Sport: Wrestling (@UVaWrestling)

Contact: Andy Fledderjohann

Cavaliers win at seven of 10 weight classes

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 13 Virginia wrestling team won at seven of 10 weight classes to earn a 29-12 victory over Bucknell Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. Coming off a win Friday night over Maryland, Virginia upped its dual record to 15-3 on the season.

“This weekend was very intense and crazy,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “Our guys fought hard. We made some technical mistakes this weekend and we saw a lot of things that we need to get better at, but I was really pleased with our guys’ fight and commitment out there. That wasn’t a problem. I just thought we made some silly mistakes that we don’t typically make. That’s a lot easier to approach as a coach. You can’t fix heart, and I’m proud of my guys’ heart this weekend.”

Joseph Martinez (R-So., Platteville, Colo.), Joe Spisak (R-Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa.), Blaise Butler (R-So., Belvidere, Ill.), Nick Sulzer (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), Stephen Doty (R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo.), James Suvak (R-Fr., Parma Heights, Ohio) and Zach Nye (R-So., Enola, Pa.) each picked up wins for UVa. Spisak and Doty pinned their foes, while Sulzer and Butler both won by major decision.

Nick Herrmann (So., Amarillo, Texas), Gus Sako (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), Blaise Butler (R-So., Belvidere, Ill.) and Stephen Doty (R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) each won by decision at 125, 149, 157 and 174, respectively, for the Cavaliers.

Bucknell (7-9) took the opening bout when Paul Petrov held off a late push from Nick Herrmann (So., Amarillo, Texas) to win 5-4 at 125 pounds. Martinez knotted the score by controlling throughout in a 5-0 decision at 133; he piled up 4:05 in riding time as he dominated from the top.

UVa quickly took the lead for good at 141 as Spisak, ranked 15th nationally, needed just 27 seconds to put Connor Lapresi on his back and stick him for the pin. It marked Spisak’s first fall of the year.

Bucknell scored an upset victory at 149 as Victor Lopez was strong from the top position in downing UVa’s Gus Sako (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), 7-6. After Lopez maintained control for the full second period, Sako took a 6-4 lead early in the third with a takedown, but Lopez reversed him and then rode out the period to build the riding time over a minute and claim the decisive bonus point.

UVa won the next five weight classes. Ranked 15th nationally, Butler started the run with a 12-3 major decision over Ray Schlitt at 157 to run his record to 15-6 on the year. Sulzer, the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, then racked up nine takedowns in a dominating 20-8 major decision over Rustin Barrick.

Doty followed with a pin of Joey Kurlock midway through the first period, his team-leading seventh fall of the season. The bonus points pushed the Cavaliers’ lead to 23-6.

Suvak claimed a 4-2 win over Rory Bonner at 184, and Nye followed with a 6-1 decision against Tyler Lyster at 197 for the Cavaliers’ final wins of the day. Bucknell heavyweight Joe Stolfi, ranked 20th nationally, pinned UVa’s Ethan Hayes (R-So., New Lebanon, Ohio) 1:19 into the first period to wrap up the dual. Hayes scored the first takedown, but Stolfi soon after reversed Hayes and put him on his back to get the fall.

Virginia entertains North Carolina at 7 p.m. next Friday (Feb. 7) in the 2013-14 home finale at Memorial Gymnasium. There is no admission charge, and parking is free of charge in the Culbreth Road Garage. Live results will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

125: Paul Petrov (BU) dec. Nick Herrmann (UVa) 5-4; BU 3-0

133: Joseph Martinez (UVa) dec. Grimaldi Gonzalez (BU) 5-0; 3-3

141: No. 15/17 Joe Spisak (UVa) fall Connor Lapresi (BU) :27; UVa 9-3    

149: Victor Lopez (BU) dec. No. -/9 Gus Sako (UVa) 7-6; UVa 9-6

157: No. 15/15 Blaise Butler (UVa) major dec. Ray Schlitt (BU) 12-3; UVa 13-6

165: No. 2/2/ Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Rustin Barrick (BU) 20-8; UVa 17-6

174: No. 17/12 Stephen Doty (UVa) fall Joey Kurlock (BU) 1:30; UVa 23-6

184: James Suvak (UVa) dec. Rory Bonner (BU) 4-2; UVa 26-6

197: Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Tyler Lyster (BU) 6-1; UVa  29-6        

285: No. 20/20 Joe Stolfi (BU) fall Ethan Hayes (UVa) 1:19; UVa 29-12

Rankings: AWN/InterMat