Over the weekend, Bucknell Wrestling hosted two matchups in Davis Gym. The first was set for Friday, Jan. 19 against Morgan State, but was postponed to Saturday due to weather. The second was on Sunday, Jan. 21 against American University. Bucknell had a successful weekend as they triumphed over Morgan State 41-9 and defeated American 31-9.
In the matchup against Morgan State, the Bison recorded three tech falls, two major decisions, and three pins. The three pins were recorded in consecutive order by Myles Takats ’27 (174 lbs), Mikey Bartush ’26 (184 lbs), and Logan Deacetis ’25 (197 lbs). These victories extended the Bison’s lead and ultimately sealed the match, as they had large leads before the pins.
Kurt Phipps ’25 (133 lbs) and Dylan Chappell ’25 (141 lbs) both racked up 20 points in their tech falls. Phipps defeated his opponent 20-3, making his season record 15-2, and Chappell beat his opponent 22-7.
Following them, Riley Bower ’26 (149 lbs) made a 12-4 decision, securing an extra point with over two minutes of riding time. The Bison led 14-3 before Morgan State could get any more points on the board.
Morgan State then gained points in the 157 lb group due to a default injury in the first period.
At 165 lbs, Noah Mulvaney ’27 kicked off Bucknell’s 27-0 scoring run over the final five bouts with a 15-5 decision over his opponent. This was his 20ths win of the season and he has only lost three times.
To close out the match, heavyweight Dorian Crosby ’24 at 285 lbs earned his sixth tech fall of the season and beat his opponent 17-0.
Taking the momentum from their win on Saturday, the Bison defeated American on Sunday.
During this matchup, eight Bison wrestlers posted wins, and four scored bonus points. Bucknell’s final five wrestlers totaled 22 of the team’s points, posting two major decisions, a tech fall, and a pin.
Bucknell was defeated by American in the 125 weight class, giving American an early lead. But, back-to-back decisions by Phipps and Chappell nullified the early pin. Both Phipps and Chappell went 2-0 on the weekend.
The Bison gave up the lead with a defeat at the 149 lb group, but shortly after, Kolby DePron ’25 (157 lbs) came out strong and started a 25-0 run for Bucknell. DePron prevailed over his opponent with a 6-0 decision. This marked his fifth win in a row and improved to 2-0 in duals this season.
Keeping the momentum strong, Mulvaney secured his 21st victory of the season as he pinned his opponent in the first period. Mulvaney is now 7-1 in duals.
Takats and Bartush also posted back-to-back major decisions winning 13-2 and 14-2. Bartush earned 4:24 of riding time and clinched the dual, creating a 23-9 Bison lead.
To end the match, Deacetis tallied his third tech fall of the season winning 15-0 in just 2:34, and Crosby finished with a 7-2 decision.
Crosby has gone up against his contender in the past, and in the 2022-23 season he went 3-0 over his opponent, including one win at the EIWA Championships.
This Bucknell victory over American marks five in a row for the Bison, dating back to 2020. Now the Bison are 25-6-1 in the all-time series. After the two victories this weekend, Bucknell improved their record to 6-3 (2-0 EIWA).
At the conclusion of the weekend, five Bucknell wrestlers appear in the first NCAA Coaches’ Rankings: Phipps (13th at 133), Mulvaney (18th at 165), Takats (31st at 174), Bartush (32nd at 184), and Crosby (21st in 285). These rankings are used in the selection process to determine qualifiers for the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championship. These wrestlers represent the highest number of players Bucknell has had in the rankings at one time since 2016.
Next weekend, Bucknell will return to Davis Gym at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, to host Army.
