Takats Crowned 174-Pound Champion; Wrestling Claims Third Place for Highest Finish in Program History at Midlands

EVANSTON, ILL.- Bucknell Wrestling faced stiff national competition at the 61st Midlands Championships and emerged third for the program's highest finish at the competition, breaking last year's seventh place mark. Myles Takats headlined the Bison's seven-man contingent by winning the 174-pound championship. Four other Bison joined him on the podium. Lucas Lawler (285) placed third, Dylan Chappell (141) slotted fourth, Noah Mulvaney (165) grabbed fifth, and Tyler Bienus (184) rounded out the rotation in sixth place. Bucknell scored 83 points to edge Cal Poly for third. Rutgers finished first with 93 points, slipping past Pitt's 92.5 for the team win.

"It was a fantastic two days for the program," said head coach Dan Wirnsberger. "These guys continued to compete with toughness and determination no matter who the opponent is. I am happy for these guys and all the hard work they dedicate to our program. The Midlands is a prestigious tournament with a lot of tradition. This will give us significant momentum as we move into the second half of the season."

Takats' opponent in the semifinals was Virginia Tech's Sergio Desiante. The Hokie defeated Takats in a 4-2 decision during the teams' dual. Their Midlands match was another grinding and gritty affair. Desiante led 2-0 on a penalty call and an escape entering the third round. Takats scored an escape point and earned a takedown with 32 seconds left. The riding time point topped off the victory sundae.

Oregon State's Daschle Lamer, the Midlands' number one seed, awaited Takats in the championship bout. The Beaver ranked No. 21 in the InterMat list compared to Takats' 24th mark. Takats opened the scoring with a takedown. Lamer countered with a reversal before Takats built a 7-2 lead with an escape and takedown. The Bison grappler added another escape point before Lamer earned a takedown with a 1:02 remaining. Takats remained strong and held on for the crown.

"Congratulations to Myles on his tournament title," said Wirnsberger. "He continues to prove that he is one of the best wrestlers in the country at 174 lbs. The title is well-deserved as he always puts the most effort and time into the sport."

Takats was the first Bison since Kevin LeValley (149) in 2010 to win a title at Midlands. He finished third at last year's Midlands.

"I am excited to win the Midlands with all the history it has and to just be able to compete there," said Takats. "But I'm really excited how the team took home third and how we are progressing together. I'm proud of all of our guys."

Lawler faced a strong semifinal opponent in No. 21 Devon Dawson (Northern Illinois) and took the ranked grappler to the absolute brink. The wrestlers entered extra time tied at 2-2. Neither scored in the first overtime. Lawler grabbed an escape point in the second overtime. Dawson equaled the score in the third overtime and then won with a takedown. Lawler recovered with a decisive 9-3 decision over No. 32 Bryan Caves (Central Michigan), tallying three takedown. He won bronze by prevailing 2-1 in an overtime match versus Parker Ferrell (Virginia Tech).

Chappell dropped his semifinal match in a 9-4 decision to Pitt's Anthony Santaniello. Like Lawler, he bounced back with a win over a ranked opponent. Northwestern's Billy Dekraker had the home mat advantage and the No. 30 ranking. Chappell overcame those advantages with an early takedown and two escape points to negate Dekraker's third round takedown for the 5-3 decision. Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech) defeated Chappell in an 8-3 decision in the third place bout.

Mulvaney, fighting a hobbling injury, fought valiantly against No. 32 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers) in the semifinals but dropped a 11-4 decision. He fell again to a Scarlet Knight when Ryan Ford won a 10-1 major decision. Mulvaney won fifth place with a heroic 4-2 decision over Zach Hanson (Stanford). All four points via an escape and takedown came in the third round.

Bienus started his day with two straight victories. He began the day with a 5-1 decision over Northern Iowa's Caleb Roe. He prevailed in a 9-1 major decision over Harvard's Robert Kucharczk. He lost a narrow 4-2 decision to Michigan's Joseph Walker and finished in sixth place after falling 5-4 to Stanford's Abraham Wojcikiewicz. The Cardinal grappler won the bout using a takedown with five seconds left.

Bucknell returns to action at EIWA foe LIU on Jan. 4.

RESULTS

141: Dylan Chappell (1-2)
Semifinals: L, dec. to Anthony Santaniello (Pitt), 9-4
Cons. Semifinals: W, dec. over No. 30 Billy Dekraker (Northwestern), 5-3
Third Place Match: L, dec. to Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech), 8-3

165: Noah Mulvaney (1-2)
Semifinals: L, dec. to No. 32 Anthony Barbosa (Rutgers), 11-4
Cons. Semifinals: L, dec. to Ryan Ford (Rutgers), 10-1
Fifth Place Match: W, dec. over Zach Hanson (Stanford), 4-2

174: Myles Takats (2-0)
Semifinals: W, dec. over Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech), 5-2
First Place Match: W, dec. over No. 21 Daschle Lamer (Oregon State), 8-5

184: Tyler Bienus (2-2)
Cons. Round 4: W, dec. over Caleb Roe (Northwestern), 5-1
Cons. Round 5: W, dec. over Robert Kucharczak (Harvard), 9-1
Cons. Semifinals: L, dec. to Joseph Walker (Michigan), 4-2
Fifth Place Match: L, dec. to Abraham Wojcikiewicz (Stanford), 5-4

Takats Crowned 174-Pound Champion; Wrestling Claims Third Place for Highest Finish in Program History at Midlands

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Bienus

Dylan Chappell

Lucas Lawler

Noah Mulvaney

Myles Takats