March 6, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell wrestling team will enter the final stretch of its season this Saturday, Mar. 8, as the squad will begin competing in the two-day EIWA Championships, hosted by Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa. The Bison wrapped up their dual-meet schedule on Feb. 23, finishing with a record of 9-11-1, 4-4 in the EIWA.
BISON WRESTLING NOTEBOOK
Broadcast Coverage
- A live four-camera video broadcast will be available for the 2008 EIWA Championships. Fans wishing to tune into the broadcast can do so by clicking here. Technical support and frequently asked questions can be found at b2livetv.com. The cost is $9.95 for a day pass, while $14.99 will purchase a full tournament pass. In order to view the tournament, fans will need a high-speed Internet connection and the current version of Microsoft Windows Media Player.
A Look at Bucknell's Probable Lineup
- 125: Sophomore Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards) posted a dual-meet record of 6-6 this season (3-2 EIWA), and is currently 14-10 overall. Hart wrestled at EIWAs as a freshman, opening the tournament by pinning Alex Usztics of of Navy, while also recording a 9-1 major decision over Lehigh's Jake Bucha. Hart was tabbed No. 5 in the latest EIWA rankings, which were released on Feb. 26. He logged place-winning performances at two tournaments in 2007-08, taking second at the Navy Classic and third at the Shorty Hitchcock Open.
- 133: Sophomore co-captain David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Area) is one of two returning NCAA qualifiers from 2007, earning a wild card berth at last year's EIWA Tournament after placing sixth. Marble is currently 16th and 18th in the national rankings and holds a record of 23-6, finishing 16-5 in duals (6-2 EIWA). He is third in the EIWA rankings and has placed at two tournaments this season, posting a runner-up showing at the Binghamton Open and winning his weight at the Navy Classic.
- 141: Sophomore Luke Chohany (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) will be competing in the postseason for the first time and enters with a record of 19-12, finishing with a final duals mark of 12-6. Chohany holds a 6-1 record against EIWA foes with his only loss coming against Kyle Borshoff of American.
- 149: Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) is one of four Bison to reach the 20-win mark this season thus far and is the lone freshman to do so. He holds a 20-12 overall record and finished 12-9 in duals (4-4 EIWA). LeValley placed third at the Binghamton Open and fourth at the Navy Classic.
- 157: Sophomore Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes) currently holds a record of 11-11 and went 7-8 in duals (1-5 EIWA). To open the season, Hooks collected a fourth-place finish at the Binghamton Open. He went 1-2 at EIWAs as a freshman, posting a 10-2 major decision over Mike Alvarez of Princeton in the consolation bracket.
- 165: Sophomore co-captain Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) is currently ranked 20th nationally according to InterMat and is third in the EIWA rankings. Rendos placed third at the EIWA Championships as a freshman to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament and this season paces the Bison with a record of 24-7. Rendos went 16-5 in duals, 7-1 in the EIWA, won the 165-pound title at the Navy Classic and placed fourth at the Binghamton Open. Six of Rendos' seven losses this season have come at the hands of opponents who were ranked at the time he faced them. His only other loss was against Mack Lewnes of Cornell who has since entered the national rankings and is now No. 4 at 165.
- 174: Sophomore Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) saw an incredible streak of 14-straight duals victories come to an end in his final bout of the dual meet season, falling to 10th-ranked Steve Anceravage of Cornell. Riccio, who is No. 6 in the EIWA rankings, posted a 15-2 duals record and went 6-1 against EIWA competition. He is currently 22-7 overall and placed at both the Navy Classic (fourth) and the Cleveland State Open (third). As a freshman, Riccio won two matches at the EIWA Tournament, upsetting No. 8 seed Mike Whalen of Rutgers, 8-1, and defeating Bran Crudden of Brown, 6-1.
- 184: Freshman David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) finished 9-9 in duals (4-3 EIWA) and is currently 16-11 overall. Thompson, who is ranked sixth in the latest EIWA rankings at this weight, was the runner-up at the Cleveland State Open back in December and was third at the Navy Classic, his collegiate wrestling debut.
- 197: Freshman Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) is 5-13 on the season and went 0-3 in duals. He has competed in five tournaments thus far in his first season with the Orange and Blue.
- 285: Sophomore co-captain George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) holds a record of 16-14 and posted a 8-11 mark in duals (3-4 EIWA). He has wrestled in two tournaments this season, placing fifth at both the Binghamton Open and the Navy Classic. As a freshman in 2007, Hingson was seeded No. 8 at the EIWA Championships and went 1-2 with a win over Benjamin Reiter of Penn in the consolation bracket.
Last Year at the EIWA Championships
- Bucknell's trip to the EIWA Championships in 2007 yielded a ninth-place finish with 40 team points, ahead of Brown, Rutgers, East Stroudsburg, Franklin & Marshall and Princeton. The Bison sent three individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, including Rendos, who placed third at EIWAs, and Marble as a wild card selection.
Getting to the Next Step
- Forty-seven EIWA wrestlers will advance to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., on Mar. 20-22, second in qualifier allotments to only the Big Ten's total of 72. The number of automatic qualifiers will be determined at the coaches meeting prior to the tournament. Last season, the top four finishers in each weight class at the EIWA Championships were awarded automatic bids, while a vote by the EIWA coaches determined the remaining seven wild card selections.
Honors and Rankings
- InterMat/NWMA/NWCA Division I Individual Wrestling Rankings (2/26/08): 133 - 18. David Marble, 165 - 20. Andy Rendos.
- Amateur Wrestling News Individual Rankings (2/26/08): 133 - 16. David Marble.
- EIWA Individual Rankings (2/26/08): 125 - 6. Greg Hart; 133 - 3. David Marble; 165 - 3. Andy Rendos; 174 - 6. Shane Riccio; 184 - 6. David Thompson.
- EIWA Team Rankings (2/26/08): Bucknell - 7th.
- Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week: Andy Rendos (11/19/07), David Marble (1/7/08), Shane Riccio (2/18/08).
