Bucknell Wrestling Comes from Behind to Shock No. 25 Columbia, 17-16, Tie Harvard, 21-21, in Regular Season Finale
Feb. 17, 2007
Results vs. Harvard
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - After trailing 16-10 with two matches remaining, the Bucknell wrestling squad rallied with victories at 197 and heavyweight to defeat Columbia, 17-16, in its first of two EIWA duals on Saturday in Harvard's Malkin Athletic Center. Later in the day, the Bison tied the Crimson, 21-21, in their regular season finale. With the win over the Lions, who earned a No. 25 ranking in the latest national poll released by W.I.N. Magazine, the Orange and Blue moved to 12-9, 3-3 in the EIWA, and set a Bucknell record for most team victories in a season. Columbia, who had recently posted a win over national-power Penn, dropped to 7-5 following the setback (3-4 EIWA). The Lions began with a 3-0 lead after Brandon Kinney defeated Greg Hart (Bedminster, N.J./Bernards), 13-7, at 125, but David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville) promptly evened the score for the Bison as the 133-pounder recorded a 10-4 decision over Matt DeLorenzo. Zach Galligan (Boonville, N.Y./Adirondack) followed up with an 11-3 major decision against Jerome Greco at 141 to put Bucknell up by four. However, Columbia fought back with a major decision of its own at 149 as Matt Dunn downed Jack Conroy, 14-2. The Lions then jumped back on top with a 9-2 victory by Derek Sickles against Brantley Hooks (Spartansburg, S.C./James F.Byrnes) in the 157-pound bout. At 165, No. 17 Andy Rendos (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area) picked up a 7-1 win for the Bison over Dustin Tillman to bring the team score to 10-10. Columbia posted victories in the next two bouts for its largest advantage of the night, 16-10. Matt Palmer defeated Shane Riccio (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills), 7-3, at 174, and Justin Barent edged George Mann (Orange, Ohio/Orange), 3-2, in the 184-pound matchup. Then with a 6-1 victory against Nick Sommerfield at 197, Eric Lapotsky (Mount Carmel, Pa./Mount Carmel) brought the Orange and Blue back to within three and heavyweight George Hingson (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) sealed Bucknell's win with a 20-11 major decision over Kevin Lester. In the team's later dual against Harvard (5-8-1, 4-5-1 EIWA), the Bison (12-9-1, 3-3-1 EIWA) jumped out in front, 12-0, after pins by Hart and Marble at 125 and 133, respectively. Hart's came in 48 seconds against Ryan Fitzgerald and Marble took down Simon Orozco in 4:19. The Crimson posted victories at the next four weights, including a major decision at 141, a win by fall at 149, and overtime victories at 157 and 165, to rally and take a 16-12 lead. Riccio followed at 174 and brought the Bison to within one after his 8-4 decision over Fred Rowsey. Harvard stretched its advantage out to six with a 16-1 technical fall by No. 15 Louis Caputo over Mann in the 184-pound bout, but for the second time on the day, the Bison erased a six-point deficit with wins in the final two weights. Lapotsky and Hingson each posted 8-4 decisions, Lapotsky at 197 against Billy Colgan and Hingson against Andrew Knapp in the heavyweight bout, leveling the score at 21-21 for a draw with the Crimson. The Bison will be back in action in two weeks, on March 2-3, when the squad will travel to the EIWA Championships at East Stroudsburg University, in East Stroudsburg, Pa. |
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