Navy 125-pounder Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.), one of nine seniors recognized in a prematch ceremony, gave the Midshipmen an early 3-0 lead in the match with an 11-4 decision over freshman Greg Hart.
Bucknell knotted the match at three apiece when Bison rookie David Marble scored a surprise upset over 10th-ranked Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) at 133 pounds. With the match tied at three all going into the second period, Baker escaped and then earned a takedown with eight seconds remaining to hold a 6-3 lead heading into the final period. In the down position, Marble escaped early and was later awarded a stall point with a minute to go to narrow Baker's lead to 6-5. Marble scored the go-ahead takedown with 15 seconds remaining and earned an 8-6 decision with riding time.
The Mids went on to win the next three matches, all by seniors, including a victory by Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) at 141 pounds that gave Navy the lead for good. Scoring a takedown with one second remaining in the second period, Canterbury took a 4-2 lead and never looked back, as he scored a 9-4 decision for the Mids.
After sitting out the East Stroudsburg dual, followed by the All-Academy Championship, senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) returned to the lineup without hesitation. The 149-pounder scored 13 points off five near falls en route to posting a 15-0 technical fall (4:16) over Bucknell freshman Jack Conroy. As the official signaled the three-point near fall in Cox's favor to end the match, he also called an unsportsmanlike penalty against Conroy, however, the penalty point had no bearing on the match since it had reached the 15-point count. Cox now owns 106-career wins and stands seventh in the Navy career wins record book.
Team captain John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) pushed Navy's lead to 15-3 after scoring a 17-7 major decision over freshman Brantley Hooks. Jarred, who claimed his 28th victory over the season, recorded seven takedowns and lead from his first takedown 41 seconds into the match until the final horn sounded.
Bucknell freshman Andy Rendos, ranked 18th at 165 pounds, just edged Navy junior Justin Jacobs (LeRoy, Mich.). After a scoreless opening period, Jacobs was able to finally score the escape with 17 second left in the second period. Rendos started the final period down, but was able to reverse the hold to take a 2-1 lead. With 56 remaining in regulation, Jacobs lowered his shoulder hoping to break Rendos' hold. Instead, Rendos' face made contact with the mat and he was knocked unconscious. Following an injury timeout, Rendos was called for a stall with 48 seconds to go to knot the score at 2-2. Jacobs took a 3-2 lead by escaping Rendos' hold with 11 seconds left. The match was sent into overtime after a point was awarded to Rendos for riding time. Rendos went on to win the match, 7-3, in sudden victory, scoring a takedown and then a two-point near fall.
Junior 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.), ranked 11th in the country, pushed his winning streak to nine in a row after pinning Bucknell rookie Shane Riccio just 2:20 into the match. Stolpinski, who has won by fall four times this season, is now 33-5 and is tied for 16th on the Mids' single-season wins list. Meanwhile, he is now tied with Steve Cantrell (1987-91) for career wins with 88.
Senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) produced 12 takedowns en route to a 26-11 technical fall (6:50) over Bison freshman George Mann. Miranda, who is just two wins shy of reaching 30 for the season, did not record a near fall in the bout and was awarded just four points for his technical fall.
The Bison scored their final win of the night in the 197-pound match where Navy sophomore Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) gave up a reversal with 1:38 left in the match to drop a 7-4 decision to Eric Lapotsky.
Eighth-ranked heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) scored a fall at 2:51 over George Hingson in the final bout of the night to give Navy a 31-9 victory. It marked Prendergast's 15th fall of the season which is tied as the third-most pins program history and the most since Scott Kelly recorded 15 falls in 1987-88. Meanwhile, Prendergast owns 21 falls over his career, the 16th most in the Navy record books.
Navy returns to action next Sunday when they travel to West Point to square off against arch rival Army in the annual Star Match. Action between the two service academies is set to begin at 4:00 pm and will be televised by ESPNU (tape-delayed).
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