FAIRFAX, Va. – The Bucknell wrestling team dropped the first two bouts of Friday evening’s dual at George Mason, but it bounced back to claim seven of the final eight bouts to post a 27-9 victory over the Patriots, snapping a six-match losing streak. Alex Pellicciotti, Stephen McPeek and Tyler Lyster register bonus-point victories for the Bison, who improved to 3-11 on the year and earned their first road victory.

George Mason (5-13) grapplers claimed the 125- and 133-pound matchups by matching 6-4 scores. It was another close bout at 141, but Bucknell’s Derrik Russell pulled out a 3-1 overtime decision, starting the Bison comeback. A tech fall by Pellicciotti at 149 gave Bucknell its first lead at 8-6.

John Regan then won his team-high fifth consecutive bout at 157 by a seven-point decision. Corey Lear followed with a seven-point decision of his own at 165 as the Bison extended their advantage to 14-6.

McPeek claimed his third consecutive dual with a 16-2 major decision at 174. It was his fifth major decision this year, and his seventh bonus-point victory overall.

Jamie Westwood returned to the lineup and posted his eighth win this season with a 7-4 decision over Corey Smith. It snapped a five-bout losing streak by Westwood and clinched the dual for the Bison.

George Mason then snapped the Bucknell streak of six straight wins when Mendbagana Tovuujav upended Joe McMullan by a 10-6 margin at 197.

Lyster concluded the match on a high note for the Bison as he pinned Adam Barnette in 3:22. It was his fourth pin of the year out of eight total victories.

Friday’s match opened a busy weekend for Bucknell, which will now travel to Oklahoma State for a pair of duals Sunday against the host and No. 2-ranked Cowboys and No. 22 Binghamton.

Bucknell 27, George Mason 9
125: Vincent Rodriguez (GMU) dec. Austin Miller (BU), 6-4

133: Zachary Isenhour (GMU) dec. Shawn Armato (BU), 6-4

141: Derrik Russell (BU) dec. Denny Herndon III (GMU), 3-1, overtime

149: Alex Pellicciotti (BU) tech. fall Shohei Takagi (GMU), end of match

157: John Regan (BU) dec. Kevin Timothy (GMU), 13-6

165: Corey Lear (BU) dec. Ty Knepp (GMU), 9-2

174: Stephen McPeek (BU) major dec. Steve Swayze (GMU), 16-2

184: Jamie Westwood (BU) dec. Corey Smith (GMU), 7-4

197: Mendbagana Tovuujav (GMU) dec. Joe McMullan (BU, 10-6

285: Tyler Lyster (BU) pin. Adam Barnette (GMU), 3:22

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bucknell wrestling team led No. 13 Lehigh by four points with three bouts remaining, but the Mountain Hawks posted two major decisions and a forfeit victory in the three heaviest weight classes to come back and defeat the Bison by a 25-15 margin Saturday afternoon at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Austin Miller, John Regan, Corey Lear and Stephen McPeek posted wins for Bucknell, which was facing its second top-15 opponent this season.

It was a match of runs as Lehigh won three straight bouts, followed by three straight victories for Bison grapplers and then three more for the Mountain Hawks after Miller’s decision at 125 gave Bucknell an early 3-0 advantage.

Lehigh (8-4, 4-1 EIWA), which had three ranked wrestlers in its lineup, posted four wins by major decision and one at 184 pounds by forfeit. The Bison registered one bonus-point victory, a pin by Lear at 165 pounds, marking his second career dual-match victory over a Mountain Hawk.

Miller, who leads Bucknell (2-11, 2-1 EIWA) in wins this year as a freshman, improved to 15-8 on the season thanks to a 7-3 victory over Alex Abreu to start the match. It was the fourth consecutive win for Miller following a 3-0 performance at the Virginia Duals.

After wins by Lehigh at 133, 141 and 149, Regan got the Bison back on the winning side with a 4-1 decision over Brian Tanen at 157. Regan, who also posted his fourth consecutive victory, had wrestled at 149 his last eight bouts.

Lear gave Bucknell its second lead of the match at 12-11 as he pinned Sean Bilodeau in 2:23. Four of his eight wins this year have come by pin, and it was his 12th career win by fall.

McPeek extended the Bison lead to 15-11 with a tight 7-6 decision at 174 over Kevin Bailey.

