at 12-12 after eight bouts but the Sooners won decisions in the final two matches to prevail 18-12 over the hard-fighting Bison on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd in Davis Gym. Oklahoma (1-0) led 9-0 before Bucknell (0-2) reeled off four straight victories to nab the 12-9 lead. The Crimson & Cream counterattacked and conquered the final three bouts. The affair was remarkably even with every match resulting in a decision and only one was decided by more than six points.

Bucknell trailed 9-0 when Riley Bower (149) earned the 8-3 decision over Alex Braun. Bower, in front of a large contingent from his nearby hometown of Williamsport, rode a takedown and escape in the first period to the win. He later added a takedown deep in the final period for the exclamation point.

Cade Wirnsberger (157) dominated Landyn Sommer in a methodical 6-0 grinder. He stocked riding time in the first two stanzas, and then in the third period, added an escape, a takedown, a stalling call on Sommer, and the riding time for the final tally.

No. 25 Noah Mulvaney (165) tied the match at 9-9 with his 13-6 decision over Owen Eck. The Sooner struck first with a swift takedown but the Bison immediately controlled the bout with two takedowns and two escapes. Mulvaney sealed the win with another takedown, a stalling call, and a third escape point. He tried for the major decision but just missed out.

No. 24 Myles Takats (174) collected the win in the meet's first ranked bout. Takats faced No. 33 Carter Schubert and won the 2-1 grudge match. The score sat 0-0 through two periods as both grapplers prodded and probed for an opening. Takats added the first point with an escape with the knowledge that he had riding time in reserve. The Bison wrestler was called for stalling which riding time canceled out in the 2-1 win.

No. 13 Brian Soldano (184) ended the Bison's four-bout win streak with a 7-3 win over Tyler Bienus. The Bison wrestler controlled the early going with a takedown. Bienus sought his second straight upset win after defeating Virginia Tech's No. 21 Jaden Bullock. Soldano displayed in the final period why he ranked highly with a nearfall and riding time to pull out the victory.

Experts predicted the 197-weight match between No. 8 DJ Parker of Oklahoma and No. 11 Dillon Bechtold of Bucknell to prove the match's fulcrum. Conventional wisdom was vindicated. Parker squeaked out the 6-5 win. Bechtold, making his first appearance of 2025-26, stayed fresh throughout the bout. Davis Gym, packed to the rafters, quickly felt the tension and made vocal proclamations for the Orange & Blue grappler. Parker scored the first takedown but Bechtold rallied for a takedown, escape, but received a penalty point which displeased the crowd. The Sooner added two escape points for the 6-4 lead. Bechtold received an escape point in the final round but could not unlock the crucial takedown and Parker escaped with the narrow win to reclaim the lead for Oklahoma.

Lucas Lawler (285) entered the heavyweight bout seeking to tie the score or win the meet with a major decision and score his second consecutive win over a ranked foe. He faced a forminable foe in No. 24 Juan Mora. The Bison rookie yielded a first period takedown and could only scratch out two escapes against the Sooner. Mora added two points on an escape and a stalling call for the 5-2 win.

Oklahoma won the first three bouts to dump Bucknell into a 9-0 hole. Conrad Hendriksen (125) handled Chris Nucifora 5-3 in the match's opening bout. The next two matchups broke the wrong way late for the Bison. Tyson Charmoli (133) used a clutch takedown with nine seconds remaining for the 4-1 decision over Ty Kapusta. Tyler Wells (141) scored the 7-5 upset win over No. 18 Dylan Chappell. The Bison's fifth-year senior led 4-1 in the third period. Wells notched two takedowns in the final 30 seconds to upend Chappell.

Bucknell heads to Wisconsin on Nov. 25 to face the Big Ten Badgers in another headlining non-conference dual.

RESULTS
125: Conrad Hendriksen (Oklahoma) dec. over Chris Nucifora (Bucknell), 5-3; 3-0 OKLA
133: Tyson Charmoli (Oklahoma) dec. over Ty Kapusta (Bucknell), 4-1; 6-0 OKLA
141: Tyler Wells (Oklahoma) dec. over No. 18 Dylan Chappell (Bucknell), 7-5; 9-0 OKLA
149: Riley Bower (Bucknell) dec. over Alex Braun (Oklahoma), 8-3; 9-3 OKLA
157: Cade Wirnsberger (Bucknell) dec. over Landyn Sommer (Oklahoma), 6-0; 9-6 OKLA
165: No. 25 Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell) dec. over Owen Eck (Oklahoma), 13-6; 9-9
174: No. 24 Myles Takats (Bucknell) dec. over No. 33 Carter Schubert (Oklahoma), 2-1; 12-9 BUCK
184: No. 13 Brian Soldano (Oklahoma) dec. over Tyler Bienus (Bucknell), 7-3; 12-12
197: No. 8 DJ Parker (Oklahoma) dec. over No. 11 Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell), 6-5; 15-12 OKLA
285: No. 24 Juan Mora (Oklahoma) dec. over Lucas Lawler (Bucknell), 5-2; 18-12 OKLA

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Players Mentioned

Dillon Bechtold

Tyler Bienus

Riley Bower

Dylan Chappell

Ty Kapusta

Lucas Lawler

Noah Mulvaney

Chris Nucifora

Myles Takats

Cade Wirnsberger