The Bison began their season on Nov. 6 with a 23-12 loss to Lehigh. The No. 7 competitor was tied with the Orange and Blue 12-12 after seven sessions. Paul Petrov ’16, Grim Gonzalez ’17, Victor Lopez ’17, and Rustin Barrick ’16 all posted wins for the Bison.

Petrov and Gonzalez kicked off the match by tallying wins for the Bison over nationally ranked opponents for an early 9-6 lead. Petrov defeated his No. 10 competitor 5-3 in overtime.

“The highlight for the season-opener was watching my teammate and practice partner, Grim Gonzalez, wrestle,” Petrov said. “His match was definitely the match of the night as he beat a highly ranked national opponent. He was offensive and never stopped wrestling, which was exciting to watch. I hope to improve on my conditioning as well as my offensive attacks. I just need to work on creating angles and getting to my opponent’s leg to score more points in the neutral position.”

Gonzalez’s 7-6 win over a No. 7 challenger came after an impressive comeback. Despite being down 5-4 going into the third period, Gonzalez scored an early escape and tallied the victorious take-down with approximately a minute left in the period.

“It was a fantastic atmosphere in Sojka Pavilion for our home opener,” head coach Dan Wirnsberger said. “The crowd was energized and we had some huge individual wins that highlighted the evening. Our team brought great energy and effort throughout the dual. Our goal is to continue the development process as we attack our schedule and set our sights on achieving team and individual awards in March at the EIWA conference tournament and the NCAA tournament.”

Lopez posted a 9-7 defeat over a Lehigh opponent. He earned an escape and took the riding time point in the concluding minute to take the win. Logan Kerin ’17 was conquered 4-2, but Barrick logged an 8-3 win to level the score 12-12. Despite losing their matches, solid performances were given by Tyler Smith ’18, Robert Schlitt ’16, Nick Stephani ’19, Tyler Greene ’17, and Chuck Boddy ’16.

The Bison will travel to Lancaster, Pa. to face Franklin & Marshall on Nov. 13.