LHU Wrestling Opens 2014-15 Season Sunday

LOCK HAVEN – The Bald Eagles officially open the 2014-15 season on Sunday at Hofstra University with a pair of dual matches. LHU will take on Stony Brook (1 p.m.) and host-Hofstra (2:30 p.m.) in a pair of non-conference duals.

Several members of the team will also travel to the Clarion Open (9 a.m.) to compete both attached and unattached.

Sunday’s probable dual meet lineup:

125: R-So. Kaleb LeMaire (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Caesar Rodney)

133: R-Jr. Cody Wheeler (Towanda, Pa./Towanda)

141: R-Jr. Bobby Rehm (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor)

149: R-Jr. Dan Neff (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco)/So. Tanner Sutton (Houston, Pa./Chartiers-Houston)

157: R-Sr. Elias Biddle (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run)

165: Sr. Aaron McKinney (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny)

174: Jr. Travis Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) – OR –  Jr. Tyler Wood (West Chester, Pa./West Chester – Rustin)

184: R-Sr. Fred Garcia (Donora, Pa./Ringgold)

197: R-Jr. Phil Sprenkle (Seven Valleys, Pa./Dallastown)/ So. Adam Mackie (Bechtelsville, Pa./Brandywine Heights)

285: So. Brad Emerick (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin)/So. Matt Moore (Brick, N.J./Brick Memerial)

Bald Eagles nationally ranked:

A total of five different Bald Eagles are ranked in two different national rankings heading into the season.

WrestlingReport.com Preseason Rankings:

133 – Cody Wheeler #30

141 – Bobby Rehm #28

149 – Dan Neff #29

184 – Fred Garcia #25

Associated Wrestling Press Preseason Rankings:

141 – Bobby Rehm #28

149 – Dan Neff #25

184 – Fred Garcia #23

197 – Phil Sprenkle #31

NCAA qualifiers return:

Two-time NCAA Division I National Qualifiers, Dan Neff and Fred Garcia return to highlight the Bald Eagles’ lineup.

Neff went 32-10 (at 141) last season and qualified for this second consecutive NCAA Tournament. He’ll move up to 149 pounds this season, taking with him 73 career wins. Garcia went 25-9 last season and finished second at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championships, on the way to this second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He enters the 2014-15 season with 69 career wins.

Rehm & Neff move up: 

Bobby Rehm and Dan Neff will both move up a weight class this season – Rehm to 141 and Neff to 149. Rehm redshirted last season, but went 29-9 unattached, while competing primarily at 141 pounds. Rehm is a two-time PSAC Champion for LHU.

Balanced lineup returns: 

While national qualifiers, Dan Neff (149) and Fred Garcia (184) anchor the lineup, LHU second-year head coach Scott Moore knows LHU should have a balanced lineup this season.

The move up in weight for Rehm and Neff will be huge for LHU, as is the return of 133-pounder Cody Wheeler. Wheeler was sensational all season for the Bald Eagles a year ago and just missed earning a wild card to the NCAA Tournament. He won over 20 matches last season and finished fifth at the EWL Championships.

Phil Sprenkle (197) will be looked upon for big things this season. Sprenkle was 21-11 a year ago, capping the season with a second-place finish at the 2014 EWL Championships.

Elias Biddle (157) was 25-19 last season, but closed the year with a strong showing at the EWL Tournament.

Closing in on 100

Both Dan Neff and Fred Garcia are closing in on win No. 100. Neff has 73, while Garcia has 69 career wins.

Moore in his second year: 

LHU head coach Scott Moore and his assistant Steve Fittery both enter their second season with the program. They are joined by first-year assistant coach and LHU alum Rob Weikel, along with former Haven wrestler, and student assistant Harry Turner.

Last year, LHU was 3-10 in duals and 1-4 in EWL duals. The Bald Eagles were third at last year’s EWL Championships, the highest Lock Haven finish since the Bald Eagles took third in 2007.

2014-14 schedule: 

Highlighting the 2014-15 schedule is home dual matches with Shippensburg, West Virginia, George Mason, Clarion, Rider and Grand Canyon. The Bald Eagles will also host the Mat Town Open (November 30) and First Citizens Community Bank LHU Invitational (December 29) tournaments.

In all, LHU will wrestle 21 dual matches.

Around the Eastern Wrestling League: 

#7 Edinboro – at the Clarion Open (11/2/14)

Bloomsburg – hosts No. 18 Pittsburgh (11/2/14)

Rider – opens season on Sunday (11/8) at No. 14 Illinois (vs. Northern Illinois, Illinois & SIUE)

Cleveland State – at the Clarion Open (11/2/14)

Clarion – hosts Clarion Open; November 2, 2014

George Mason – at Virginia Cavalier Duals (11/2/14) vs. VMI, Anderson & No. 15 UVA

Up next:
The Bald Eagles will travel to the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational on Saturday, November 8 (10 a.m.), hosted by the College at Brockport.