In the EIWA Championships on March 7-8, Bucknell was headlined by fifth-year Kurt Phipps’ performance. Phipps faced a Drexel wrestler in the 133-pound championship, and a win earned Phipps his third career bid to the NCAA championships.

In the 141-pound weight class, Dylan Chappell ʼ26 made it all the way to the final bout but was pinned by his opponent. Chappell’s contributions, however, were enough to earn him an NCAA bid. An injury forced 165-pounder Noah Mulvaney ʼ27 to forfeit the championship match, but his silver medal finish earned him an NCAA championship appearance as well. In a difficult tussle against Drexel, Myles Takats ʼ27 edged out his opponent to earn fifth place in the 174-pound class. 197-pounder Dillon Bechtold ʼ28 earned a second-place finish in his class and the fourth NCAA bid for the Bison. The four NCAA qualifiers were joined by Takats, who received an at-large bid to the season finale match.

The five Bucknell wrestlers made their way to Philadelphia to represent Bucknell on the national stage this past week. Phipps kicked off the action for the Bison but lost to Penn State in a difficult contest. However, he bounced back with a win in the first consolation round to advance to the second day of competition. His second day was short-lived, with his season coming to an end in the day’s first consolation match. Chappell was able to win his first match by upsetting Virginia Tech before falling in the round of 16. His efforts would continue in the consolation bracket with two wins before a fourth-round loss, ending his successful season. Mulvaney and Takats both had challenging days, with each wrestler losing in both the round of 32 and the first consolation round. Lastly, Bechtold fell in his round of 32 matchup, and after two consolation victories, he saw his season come to an end.

This contest marked the completion of the 2024-25 wrestling season.