The Bucknell wrestling squad will wrap up its 2007-08 home schedule with dual meets against East Stroudsburg and American this Friday and Sunday, Feb. 15 and 17. On Friday evening, the Bison (7-10-1, 2-3 EIWA) will face the Warriors at 7 p.m., while their contest versus the Eagles is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
BISON WRESTLING NOTEBOOK
Broadcast Coverage
- Both dual meets will be available for viewing over the internet for a small fee via sportsjuice.com.
A Look at Bucknell’s Probable Starters
- 125: Sophomore Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) is 12-9 overall with a 4-5 mark in duals, 1-1 against EIWA opponents. He last saw action at Columbia on Feb. 1 and is expected to face East Stroudsburg’s Matthew Benedetti. American will likely forfeit at this weight.
- 133: Sophomore co-captain David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Area) is currently ranked No. 18 according to InterMat with a record of 21-5. He is 14-4 in duals (4-1 EIWA) and has seven dual meet wins for bonus points, including a 12-3 major decision over Lock Haven’s Billy Ashnault last Friday. His probable opponents are Matt Swallow (17-10) of ESU and Matt Mariacher (13-11) of American.
- 141: Sophomore Luke Chohany (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) enters the weekend with a record of 17-10 and is 10-5 in duals with an undefeated record (4-0) against EIWA foes. He won by injury default against Lock Haven’s Clint Shirk last time on the mat and is slated to take on Sean Carr of ESU (20-7) and Kyle Borshoff (20-6) of American.
- 149: Freshman Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) is looking to snap a three match losing streak and is 18-11 overall and 10-8 in duals (2-3 EIWA). He is expected to face ESU’s Jesse Dunn (1-9) and American’s Nick Pitas (2-12).
- 157: Sophomore Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) will attempt to end a two bout skid, which came after a 3-0 weekend against Liberty, The Citadel and Old Dominion. Hooks is 10-9 overall, 6-6 in duals (0-3 EIWA). His probable opponents are ESU’s Kyle Heselpoth (8-14) and American’s Christopher Stout (20-10).
- 165: Sophomore co-captain Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) is currently No. 19 in the country according to InterMat’s individual rankings and leads the Bison in wins with a record of 22-6. He is tied with Marble for the team high in duals wins at 14-4 and has yet to lose to an EIWA foe (5-0). Last week against Lock Haven, Rendos posted an 18-2 technical fall over Derek Caldwell, his team-high ninth duals win for bonus points. In total, he has three pins, three tech falls and nine major decisions. On Friday, he is slated to face Joe Schick (4-15), while Sunday’s 165 bout will feature Rendos versus sixth-ranked Mike Cannon (20-2).
- 174: Sophomore Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) picked up his 20th win of the season last Saturday against Lock Haven’s Mike Metzger, a 3-0 decision, which was also his 12th straight duals victory. He is now 20-6 overall, 13-1 in duals and 4-1 in the EIWA. He is expected to face ESU’s Shane Mallory (17-11) and American’s Jonathon Powell (0-19).
- 184: Freshman David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) is 14-10 overall, 7-8 in duals and 2-2 in EIWA duals. His probable opponents are ESU’s Tom Pagano (1-8) and American’s Brooks Keefer (2-19) or Andy Semple (2-19).
- 197: Sophomore Sean LoCurto (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) or Freshman Charlie Wonsettler (Scenery Hill, Pa./Bentworth) will start at this weight. LoCurto is 4-13 overall and 0-6 in duals (0-2 EIWA), while Wonsettler is 10-14 overall, 4-8 in duals and 1-2 in the EIWA. Dave Williams (6-5) will be the likely starter at 197 for ESU, while American will send out either Keefer or Semple.
- 285: Sophomore co-captain George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) will be looking to snap a four match losing streak to improve upon his record of 16-12. In duals, he is 8-9 (3-2 EIWA) and is slated to face ESU’s Chris Birchler (20-7). American is expected to forfeit at this weight.
Scouting East Stroudsburg
- East Stroudsburg enters Friday’s meet with a record of 3-10, 2-3 EIWA, after dropping its last two duals to Binghamton (26-15) and Delaware Valley (28-10).
- The Warriors have wins over Princeton (36-12), Franklin & Marshall (26-14) and Millersville (24-19) to their credit.
Scouting American
- American is 3-13 on the year, 1-4 in the EIWA and will head into Sunday’s meet following a 37-14 loss to Maryland this past Wednesday. The Eagles’ wins have come against Delaware State (36-10), Franklin & Marshall (36-11) and Campbell (24-13).
Recapping the Meet vs. Lock Haven
- Bucknell held an 18-9 lead heading into the final three bouts, but could not hold on as the squad dropped a 21-18 heartbreaker to Lock Haven at home in Davis Gym last Friday evening. The Bison posted wins at four weights against the Bald Eagles–Marble at 133, Chohany at 141, Rendos at 165 and Riccio at 174.
Honors and Rankings
- InterMat/NWMA/NWCA Division I Individual Wrestling Rankings (2/13/08): 133 - 18. David Marble, 165 - 19. Andy Rendos.
- Amateur Wrestling News Individual Rankings (2/12/08): 133 - 16. David Marble.
- EIWA Individual Rankings (1/21/08): 125 - 6. Greg Hart; 133 - 4. David Marble; 165 - 3. Andy Rendos; 174 - 6. Shane Riccio; 184 - 6. David Thompson.
- EIWA Team Rankings (1/21/08): Bucknell - 6th.
- Damon’s Bison Athlete of the Week: Andy Rendos (11/19/07), David Marble (1/7/08).
Next Up
- The Bison will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 23, to face Cornell in their final dual meet of the season, beginning at 3 p.m.
Source: Bucknell Wrestling Closes Out Home Schedule with Pair of EIWA Duals
