Lions Host Bucknell On Senior Day

Saturday, February 22

New York, N.Y.

2:00 P.M.

Columbia University

Bucknell

Photo by: Scott Pilutik

2/21/2020 11:34:00 AM | Wrestling

Watch (ESPN+)Choi Bio Miele Bio

Columbia Wrestling will wrap up the season with a visit, on senior day, from EIWA foe Bucknell.

NEW YORK – In the final dual meet of the 2019-20 season, Columbia Wrestling (8-5/8-4 EIWA/2-3 IVY) will honor its two seniors, Justin Choi and Val Miele, on Senior Day as the Lions welcome Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association foe Bucknell (9-6, 8-3 EIWA) to the University Gymnasium "Blue Gym" on Saturday, Feb. 22 with the match set to get going at 2 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
vs. Bucknell –Watch (ESPN+) | Follow (@ColumbiaWR)

PREVIOUS WEEKEND: In the previous weekend, Columbia went 2-1, splitting a doubleheader at home, taking down Brown before falling to Harvard, and the weekend was wrapped up with a win at Sacred Heart. In the pair of Ivy League home matches, Columbia began the day knocking off Brown, 29-6, before tripping up against Harvard, 25-13, in the final match of the day.

At Sacred Heart, Columbia bounced back with a 28-16 win, to wrap up the road slate of the schedule. Over the weekend, first years Angelo Rini (133), Kyle Mosher (157) and Lennox Wolak (174) along with sophomore Sam Wustefeld (197) went undefeated winning all the matches they competed in, with Rini's win via fall at 1:56 being the quickest win for the undefeated Lions.

IMPRESSIVE MOSH: Mosher has been impressive during his first collegiate year, currently sitting at a team-high 23-10, Mosher won eight straight matches, with his last loss snapping that eight-match winning streak, coming via a 15-5 major decision to No. 5 Quincy Monday (No. 16 Princeton) at Princeton on Feb. 8, 2020. In his last 10 matches, Mosher is 9-1, having collected three wins via fall and he got his eight-match winning streak started with an SV-1 3-1 victory over Binghamton's Chris Barker on Jan. 10.

CARDIAC RINI: Rini (22-8) has been a walk-off machine during his first-year, and during the match at Penn (Feb. 8) Rini collected his second walk-off win of the season.

Needing at least a win via decision against Penn for the team win, Rini took to the mat with a mission, and he worked a 4-3 win via decision over Carmen Ferrante to give Columbia their first Ivy League win of the season. It was the second time this season that Rini has walked off for Columbia, having given the Lions a 21-20 win over American (Jan. 19) when he won via tech fall against Daniel Kidd, 22-7, to walk-off the win in Columbia's home opener.

FIRST YEARS SHOW UP: Columbia, who's starting lineup this season has consisted of four first years, has had key performances from those first years as one of the youngest lineups in the country have been getting it done. Led by Mosher's 23-10 record, the Lion first years, who have consistently been in the lineup, have collectively recorded a 72-46 overall record, going 32-16 in dual meets.

Overall Mosher sits at 23-10, Rini at 22-8, Wolak comes in at 17-12 and Andrew Garr is 10-16, as the Lion first years have been key pieces in a lineup that has earned Columbia an 8-5 overall record during the season.

RANKED KAZIMIR: In the latest Trackwrestling national polls, sophomore Matt Kazimir came in at No. 28 at 141 pounds, making him the lone Lion to earn a national ranking. During the previous weekend, Kazimir went 2-1, bouncing back from an opening 2-1 loss via decision to Brown's Jimmy Pawelski, to snag an 8-2 win via decision over Lukus Stricker (Harvard) and a quick and dominating win via fall (0:48) against Sacred Heart's Gerard Daly.

During the season, Kazimir has collected two wins over ranked opponents, won the Princeton Open (Nov. 3, 2019) and the Patriot Open (Dec. 7, 2019), finished second at the Roadrunner Open (Nov. 24, 2019) and his 22-8 record places him second on the team in total wins, while his seven wins via fall place him first on the team.

WHAT THE BISONS BRING: Bucknell enters its final match of the season sitting at 9-6 (8-3 EIWA), but the Bisons come to Moringside having dropped their previous two matches, a 32-6 defeat to No. 11 Lehigh (Feb. 14) and a 29-7 loss to then-ranked No. 18 Army (Feb. 16) in the final two home matches of the season. Bucknell's last win came on the tail end of a 2-0 weekend where Bucknell knocked off EIWA foes Binghamton (25-13/Feb. 8) at home and American on the road, 26-19, on Feb. 9.

All-time Bucknell owns an 8-5 advantage over the Lions, but Columbia did take the previous meeting, a 20-16 win at Bucknell on Feb. 23, 2019. Columbia took the last meeting between the two sides played on Morningside, a 22-17 win on Jan. 27, 2018, and when coupled with the 2019 win, the Lions have taken the last two matches against Bucknell.
Bucknell's two wrestlers ranked by Trackwrestling are Zach Hartman (23-7), who sits at No. 20 at 165 pounds and Drew Phipps (25-6) who comes in at No. 26 at 197 pounds. Joining Hartman and Phipps in the 20-win club is Jaden Fisher, who at 157 pounds owns a record of 21-18, giving the Bisons three wrestlers in their lineup that own 20-plus wins.

PROBABLE LINEUP

VS. BUCKNELL (FEB. 22)
New York, New York (University Gymnasium "Blue Gym")

125 | Joe Manchio (Columbia) vs. Geo Barzona -or- Brandon Seidman (Bucknell)
133 | Angelo Rini (Columbia) vs. Darren Miller (Bucknell)
141 | No. 28 Matt Kazimir -or- Gunnar Fuss (Columbia) vs. David Campbell (Bucknell)
149 | Andrew Garr -or- Val Miele (Columbia) vs. Matthey Kolonia (Bucknell)
157 | Kyle Mosher -or- David Berkovich (Columbia) vs. Jaden Fisher (Bucknell)
165 | Riley Jacops -or- Sam Webster (Columbia) vs. Zach Hartman (Bucknell)
174 | Lennox Wolak (Columbia) vs. Mitch Hartman (Bucknell)
184 | Joe Franzese -or- Michael Baker (Columbia) vs. Kyle Inlander (Bucknell)
197 | Sam Wustefeld (Columbia) vs. Drew Phipps (Bucknell)
285 | Danny Conley (Columbia) vs. Brandon Stokes -or- Eric Chakonis (Bucknell)

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on Twitter (@ColumbiaWR), Instagram (@columbiawr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).