No. 20 LHU Men’s Wrestling returns to action; Henson & Strickland lead the way
LANCASTER – The No. 20 Lock Haven men’s wrestling team returned to the mats today (Friday, Jan. 5) at the 2024 David H. Lehman ’68 F&M Open, hosted by Franklin & Marshall. It marked the Bald Eagles first competition in 17 days, but No. 22 Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) and returning national-qualifier Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton) looked as if they never missed a beat.
Henson cruised to the title at 141 pounds and Strickland finished second at 133.
Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford) started 2024 strong and finished fourth today at 149 pounds. Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy) rounded out the strong Haven effort today. Fegley, who returned to the lineup just before the holiday break, placed fifth today at 184 pounds.
For Henson, the individual title marked his fourth of the season. Today, he was a perfect 5-0 with two tech falls and a major decision. Henson, the two-seed today, rattled off back-to-back techs to start the day. In the semifinals, Henson, ranked No. 22 nationally, took down No. 27 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 7-2. Henson capped off his brilliant effort with a lopsided 14-4 major decision in the 141-pound finals over Carter Bailey of Lehigh.
Strickland, the sixth-seed at 133 pounds, finished second after going 4-1 with a tech fall and a major decision. He opened the day with a tech and followed it up with a major decision. After a hard-fought 4-1 win in the quarters, Strickland knocked off No. 18 Dom Zaccone of Campbell 4-1 in the semifinals. Strickland was edged out 5-1 by No. 29 Vincent Santaniello of Pittsburgh in the finals.
Stonecheck was 4-1 on the day with a tech fall and a major decision and Fegley finished the tournament 4-1 with three tech falls, as both seem to be quickly finding their form for the second half of the season.
Up Next:
The Bald Eagles will return to dual action next week when they travel to the Davidson Duals, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Jan. 11-12. Lock Haven is scheduled for matches vs. Gardner-Webb, Harvard, Little Rock and host Davidson. The full 2023-24 Lock Haven men’s wrestling schedule is available at GoLHU.com.
