Wrestling Faces #23 Lehigh in Friday Showdown

Bucknell (5-8, 3-2 EIWA) vs. No. 23 Lehigh (4-4, 4-1 EIWA)
When: Friday, Feb. 7 – 7 p.m.
Where: Davis Gym – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WRST

Projected Bucknell Lineup:
125 - Chris Nucifora (0-5)
133 - #28 Kurt Phipps (16-7)
141 - #20 Dylan Chappell (16-7)
149 - Aiden Davis (9-5) or Kolby DePron (7-5)
157 - Cade Wirnsberger (13-16)
165 - #22 Noah Mulvaney (9-4)
174 - #17 Myles Takats (18-5)
184 - Logan Deacetis (9-9)
197 - #24 Dillon Bechtold (18-7)
285 - Logan Shephard (6-11)

Rankings Intermat

Wrestling for Owen Bell

• The team will compete against Lehigh in honor of Owen Bell, who is bravely recovering from a traumatic brain injury. They will wear a patch in support of his journey. You can support Owen on his GoFundMe page. Additionally, support Owen by purchasing "Fight Like Bell" shirts from the team store.

Phipps Recognition

• Fifth-year wrestler Kurt Phipps won its 100th career match against Lock Haven last Thursday. The program will honor the grappler with a brief ceremony before the match.

Bucknell at a Glance:

• Bucknell seeks its second ranked win of the season when it welcomes Keystone State rival No. 23 Lehigh to Davis Gym.
• Lehigh is the sixth EIWA match for the Bison.
• The Orange & Blue lost 17-15 to Lock Haven last Thursday in the Susquehanna Showdown and fell 27-9 to EIWA member Navy last Friday for a 3-2 EIWA record.
• Five Bucknell wrestlers are ranked by Intermat with Myles Takats slotting the highest at #17.
• The first NCAA Coaches Rankings recently were released and four Bison received recognition: #30 Kurt Phipps (133), #15 Dylan Chappell (141), #19 Noah Takats (174), and #19 Dillon Bechtold (197). Noah Mulvaney, due to his early season injuries, misses the initial cut but should be ranked in the forthcoming editions.
• 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 Lock Haven/Navy Duals

• Bucknell dropped a 17-15 decision to Lock Haven.
• Both teams won five matches but the Bison's wins were all decisions while Lock Haven nabbed two major decisions.
• Kurt Phipps defeated No. 16 Anthony Noto for his 100th career win becoming the 11st Bison to achieve the honor.
• The Bison trailed 14-3 before winning four straight matches to take a 15-14 lead. Lock Haven won the heavyweight match to pull out the 17-15 victory.
• Bucknell got within 5-3 after Phipps won the 133-pound clash but were never closer than that small margin.
• Navy's victory prevented Bucknell from defeating both Army and the Naval Academy in the same season for the first time.

Scouting Lehigh/Series History

• The Mountain Hawks are 4-4 overall and 4-1 in EIWA competition.
• Lehigh has faced four ranked opponents going 1-3, defeating No. 24 Army 27-10 while losing to No. 12 Cornell, No. 1 Penn State, and No. 21 Pittsburgh.
• Both Bucknell and Lehigh share several opponents outside of EIWA play in Cornell and Pitt. Both teams fell to Pitt while the Bison haven't face Cornell yet.
• Lehigh has dominated EIWA foes defeating American, Army, Binghamton, and Morgan State while falling to Navy.
• The Mountain Hawks have seven wrestlers ranked by Intermat.
• Lehigh went 7-4 overall and 7-0 in EIWA play during the 2023-24 season. They placed second at the EIWA Championships and 15th at the NCAA Championships.
• Bucknell and Lehigh are meeting for the 19th time in the Keystone Clash. The Mountain Hawks own the series record 17-1. The two teams first met in 1974. The Bison's sole win came in 2014 at Lehigh when Bucknell edged the foe 18-17. Since the win, Bucknell has lost by double-digits in seven of the last eight clashes.

A Look Ahead

• The Bison hit the road to the nation's capital to face EIWA opponent American on Valentine's Day.

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Players Mentioned

Dillon Bechtold

Dylan Chappell

Logan Deacetis

Kolby DePron

Noah Mulvaney

Chris Nucifora

Kurt Phipps

Logan Shephard

Myles Takats

Myles Takats

Cade Wirnsberger