Army West Point defeats Bucknell 23-12 at Christl Arena
Army rallied after a 9-9 intermission, finishing on a 14-3 run keyed by a technical fall and a pin.
WEST POINT, N.Y., Jan. 24 — Army West Point defeated Bucknell 23-12 at Christl Arena in a dual that was tied 9-9 at intermission before the Black Knights closed on a 14-3 run.
No. 14 Ethan Berginc opened Army’s surge with a 19-4 technical fall at 133 pounds, building a multiperiod lead with takedowns across all three periods to supply an early bonus-point swing.
At 157 pounds Joseph Antonio earned a 6-5 sudden-victory decision over No. 32 Cade Wirnsberger after a stall call produced the overtime point, a result that evened the dual before Army took the lead at 165.
No. 18 Gunner Filipowicz supplied the next swing when he pinned No. 26 Noah Mulvaney at 165; the bout’s official score was 5-1 at the time of the fall. The pin pushed Army ahead and helped produce the team bonus margin.
Late-match sequences preserved and extended Army’s advantage. Wolfgang Frable scored a three-point takedown with 8 seconds remaining to beat Dillon Bechtold 4-1 at 197. Heavyweight No. 17 Brady Colbert held a 5-4 decision over No. 28 Lucas Lawler after a late takedown and a second-period escape.
Bucknell collected four victories, several by narrow margins. Kade Davidheiser opened the dual with a 9-7 decision at 125, taking a second-period takedown that provided the decisive edge. Riley Bower won 3-0 at 149 with an escape late in the second and a two-point nearfall in the third.
Myles Takats, ranked No. 16 at 174, secured a 5-3 decision on a late second-period takedown to keep the Bison within reach, and Tyler Bienus prevailed 10-7 in sudden victory at 184; Bienus entered the dual ranked No. 32 at 184.
Army finished with six bout wins, including the technical fall and the pin that swung the team scoreboard. Bucknell’s four wins included multiple close decisions and an overtime result, but the Black Knights’ bonus points and late takedowns produced the final margin.
The win moved Army ahead in the dual and in conference play for the day, while Bucknell left West Point with several narrow losses in ranked matchups.