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Three Bison Wrestlers Advance to Semifinals on First Day of EIWA Championships
March 7, 2009
 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg), David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central) and Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway) each advanced to the semifinals of his respective weight class, while Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) and Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) are both just one win away from securing an NCAA berth following the first day of competition at the 105th EIWA Championships Saturday at The Palestra. Bucknell is fifth in the team standings with 36.5 points. Cornell, which is seeking its third consecutive title, is first with 63.5 points. With three wrestlers still alive in the championship brackets, Bucknell trails only the four teams ahead of it in number of wrestlers still alive in the semifinals. The Bison's point total of 36.5 nearly matches its figures from the last two years (2007: 40; 2008: 43.5). If they hold on Sunday to finish fifth, it would be the highest finish at EIWAs in program history, eclipsing last year's eighth-place showing. Marble, who improved to 26-8 this season with two wins on Saturday, is alive to better his second-place finish from last year at 133 pounds. The junior, who is eyeing his third straight NCAA berth, defeated Brown's Ross Baldwin by technical fall in the first round and then posted a 7-3 win over Penn's Bryan Ortenzio. Marble will face Navy's Joseph Baker in Sunday's semifinals. Marble and Baker have met three times at the last two EIWA Championships with Baker holding a 2-1 advantage. They were set to face each other in the championship bout of the Navy Classic this past November, but Marble won by medical forfeit. To earn an automatic NCAA berth, Marble must finish in the top four of the 133-pound weight class. Rendos needs a top-three finish at 165 to earn an automatic NCAA berth and he is currently in the semifinals thanks to a 12-0 major decision over Army's Brian Rowan and a 9-2 decision opposite American's Christopher Stout. Rendos will face Lehigh's Mike Galante, an opponent he has needed overtime to defeat the last two times they have wrestled, in the semifinals. With his two wins Saturday, Rendos, who has two straight NCAA appearances to his credit, moved into a tie for sixth place with Mike Van Doren on the Bison career wins list with 82. His top finish at EIWAs was third in 2007, while he posted a fourth-place showing in 2008. Freshman Derek Reber is the third Bison in the semifinals as he went 2-0 at 125 pounds. The Lewisburg native pinned Princeton's Robert Benitez in the first round and then posted a 6-2 decision over Army's Lance Penhale. Reber, who is seeded third, will face second-seeded Rollie Peterkin of Penn in Sunday's semifinals. Reber is now 29-9 this season, moving him into a tie for seventh in Bucknell history for wins in a season. He must finish in the top three to earn an automatic NCAA berth. The Bison have four grapplers still alive in the consolation brackets, led by LeValley (149) and Riccio (174). Both were seeded sixth in their weight class, won their first round bout and then dropped their quarterfinal matchup by decision. Both need a win in their first match Sunday to guarantee a top-six showing in their weight classes and earn an automatic NCAA berth. Scott Sechler (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh), who went 2-0 after dropping into the 157-pound consolation bracket, is also just one win shy of a top-six finish. However, only the top four placewinners in that bracket gain an automatic NCAA berth. Sechler opens competition Sunday against Brown's Bryan Tracy, an opponent that defeated him 8-7 during the regular season. David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) went 2-1 at 184 pounds on Saturday, posting a pin against McPaul Ogbonna of Rutgers before falling to Navy's Casey Caldwell in the quarterfinals. Thompson came back to defeat Columbia's Kenji Porter in the consolation bracket. Thompson, who is seeded fifth, needs two wins to finish in the top four and secure an automatic NCAA berth. Additionally, Adam Healey (Wilkes Barre, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) and Nathan Jones (Sidney, Ohio/Troy Christian) wrestled on Saturday, but each suffered a pair of losses, eliminating him from competition. The EIWA Championships will wrap up Sunday. The championship finals are slated to take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. EIWA Championship Standings (after day one) 125: Derek Reber (No. 3 seed), Fr., Lewisburg, Pa. 133: David Marble (No. 4 seed), Jr., Harpursville, N.Y. 141: Adam Healey (unseeded), Fr., Wilkes Barre, Pa. 149: Kevin LeValley (No. 6 seed), So., Hugo, Colo. 157: Scott Sechler (unseeded), So., Slatington, Pa. 165: Andy Rendos (No. 2 seed), Jr., Brockway, Pa. 174: Shane Riccio (No. 6 seed), Jr., Warren, N.J. 184: David Thompson (No. 5 seed), So., West Liberty, Ohio 197: Nathan Jones (unseeded), Fr., Sidney, Ohio
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