Bucknell’s heavier weights struggled as Joe McMullan lost at 197 and freshman Tyler Lyster dropped a 12-4 major decision to defending national champion Zach Rey at heavyweight.

The Bison will be back in action next Friday when they wrestle at George Mason at 7:30 p.m. Bucknell will also travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face nationally ranked Binghamton and Oklahoma State on Sunday, Jan. 29.

No. 13 Lehigh 25, Bucknell 15
125 – Austin Miller (Bucknell) dec. Alex Abreu (Lehigh) 7-3

133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) major dec. Shawn Armato (Bucknell) 18-6

141 – No. 15 Steve Dutton (Lehigh) major dec. Derrik Russell (Bucknell) 10-2

149 – Anthony Salupo (Lehigh) dec. Alex Pellicciotti (Bucknell) 5-3

157 – John Regan (Bucknell) dec. Brian Tanen (Lehigh) 4-1

165 – Corey Lear (Bucknell) Fall Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) 2:23

174 – Stephen McPeek (Bucknell) dec. Kevin Bailey (Lehigh) 7-6

184 – No. 4 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) won by forfeit

197 – Kadeem Samuels (Lehigh) major dec. Joe McMullan (Bucknell) 16-8

285 – No. 3 Zach Rey (Lehigh) major dec. Tyler Lyster (Bucknell) 12-4

Attendance – 1,265

Referee – Joe Bartell

NORFOLK, Va. – Bucknell junior co-captain Joe McMullan posted a 6-5 decision at 197 pounds over Joe Budi for the Bison wrestling team’s only individual victory in a 33-3 loss to Old Dominion Wednesday evening at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Bucknell lost for the second consecutive time after a two-match losing streak and fell to 2-7 this season. The Monarchs improved to 5-4 as they snapped a three-match losing streak.

McMullan’s victory improved his season record to 6-2 and he is now just one win shy of equaling last year’s victory total despite missing the first month of the season with a knee injury.

Bucknell had chances to win additional bouts as Austin Miller (125) and John Regan (149) lost one-point decisions, and Corey Lear (165) dropped a two-point decision. Regan went to overtime with Brennan Brumley and lost in sudden victory by a 2-1 margin. It was his fifth loss this season by two points or less.

The only ranked wrestler in either lineup was Old Dominion’s 17th-ranked 174-pounder Te Edwards, who posted a 17-6 major decision over Stephen McPeek. It was one of four bonus-point victories for the Monarchs.

Bucknell and Old Dominion will next be in action at Friday and Saturday’s Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va. The Bison will face Buffalo in the first round of the 14-team bracketed event. The Monarchs will take on Arizona State in their first-round match.

Old Dominion 33, Bucknell 3

*125: Jerome Robinson (ODU) dec. Austin Miller (Bucknell), 10-9
133: Scott Festejo (ODU) fall Shawn Armato (Bucknell), 2:11
141: Justin LaValle (ODU) dec. Derrik Russell (Bucknell), 6-2
149: Brennan Brumley (ODU) dec. John Regan (Bucknell), 2-1 SV1
157: John Nicholson (ODU) major dec. Ray Schlitt (Bucknell), 17-6
165: Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. Corey Lear (Bucknell), 4-2
174: No. 17 Te Edwards (ODU) major dec. Stephen McPeek (Bucknell), 17-6
184: Billy Curling (ODU) major dec. Jamie Westwood (Bucknell), 10-2
197: Joe McMullan (Bucknell) dec. Joe Budi (ODU), 6-5
285: Matt Tourdot (ODU) vs. Tyler Lyster (Bucknell), 7-0
* Starting weight

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Facing its second Big Ten opponent in as many home matches, the Bucknell wrestling team was tied with Michigan State 6-6 through four bouts, but ended up on the wrong side of a 27-6 score Saturday evening in Davis Gym. Freshman Austin Miller (Mount Joy, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore Alex Pellicciotti (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) posted the lone wins of the night for the Bison.

Miller, a freshman 125-pounder who is now 2-0 at home this year, got things off to a good start for Bucknell with a 3-1 overtime decision to open the match. He was tied 1-1 with Brenan Lyon entering overtime and scored the lone takedown of the bout 24 seconds into the sudden-victory period.

Two bouts later Pellicciotti recorded the largest win of the night, a 7-1 decision over Andrew Ermatinger. He posted takedowns in the first and third periods and recorded a two-point near-fall in the second as he was on the verge of scoring back points many times during the bout.

