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After back-to-back weekends on the road, the Lock Haven men’s wrestling team opens its home schedule on Sunday at 5 p.m. against Bucknell. Both teams will be looking for win number one of the season when the longtime rivals square off inside the confines of Thomas Fieldhouse.
Lock Haven enters Sunday’s dual with an 0-2 mark following a pair of losses last weekend at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals. The Bald Eagles won four bouts in a tough 24-14 loss to 25th-ranked Indiana before falling by a 20-12 tally to Appalachian State.
Three Bald Eagles lead the way with five victories on the year. Kelly Kakos, Brody Rebuck and Jonny O’Brien have each won five bouts with Rebuck earning all five wins in bonus-point fashion.
Rebuck has four falls and one major decision, and O’Brien has three technical falls and one major decision.
Nick Stampoulos leads the Bald Eagles against ranked opponents with three victories over ranked foes over the opening two weekends of the season.
Bucknell opened its season at Iowa State, falling 29-12 to the then-No. 9 Cyclones. The Bison wrestle LIU at home Sunday before traveling to Lock Haven.
Both teams bring three ranked wrestlers into Sunday’s showdown, with the dual featuring projected matchups between ranked wrestlers at 165 and 184 pounds.
In the 165-pound bout, Bucknell’s Noah Mulvaney enters the weekend ranked 16th while Stampoulos is ranked 25th in the latest InterMat rankings.
At 184 pounds, it will be a rematch of last season’s bout as 29th-ranked Tyler Bienus is slated to meet up with 30th-ranked Sam Gautreau. Bienus was victorious over Gautreau last season by a 3-1 score in a tight affair.
Lock Haven won the last meeting, 19-15, on Jan. 29, 2026 in Lewisburg, Pa. Curtis Nelson won by major decision at 125 pounds with four takedowns and six near-fall points while Lucas Kapusta, Nick Stampoulos and Kade Sottolano return after earning victories last season against the Bison.
The Bald Eagles own the all-time series with Bucknell with a 21-5 record and ride a two-match winning streak in the series. Bucknell’s last win in the series came in 2021 by a 21-15 margin in Lewisburg.