Second String Wrestlers to Step Up for Injured Players in Bucknell Meet

This Friday evening, the Columbia wrestling team (2-3) will compete against Bucknell (7-1-8) at home in the second to last meet of the nonconference schedule.

The Lions have recently returned from the New York State Championships where they sent eight wrestlers to the finals and three brought home championships. The winners were senior Nick Sommerfeld, who won the 197-pound class, sophomore Matt Dunn in 157, and senior Anthony Constantino in the 149. Despite the fact that the team has been battling a lot of injuries, including champion hopeful Brandon Kinney’s second day forfeit due to the stomach flu, the Light Blue finished in fourth place out of 18 at the meet.

Head coach Brendan Buckley is optimistic yet reserved about the match-up against Bucknell.

“The match will be against a good up-and-coming team,” he said. “Much like our team, they are young but have some solid individuals. It should be a very close match with bonus points determining the winner.” In the state championships, the Lions relied on various second-string guys stepping into the starting line-up.

They will have to ask these players to come up again in order to secure the win. These same wrestlers helped the Lions beat American University on Jan. 11. This shows the depth that Buckley hopes will help the Lions surge ahead in the race to be Ivy League champions.

Bucknell has been improving all season, winning more of late after starting off with a slew of losses. However, their most recent meet against Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. was a 30-6 thumping at the hands of the Monarchs.

Bucknell wrestlers for Columbia to watch out for are 157-pound sophomore Brantley Hooks and 174-pound sophomore Shane Riccio, who were the only two to win their matches last weekend for Bucknell. Fortunately the Light Blue is strong in the 157-pound weight class, which should provide for an exciting match.

The Lions placed fifth last year at EIWA Championships and were ranked seventh going into the preseason. However, the team is constantly looking to get better.
“We are continuing to improve and look forward to making daily and weekly improvements,” Buckley said.

The first match will start at 7 p.m. in the Levien Gymnasium.