Miller and Pellicciotti’s wins both staked Bucknell (0-5) to three-point leads, but the Spartans won the final six bouts that were contested. They also earned six points on a heavyweight forfeit by the Bison.

All nine bouts were decided by decision and no Bucknell wrestler lost by more than four points all night.

Michigan State (2-1) was wrestling its second match of the day, having defeated Lock Haven 30-6 earlier in the afternoon.

Bucknell will continue its busy weekend on Sunday when it wrestles at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Open. The individual tournament runs all day Sunday at Rec Hall.

Michigan State 27, Bucknell 6
*125: Austin Miller (B) dec. Brenan Lyon (MSU), 3-1 (sv1).
133: Brandon Fifield (MSU) dec. Shawn Armato (B), 5-2.
141: Alex Pellicciotti (B) dec. Andrew Ermatinger (MSU), 7-1.
149: No. 18 Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Derrik Russell (B), 4-0.
157: Anthony Jones (MSU) dec. John Regan (B), 4-3.
165: Nick Proctor (MSU) dec. Ray Schlitt (B), 4-1.
174: Curran Jacobs (MSU) dec. Stephen McPeek (B), 7-3.
184: Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Jamie Westwood (B), 5-1.
197: Nick McDiarmid (MSU) dec. Tyler Lyster (B), 7-4.
Hwt.: No. 17 Mike McClure (MSU) wins by forfeit.
* Starting weight

Courtesy of Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Austin Miller, Derrik Russell and John Regan combined to win three of the first five bouts by decision for Bucknell, but the Bison could not post a victory in the heavier weight classes as they lost by a 28-9 score to Nebraska Thursday evening at Sojka Pavilion. The score was tied 9-9 following Regan’s victory at 157 pounds.

The Huskers, who finished 12th at the NCAA Championships last March, posted two pins and one major decision for a total of three bonus-point victories. Nebraska had three ranked grapplers in its lineup and all the registered wins, contributing 12 points to the team score.

Five of the match’s five bouts were decided by three points or less.

Miller, a freshman competing in his first match, got things started right for Bucknell (0-1) as he posted a 4-3 victory at 125. He battled back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-2 lead thanks to two escapes and a takedown. Shawn Nagel posted a late escape, but neither wrestler scored in the final minute as Miller put the Bison up 3-0.

After No. 17 Ridge Kiley beat another Bucknell freshman, Shawn Armato, 2-0 at 133, Alex Pellicciotti was pinned at 141, giving the Huskers a 9-3 advantage.

A couple of co-captains then evened the score for the Bison. Russell scored a third-period takedown to defeat Brandon Wilbourn 4-2 at 149 pounds, while Regan’s 6-1 decision at 157 was the largest Bucknell win of the match.

Nebraska (1-0) then reeled off five consecutive victories to win by the 19-point margin.

Among the heavier weight classes, the Bison were able to be most successful at 174 and heavyweight. Stephen McPeek had a strong showing against Tyler Koehn in a hard-fought 174-pound bout. The score was 3-3 entering the third period, but Koehn scored a pair of escapes and a takedown, while McPeek couldn’t get a third takedown in the bout after an escape in the closing seconds and lost 7-6.

Freshman Joe Stolfi, one of five first-year Bison in the lineup, was strong at heavyweight against No. 8 Tucker Lane. Lane had a first-period takedown, but Stolfi posted two escapes to tie the score at 2-2 heading into the final period. Lane then escaped at the start of the period, but only led by one point the rest of the way until Stolfi became the aggressor in need of a score and Lane countered with a last-second takedown to extend to his final three-point margin (5-2).

Bucknell, which was wrestling in Sojka Pavilion for the only time this year, will be back in action next Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Navy Classic. Nebraska will be wrestling in the Wrestle for a Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa., this Saturday, Nov. 12.

Nebraska 28, Bucknell 9
*125: Austin Miller (B) dec. Shawn Nagel (N), 4-3
133: No. 17 Ridge Kiley (N) dec. Shawn Armato (B), 2-0
141: Jake Sueflohn (N) pinned Alex Pellicciotti (B), 4:35
149: Derrik Russell (B) dec. Brandon Wilbourn (N), 4-3
157: John Regan (B) dec. James Green (N), 6-1
165: Robert Kokesh (N) pinned Ray Schlitt (B), 2:01
174: Tyler Koehn (N) dec. Stephen McPeek (B), 7-6
184: No. 10 Josh Ihnen (N) dec. Jamie Westwood (B), 9-3
197: James Nakashima (N) maj. dec. Tyler Lyster (B), 19-7
Hwt.: No. 8 Tucker Land (N) dec. Joe Stolfi (B), 5-2.
* Starting weight

Courtesy of Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bucknell’s Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) won the lone matchup of ranked opponents, but American claimed six of 10 bouts overall as the No. 8 Eagles defeated the Bison by a 25-14 score Sunday evening at Bender Arena. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for Bucknell, which finished the regular season 7-11 overall and 2-5 against EIWA opponents.

