Friday, January 17
Lewisburg, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
10
vs
28
Pitt
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Bison Grapplers Fall to No. 16 Pittsburgh, 28-10
1/17/2025 8:24:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Kurt Phipps won by major decision at 133 pounds, and Dylan Chappell (141) and Myles Takats (174) both defeated ranked opponents, but No. 16 Pittsburgh won the other seven bouts with bonus points in five of them on the way to a 28-10 verdict over Bucknell in front of a large Davis Gym crowd on Friday night.
The Panthers sent out eight ranked wrestlers and won their fourth straight dual to improve to 8-2 on the season. Bucknell dropped to 4-5 against a difficult schedule. Three of the losses came against ranked teams in Minnesota, Iowa State, and Pitt, along with two others against unranked Big Ten squads Maryland and Wisconsin.
The Bison took an early 7-5 lead in this one after Phipps scored a 13-1 major decision against redshirt freshman Tyler Chappell – Dylan's younger brother – followed by a 4-1 win from the older Chappell against No. 33 Anthony Santaniello.
Phipps, slotted at No. 30 in the latest Intermat rankings, recorded a takedown in each period and also nabbed a couple of back points on the way to the major. Chappell, ranked 17th at 141 pounds, earned the only takedown of his match with 30 seconds to go in the first period.
Pitt fired back with three straight wins to take the lead for good. At 157 pounds, Cade Wirnsberger lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision to No. 25 Dylan Evans. An escape to start the second period was the bout's only point. Evans opted for a neutral position to start the third, and Wirnsberger could not get the takedown.
Pitt's Jared Kesler was the only unranked wrestler to win all night, as he upset No. 20 Noah Mulvaney at 165.
Takats, ranked No. 27 and this week's EIWA Wrestler of the Week, scored a takedown 20 seconds into sudden victory for a 4-1 win over No. 17 Luca Augustine, a two-time NCAA qualifier.
Bison freshman Dillon Bechtold gave No. 11 Mac Stout all he could handle at 197 pounds. Stout, who placed third at the ACC Championships and reached the round of 16 at NCAAs last season, broke a 1-1 tie with a takedown with 57 seconds left in the match. Bechtold escaped in the final 10 seconds but couldn't finish a last-second shot to win it, and the Panthers clinched the result with a 24-10 lead at that point.
Bucknell returns to action next weekend with two more home duals. The Bison will host Drexel on Friday at 6 p.m., and then Army will visit Davis Gym on Sunday at 2 p.m. Note that the Army dual was originally scheduled to be contested at West Point but was relocated to Lewisburg earlier this week.
#16 Pittsburgh 28, Bucknell 10
125: #18 Nick Babin (P) tech fall Chris Nucifora – 15-0 (5:00)
133: #30 Kurt Phipps (B) maj. dec. Tyler Chappell – 13-1
141: #17 Dylan Chappell (B) dec. #33 Anthony Santaniello – 4-1
149: #22 Finn Solomon (P) tech fall Kolby DePron – 19-3 (6:33)
157: #25 Dylan Evans (P) dec. Cade Wirnsberger – 1-0
165: Jared Kesler (P) maj. dec. #20 Noah Mulvaney – 13-5
174: #27 Myles Takats (B) dec. #17 Luca Augustine – 4-1 (sv)
184: #16 Reece Heller (P) maj. dec. Logan Deacetis – 11-1
197: #11 Mac Stout (P) dec. Dillon Bechtold – 4-2
285: #14 Dayton Pitzer (P) maj. dec. Logan Shephard – 11-1
The Panthers sent out eight ranked wrestlers and won their fourth straight dual to improve to 8-2 on the season. Bucknell dropped to 4-5 against a difficult schedule. Three of the losses came against ranked teams in Minnesota, Iowa State, and Pitt, along with two others against unranked Big Ten squads Maryland and Wisconsin.
The Bison took an early 7-5 lead in this one after Phipps scored a 13-1 major decision against redshirt freshman Tyler Chappell – Dylan's younger brother – followed by a 4-1 win from the older Chappell against No. 33 Anthony Santaniello.
Phipps, slotted at No. 30 in the latest Intermat rankings, recorded a takedown in each period and also nabbed a couple of back points on the way to the major. Chappell, ranked 17th at 141 pounds, earned the only takedown of his match with 30 seconds to go in the first period.
Pitt fired back with three straight wins to take the lead for good. At 157 pounds, Cade Wirnsberger lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision to No. 25 Dylan Evans. An escape to start the second period was the bout's only point. Evans opted for a neutral position to start the third, and Wirnsberger could not get the takedown.
Pitt's Jared Kesler was the only unranked wrestler to win all night, as he upset No. 20 Noah Mulvaney at 165.
Takats, ranked No. 27 and this week's EIWA Wrestler of the Week, scored a takedown 20 seconds into sudden victory for a 4-1 win over No. 17 Luca Augustine, a two-time NCAA qualifier.
Here's a look at Myles Takats' winning takedown against No. 17 Luca Augustine! #rayBucknell #OurWay
— Bucknell Wrestling (@Bucknell_WRST) January 18, 2025
Watch: https://t.co/RpQfGQlyq3@ESPN pic.twitter.com/AgFyAYQxiy
Bison freshman Dillon Bechtold gave No. 11 Mac Stout all he could handle at 197 pounds. Stout, who placed third at the ACC Championships and reached the round of 16 at NCAAs last season, broke a 1-1 tie with a takedown with 57 seconds left in the match. Bechtold escaped in the final 10 seconds but couldn't finish a last-second shot to win it, and the Panthers clinched the result with a 24-10 lead at that point.
Bucknell returns to action next weekend with two more home duals. The Bison will host Drexel on Friday at 6 p.m., and then Army will visit Davis Gym on Sunday at 2 p.m. Note that the Army dual was originally scheduled to be contested at West Point but was relocated to Lewisburg earlier this week.
#16 Pittsburgh 28, Bucknell 10
125: #18 Nick Babin (P) tech fall Chris Nucifora – 15-0 (5:00)
133: #30 Kurt Phipps (B) maj. dec. Tyler Chappell – 13-1
141: #17 Dylan Chappell (B) dec. #33 Anthony Santaniello – 4-1
149: #22 Finn Solomon (P) tech fall Kolby DePron – 19-3 (6:33)
157: #25 Dylan Evans (P) dec. Cade Wirnsberger – 1-0
165: Jared Kesler (P) maj. dec. #20 Noah Mulvaney – 13-5
174: #27 Myles Takats (B) dec. #17 Luca Augustine – 4-1 (sv)
184: #16 Reece Heller (P) maj. dec. Logan Deacetis – 11-1
197: #11 Mac Stout (P) dec. Dillon Bechtold – 4-2
285: #14 Dayton Pitzer (P) maj. dec. Logan Shephard – 11-1