Bonus barrage lifts Rider to 29-12 win over Lock Haven
Rider used a string of early bonus-point victories — including tech falls and pins — to build a lead Lock Haven couldn’t erase, handing the visitors a 29-12 loss in a Mid-American Conference dual.
Rider topped Lock Haven 29-12 in a MAC dual at Rider University, the outcome decided by multiple bonus-point results that produced an early, insurmountable cushion.
The Broncs opened the dual with four straight bonus-point wins to build a 20-0 advantage. No. 21 Tyler Klinsky set the tone with a 20-4 technical fall at 125, and Will Betancourt turned a tight 133-pound match into maximum team points with a fall in the extra period. No. 20 Elijah Griffin followed with a 12-2 major decision at 141, adding a late-period takedown to seal the margin and keep the momentum on Rider’s side. Dylan Layton’s tech fall at 149 extended the run of decisive results.
Lock Haven fought back through the middle weights. Nick Stampoulos picked up a 157-pound decision, and Avery Bassett produced the meet’s biggest individual upset, edging No. 31 Enrique Munguia, 9-6, at 174. Sam Gautreau also scored at 184, trimming the margin and giving the Bald Eagles a window back into the dual.
Rider answered those efforts when Brendon Abdon delivered the night’s most dramatic swing at 165, rallying for a fall after trailing earlier to push Rider’s lead back to a safe level. At 197, No. 19 Brock Zurawski closed out the scoring with a 6-1 decision, sealing the dual with a third-period takedown and added riding time that removed any late doubt.
In the end, Rider’s collection of tech falls, a major and multiple pins supplied the bonus points that produced the 17-point final margin. The Broncs leave the dual with momentum and a chance to clinch the MAC East with a victory in their upcoming meeting against Bloomsburg.