LeValley, who is ranked fourth nationally at 149 pounds, claimed a 9-6 decision over eighth-ranked Ganbayar Sanjaa to improve to 26-1 this season and 119-38 in his four-year career. He surpassed Bobby Ferraro on Bucknell’s all-time wins list and is now in sole possession of second place, just two victories behind former teammate Andy Rendos.

A 2010 NCAA qualifier, LeValley is now 7-1 against ranked opponents this year and has won 26 of his last 27 dual matches. He is 6-1 in EIWA duals this season. Sanjaa brought a 20-3 record into Sunday’s top-10 battle with LeValley.

American (14-7, 3-2 EIWA) had five ranked wrestlers in its lineup, including three top-10 grapplers, while Bucknell had just LeValley. The Eagles ranked wrestlers – No. 14 Matt Mariacher (141), Sanjaa (149), No. 1 Steve Fittery (157), No. 18 Daniel Mitchell (197) and No. 3 Ryan Flores (Hwt.) – combined for four of American’s six victories. Three of those wins were for bonus points, including pins by Mariacher at 141 and Flores at heavyweight.

Alex Pellicciotti (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) posted the Bison’s only bonus-point win with a 17-1 tech fall against Kevin Tao at 133 pounds. It took Pellicciotti just 2:27 to accumulate the 15+-point advantage. It marked his second consecutive bonus-point victory, following a pin in Saturday’s win at Brown.

Veterans David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) and Rob Waltko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) won back-to-back decisions at 174 and 184 that brought Bucknell to within 16-14 with two bouts remaining. However, American totaled nine team points at 197 and heavyweight.

Thompson’s decision was by an 8-5 score, while Waltko posted a 13-8 win. It was the third straight victory for Thompson and the fifth in a row for Waltko, who is now 15-13 this year.

American was the seventh ranked foe the Bison faced in 2010-11. Bucknell was a solid 7-4 opposite unranked opponents.

The Bison will next be in action in two weeks when they host the EIWA Championships, March 5-6, in Sojka Pavilion. Fans can call 570-577-1000 to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated event.

No. 8 American 25, Bucknell 14
125: Thomas Williams (A) dec. Derek Reber (B), 4-2
133: Alex Pellicciotti (Bu) tech fall Kevin Tao (A), 17-1 (2:31)
141: No. 14 Matt Mariacher (A) pinned Adam Healey (B), 1:57
149: No. 4 Kevin LeValley (B) dec. No. 8 Ganbayar Sanjaa (A), 9-6
157: No. 1 Steve Fittery (A) maj. dec. Brantley Hooks (B), 18-7
165: Patrick Graham (A) dec. Corey Lear (B), 5-3
174: David Thompson (B) dec. Tanner Shaffer (A), 8-5
184: Rob Waltko (B) dec. Thomas Barreiro (A), 13-8
197: No. 18 Daniel Mitchell (A) dec. Jay Hahn (B), 6-4
Hwt: No. 3 Ryan Flores (A) pinned Joe McMullan (B), 1:59

Courtesy of Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Thanks to five bonus-point victories, the Bucknell wrestling team won its season-best third straight match on Saturday as it defeated Brown 31-7 at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The Bison recorded four major decisions and one pin in the victory.

Bucknell (7-10, 2-4 EIWA) has defeated Lock Haven, Army and now Brown in succession, claiming each match by double figures. The Bison have won eight consecutive February duals heading into Sunday evening’s matchup with No. 8 American.

Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes), Corey Lear (Orangeville, Pa./Benton Area), Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) and Joe McMullan (Easton, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) each posted a major decision for Bucknell. With his major decision victory, Hooks extended his personal winning streak to six, while Lear has now won three bouts in a row. Hahn also owns a three-bout winning streak, while McMullan has two consecutive wins.

Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) posted an 8-4 decision at 149 pounds. It was career win No. 118 for LeValley, who moved into a tie for second in program history with Bobby Ferraro. LeValley has won seven consecutive bouts since his lone loss of the year. He is now 25-1 this season and has won 13 consecutive EIWA duals.

Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) got the match off to a good start with a 2-1 decision at 125 pounds. It marked his third straight win and improved his EIWA career dual record to 10-4.

Freshman Alex Pellicciotti (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) posted the only pin of the match as it took him just 2:31 to score six points against Cort Choate at 133 pounds. It was the third pin of the season for Pellicciotti, who snapped a four-bout losing streak.

Brown, which wrestled a total of four home matches on Friday and Saturday, fell to 2-13, 1-7 EIWA following its loss to the Bison. The Bears faced Columbia later in the afternoon.

Bucknell will wrap up its regular season with a 7:30 p.m. match at American on Sunday.

Bucknell 31, Brown 7
125: Derek Reber (Bu) dec. Billy Watterson (Br), 2-1
133: Alex Pellicciotti (Bu) pinned Cort Choate (Br), 2:31
141: Grant Overcashier (Br) maj. dec. Adam Healey (Bu), 9-0
149: No. 4 Kevin LeValley (Bu) dec. Giuseppi Lanzi (Br), 8-2
157: Brantley Hooks (Bu) maj. dec. Patrick Labuz (Br), 17-8
165: Corey Lear (Bu) maj. dec. David Foxen (Br), 12-1
174: Jeff Lemmer (Br) dec. Stephen McPeek (Bu), 13-9
184: Rob Waltko (B) dec. Ziad Khrabush (Br), 5-2
197: Jay Hahn (Bu) maj. dec. Brandon Shull (Br), 15-2
Hwt: Joe McMullan (Bu) maj. dec. Tyler Cowman (Br), 11-2

Courtesy Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Prior to Thursday night’s Bucknell-Army wrestling match in Davis Gym the Bison program recognized six student-athletes during Senior Night festivities. Those veterans each had strong showings as they combined for a 5-0 record against the Black Knights, helping Bucknell to a 25-12 win over Army. The win was the first EIWA victory of the year for the Bison, who improved to 6-10, 1-4 EIWA.

Bucknell, which defeated Lock Haven last Friday, has now won two straight matches for the first time this year. The Bison have also won seven consecutive February duals and they closed out their 2010-11 home slate with a 4-3 mark at Davis Gym.

Bucknell won eight of the 10 bouts against Army (7-7, 2-5 EIWA) to improve to 2-7 all-time when facing the Black Knights. The Bison have won each of the last two meetings with Army.

While Bucknell more than doubled the Black Knights in the team score, it was a much closer match than that as two bouts went to overtime and four others – all Bison victories – were decided by just one point.

Seniors Jay Hahn (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley), Brantley Hooks (Spartanburg, S.C./James F. Byrnes), Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon), Scott Sechler (Slatington, PA./Northern Lehigh) and Rob Waltko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), as well as fourth-year junior David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local), were honored prior to the match. All but Sechler were in the starting lineup and each posted a victory.

Army claimed two of the first three bouts to jump out to a 12-3 lead. The Black Knights’ Jordan Thome recorded a pin at 133 pounds and his brother, Casey Thome, won by injury default over Bucknell’s Zac Hancock (Laura, Ohio/Troy Christian) 2:08 into a scoreless bout.

LeValley started the comeback and a string of seven consecutive Bison victories with a 12-3 major decision at 149 pounds. It was his 16th consecutive win in Davis Gym and it was his 12th straight EIWA dual victory. He outscored Daniel Young 8-2 in the first two periods, including 6-2 in the second. LeValley now has 117 career victories, one shy of second-place Bobby Ferraro on Bucknell’s all-time list.

Hooks followed with the first of the Bison’s four one-point decisions. A third-period escape proved to be the difference for Hooks, who is now 17-9 this year and 83-64 in his career as he moved into sole possession of 10th place on Bucknell’s all-time wins list.

Sophomore Corey Lear (Orangeville, Pa./Benton Area), who shut out his opponent for the fifth time this year, earned a 1-0 victory at 165 vs. Jake Vetter. The only point came early in the second period when Lear scored on an escape after choosing the bottom position. The bout featured both Lear and Vetter on their feet for much of the time, but Lear fought off a couple of serious third-period takedown attempts by Vetter to give Bucknell a 13-12 lead.

