Bucknell University Men's Wrestling

Dan Wolleben has been at the helm of Bucknell Crew since the Fall of 2014. Under his guidance the Bison crews have won multiple MARC Conference, Dad Vail, NI...

Wirnsberger has succeeded and currently ranks second on the Bison career wins list with 71. Twelve Bison have combined for 23 NCAA Championships berths under Wirnsbergers guidance, while Andy Rendos and Kevin LeValley each became two-time All-Americans. Bucknell has finished at least .500 three times and has recorded at least a .500 record against difficult EIWA competition five times under Wirnsberger. After spending a transitional year recruiting and laying the groundwork for a successful program, Wirnsberger brought Bucknell back onto the mat in 2006-07 with flying colors. Under Wirnsbergers direction, the 2006-07 Bison returned to the mat in grand fashion, setting a school record for dual-meet victories by compiling a record of 12-9-1, 3-3-1 in the EIWA, including a 17-16 win over nationally ranked Columbia. At the EIWA tournament, he led the Orange and Blue to a ninth-place finish out of 14 schools and saw three Bucknell grapplers earn bids to the NCAA Championships. Facing a tougher schedule in its second season back as a varsity program at Bucknell, Wirnsberger helped the squad to a 9-11-1 mark in 2007-08. The Bison posted a 4-4 mark against EIWA competition. Once again, three wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships and Bucknell moved up one spot to eighth place at the competitive EIWA Championships. The Bison program took a major stride forward in 2008-09 as Wirnsberger guided Bucknell to a tie for third at the EIWA Championships and helped a school-record six wrestlers earn NCAA berths. Additionally, Andy Rendos became the first Bison to earn All-America honors in 14 years as he placed fifth at NCAAs in the 165-pound weight class. As a team, Bucknell registered 11 wins, giving it a three-year win total of 32, the best stretch in program history. More milestones were accomplished in 2009-10 as Wirnsberger saw two of his wrestlers earn All-America honors, marking a first for the program. The Bison also tied a school record with 12 victories and finished with an unbeaten EIWA mark. Wirnsberger guided the team to its second consecutive top-five finish at the EIWA Championships as it claimed fourth in the team standings. Highlighting the weekend was Rendos individual title in the 165-pound bracket, making him the first EIWA champion in program history. Wirnsberger helped LeValley duplicate Rendos feat by winning the 149-pound EIWA title and earn his second consecutive All-America citation in 2010-11. He won the EIWA crown at Sojka Pavilion as Wirnsberger oversaw a program that successfully hosted one of the major conference tournaments in the country. The 2011-12 Bison were ravaged by injuries as six projected starters missed significant time during the campaign. Still, there were plenty of positives for Wirnsberger and the young Bucknell squad that featured just one senior as Corey Lear and Austin Miller became first-time NCAA participants. The 2012-13 Bucknell squad again experienced a number of injuries, but Lear and Joe Stolfi still earned berths to the NCAA Championships. The unseeded Stolfi peaked at the right time of year and came just one victory shy of All-America honors. Stolfi and Paul Petrov represented the Bison at NCAAs in 2013-14 and a young roster improved significantly as the year progressed, setting the stage for what is sure to be a successful 2014-15 campaign. A three-time wrestling All-American at Michigan State University, Wirnsberger previously served as the head coach of Bloomsburg Universitys Division I program from 2002 to 2005. As head coach of the Huskies, Wirnsberger qualified 10 student-athletes for the NCAA Tournament, including six in 2005, his final season at the helm, and he coached the programs first-ever Olympic Trials qualifier. He helped four Bloomsburg wrestlers capture Eastern Wrestling League titles and six win PSAC crowns. Named the 2005 PSAC Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to the team title for the first time since 1990, Wirnsbergers recruiting classes were ranked 14th and 19th, respectively, in 2003 and 2004, while his first two recruiting classes at Bucknell were ranked 14th and 25th by Wrestling International Newsmagazine (W.I.N.). In 2004-05, Bloomsburg posted a 10-6 dual-meet record (4-2 EWL) and crowned three EWL champions while finishing fifth at the league tournament. Prior to becoming head coach of the Huskies, Wirnsberger spent six years as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, where he helped coach a team that featured three All-Americans and finished in the top-25 at the NCAA Tournament in 2000 (19th) and 2001 (23rd). The Hokies qualified a school-record five wrestlers for NCAAs in 2000, and the following year the program was invited to compete at the National Team Duals at Penn State. At both Bloomsburg and Virginia Tech, Wirnsberger gained extensive experience in the areas of national recruiting, fundraising and summer camp administration. A 1995 graduate of Michigan State with a degree in criminal justice, Wirnsberger posted a 35-8 record and was the Big Ten Champion and NCAA runner-up at 158 pounds in 1995. That was his third of three straight All-America plaques, and he earned team Most Valuable Wrestler honors. Overall in his career, Wirnsberger compiled a record of 120-44, the third-most wins in school history. In NCAA competition, he logged 11 victories for the Spartans in three trips to nationals. During his career at Michigan State, the team went from a struggling program to a 12th-place national ranking his sophomore year, 25th his junior year and third in the nation his senior season. A three-year captain of the Spartans, Wirnsberger continued his wrestling career at the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club while training for the 1997 World Team Trials. He qualified for the trials after placing sixth at the USA Senior Freestyle Tournament, his first senior competition. Participating at a higher weight class of 167 pounds, Wirnsberger defeated such renowned opponents as two-time NCAA champion Marcus Mollica of Arizona State and Iowas NCAA champion Darryl Weber. Wirnsberger began his coaching career with the Mason (Mich.) Youth Wrestling Program. He later moved back to his native South Carolina, where he served as head wrestling coach at Greer High School. In addition to his head coaching duties, Wirnsberger was the junior varsity football coach and taught classes for autistic students at Greer Middle School. Wirnsberger resides in Lewisburg, Pa., with his wife, Dana, a former athletic trainer at Bucknell, and their three sons, Cade (10), Max (7) and Chase (5).

Gibson spent time wrestling at the senior and international levels. In addition to qualifying for the World Team Trials in 2009, he was champion of the 2009 Northeast Regional Qualifier and a fourth-place finisher at the same event in 2008. Gibson also finished in the top eight at the 2008 U.S. National Championships Challenge Tournament, qualifying for the 16-man U.S. National Championships. The lone member of his high school's wrestling team, Gibson was runner-up at the Pennsylvania State Championships as a senior after an eighth-place showing as a junior. Gibson began his tenure at Clarion as a graduate assistant coach and also served as a volunteer assistant for the Division I program that produced two All-Americans, 11 NCAA qualifiers, six PSAC champions, three EWL gold medal winners and four Academic All-Americans since he arrived in July 2007. The Golden Eagles placed 18th at the 2012 NCAA Championship. Gibson earned his master's in education from Clarion in 2009. He married his wife, Sarah, in May 2009. The couple has one son, James (2).

Dan Neff, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2015 All-American, joined Dan Wirnsberger's Bucknell wrestling staff as an assistant coach in July, 2024. It's Neff'...

Andrew Viola joined the Bucknell Men’s Crew team staff in the Fall of 2024. Viola is a 2024 graduate of Bucknell, who returned after helping lead the team to...

Four-time NCAA qualifier Tyler Smith returned to Bucknell as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach in August 2021. He was elevated to a full-time assistant c...