Both teams had four freshmen in their lineups, while the Orange squad had three of the team’s six NCAA qualifiers from last year. Rendos and Riccio were the only two NCAA qualifiers on the Blue team. Freshman Jack Ingram wrestled at both 125 and 133 pounds for the Blue squad.
The match started at 133 pounds with senior three-time NCAA qualifier David Marble defeating Ingram by major decision, 19-6. It was the first of three straight victories for Orange, which went up 10-0 early as Zac Hancock and Kevin LeValley followed with wins by decision at 141 and 149. LeValley’s 6-0 win over John Regan was the lone shutout of the match.
Brantley Hooks then won the first of five straight bouts for the Blue team. The senior had two takedowns and an escape, while Corey Lear recorded three escapes in his 5-3 loss.
Rendos followed with an easy win over Scott Sechler. Rendos, an All-American at 165 pounds last year, posted three near-falls and did not allow Sechler to score a point after the first period. A takedown with 1:27 remaining in the third period staked Rendos to an 18-2 lead and he had a large advantage in riding time as well.
At 174 pounds, Riccio pinned Nicholas Czapla in 5:50. Riccio was leading 10-1 at the time of the pin.
Rob Waltko won a competitive match at 184 pounds over 2009 NCAA at-large qualifier David Thompson. Waltko was up 4-1 in the first period, but Thompson narrowed the score to 5-4 in the third. A late takedown by Waltko sealed the victory and avenged a 6-3 loss to Thompson in last year’s intrasquad match.
The two heaviest weight classes featured a lot of inexperience with three freshmen and one sophomore (Kevin Foley) who wrestled only nine matches last year. Freshman Joe McMullan defeated Foley at 197 pounds by an 18-7 major decision. That victory staked the Blue team to a 21-10 advantage.
The heavyweight bout was an even matchup between freshmen Conor Sweeney and Darin Rockwell. The score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Finally, Sweeney scored an escape in the sixth overtime period, giving him a 2-1 decision.
The final match of the night was Ingram against Derrik Russell at 125 pounds. Russell posted a 10-2 major decision over Ingram, who had wrestled less than two hours earlier against Marble. Russell scored six points in the third period on two takedowns, one escape and riding time.
Bucknell’s season will officially get underway on Sunday, Nov. 15, when the Bison travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Bucknell’s first home match will be Nov. 27 when it hosts Iowa and Rutgers in Sojka Pavilion. For tickets to that match, call 570-577-1000.
Blue 21, Orange 17
125: Derrik Russell (O) maj. dec. Jack Ingram (B), 10-2
*133: David Marble (O) maj. dec. Jack Ingram (B), 19-6
141: Zac Hancock (O) dec. Adam Healey (B), 8-3
149: Kevin LeValley (O) dec. John Regan (B), 6-0
157: Brantley Hooks (B) dec. Corey Lear (O), 5-3
165: Andy Rendos (B) tech. fall Scott Sechler (O), 19-2 (5:33)
174: Shane Riccio (B) pinned Nicholas Czapla (O), 5:50
184: Rob Waltko (B) dec. David Thompson (O), 7-4
197: Joe McMullan (B) maj. dec. Kevin Foley (O), 18-7
HWT: Conor Sweeney (O) dec. Darin Rockwell (B), 2-1 sv
* starting weight
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