At 174 pounds, Thompson posted a 4-2 overtime win with a sudden victory takedown. He registered a pair of escapes during regulation, coming back from an early 2-0 hole.

Waltko continued the string of Bison victories with a tight 8-7 win at 184 pounds. It was his third straight victory and evened his season record at 13-13.

A win by Hahn at 197 pounds clinched the Bucknell win as his 10-4 decision over Daniel Mills staked the Bison to a 22-12 advantage. Hahn recorded four takedowns, while Mills could manage just four escapes in the bout.

Sophomore Joe McMullan (Easton, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) capped the match with a 4-3 decision at heavyweight, his second win in five tries at the weight class this year.

Derek Reber (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) got things started for the Bison by claiming a hard-fought 5-2 overtime victory at 125 pounds over David White. The score was tied 2-2 entering overtime and neither wrestler scored in the sudden victory period or the first tiebreaker. Finally, Reber turned White onto his back and scored a three-point near fall for the win.

Thursday’s victory marked the 50th in Bison head coach Dan Wirnsberger’s five-year tenure at the helm of the Bucknell program. He has led the Bison to a 50-45-2 mark over that span.

Bucknell will go for its third straight win next Saturday, Feb. 19, when it wrestles at EIWA foe Brown in Providence, R.I. The Bison will close their regular season the next day at American.

Bucknell 25, Army 12
*125: Derek Reber (B) dec. David White (A), 5-2 (tb2)
133: Jordan Thome (A) fall Alex Pellicciotti (B), 4:44
141: Casey Thome (A) injury default Zac Hancock (B)
149: No. 6 Kevin LeValley (B) maj. dec. Daniel Young (A), 12-3
157: Brantley Hooks (B) dec. Jimmy Rafferty (A), 3-2
165: Corey Lear (B) dec. Jake Vetter (A), 1-0
174: David Thompson (B) dec. Ryan Tompkins (A), 4-2 (sv)
184: Rob Waltko (B) dec. Wil Brown (A), 8-7
197: Jay Hahn (B) dec. Daniel Mills (A), 10-4
Hwt: Joe McMullan (B) dec. Christian Botero (A), 4-3

*Starting weight

Courtesy of Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bill Graham ’62, a former Bucknell wrestling team captain and the program’s largest benefactor, has been elected to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Hall of Fame, it was announced this week. Graham will be officially inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame in a ceremony just before the finals of the EIWA Championships, which will be held inside Bucknell’s Sojka Pavilion March 5-6.

A member of Bucknell’s Board of Trustees, Graham’s support helped reinstate the Bison wrestling program back to varsity status in 2005. Additionally, his generous gifts have significantly benefitted women’s athletics programs at Bucknell.

“On behalf of Bucknell Athletics and the Bison wrestling program, I would like to congratulate Bill Graham on his election to the EIWA Hall of Fame,” said director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. “Bill is a wrestler at heart, and the impact of what he has done for Bucknell has been felt across the entire sport. We are very excited to be hosting the EIWA Championships in Sojka Pavilion in March, and Bill’s Hall of Fame induction adds to what should be a special weekend.”

Graham is chairman and chief executive officer of The Graham Company in Philadelphia, one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerage firms. He received the National Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award in 2005 and he was named the National Association of Athletic Development Directors University Division Donor of the Year in 2007.

As a senior, Graham helped lead the Bison wrestling squad to one of only two undefeated seasons in program history as Bucknell went 9-0 in 1961-62.

The EIWA Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1995 and currently has 100 distinguished members. Graham will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Navy’s Dan Hicks, who was the only four-time heavyweight EIWA finalist; James Detrixhe, who was co-captain of Lehigh’s 1962 team that won six of nine weight classes at the EIWA Championships; and Bill Koll, a former Northern Iowa student-athlete who was the first person to win two NCAA Outstanding Wrestler awards and later coached Penn State to six top-10 NCAA finishes.

Graham has witnessed the wrestling program he helped bring back achieve plenty of success in its first four years of competition since reinstatement. Last year Andy Rendos became Bucknell’s first-ever EIWA champion, and the Bison have finished in the top four at the EIWA Championships in each of the last two years. Additionally, Rendos and current senior Kevin LeValley became the fourth and fifth wrestlers in program history to achieve All-America status at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Courtesy of Todd Merriett, Bucknell Asst. Dir. Athletic Communications