Bucknell Duals
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Competing for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Bucknell wrestling team hosted three duals Friday in Davis Gym and came away with three victories. The Bison defeated Cleveland State (32-15), Drexel (25-16) and Wagner (49-6) to improve to 5-4 on the season. Their four-match winning streak equals the longest since the program was reinstated prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
The four teams competing wrestled a round-robin schedule as two mats were set up in Davis Gym. Drexel went 2-1, Cleveland State posted a 1-2 record and Wagner was 0-3 during their matches Friday.
Bucknell wrestlers won 20 of the 27 individual matches they competed in on Friday. Two additional wins came by forfeit.
Shane Riccio was the only Bison to wrestle in all three matches and come away with a perfect 3-0 mark at 174 pounds. He recorded two pins and a decision to improve to 18-11 on the season.
Derek Reber, who took over the team lead for wins with 20, and David Thompson were also in the lineup for all three matches and posted perfect records, although each earned a victory be forfeit. At 125 pounds, Reber posted a 7-1 decision over Cleveland State's Jordan Keller and a technical fall against Drexel's Michael Gomez. Thompson, at 184 pounds, won by a 9-5 decision against Drexel and posted his first pin of the year against Wagner's Peter Morano.
No. 18 David Marble and sophomore Kevin LeValley also had impressive days before sitting out the match against Wagner as Bison head coach Dan Wirnsberger used that competition as a chance to get some of his backups some experience. Marble, a 133-pounder, pinned Cleveland State's Josh Palivoda to put Bucknell up 9-0 and then followed that with an impressive 20-4 technical fall victory over Drexel's Frank Cimato. Marble is now tied with Andy Rendos for the team lead in pins with six.
The 149-pound LeValley earned a hard-fought 3-2 decision against the Vikings' Antonio Nicholson and followed that with a pin of Drexel's Robert Robinson. Overall, Bucknell garnered nine pins on the day.
None of the three team wins were ever in doubt for the Bison, who improved to 3-2 at home this season. They jumped on top of the Vikings by a 15-3 margin and ended up winning seven of the 10 bouts. Against Drexel, they won the first four matches and led 19-0 before the Dragons were victorious in four of the final six bouts. Bucknell concluded the day with four consecutive pins against Wagner.
The Wagner match marked the 100th match in the head coaching career of Wirnsberger, who is now 52-46-2 in seven seasons split between Bucknell and Bloomsburg.
Bucknell will now be idle for three weeks until the Virginia Duals Jan. 9-10 in Hampton, Va.