By Joe Ruby

Writer

The wrestling team lost to No. 18 Penn (6-3, 1-0 EIWA) by a 24-11 margin on Saturday afternoon at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia. Brantley Hooks ’11, Rob Waltko ’11, and No. 6 Kevin LeValley ’11 each posted wins for the Orange and Blue. The loss leaves the Bison 4-10 overall and 0-4 in the EIWA this season.

LeValley earned the first win of the day for the Bison, defeating Andrew Lenzi 11-3 for the major decision at 149 lbs. The win moved LeValley’s record to 22-1 and marked the 10th time he earned bonus points this year. In the next match, Hooks defeated Brad Wukie by an identical score, improving to 15-9 for the year and getting the Bison to within 12-8.

The Bison were almost able to continue the momentum at 165 lbs, as Corey Lear ’13 nearly upset No. 18 Gabriel Burak, ultimately losing 4-2 in the second sudden-victory period. Waltko kept the Bison’s hopes alive with a 7-4 decision over Harrison Coon, bringing the team score to 18-11 in favor of the Quakers, but Penn’s No. 6 Micah Burak was able to defeat Jay Hahn ’11 by a 5-2 margin to seal the match.

The Bison once again found themselves trailing early on, as the Quakers’ No. 19 Mark Rappo and No. 9 Zack Kemmerer won at 125 lbs and 141 lbs, respectively. The Bison were forced to forfeit the 133 lb slot for the fourth time this year. The losses moved the three lower-weight positions to a combined record of 11-31 in dual meets this season.

The next match for the Bison is tonight at 7 p.m. in Davis Gym. The Bison will host Lock Haven of the Eastern Wrestling League, who enter the match with a 5-8 record.