LHU Men’s Wrestling takes on Northern Illinois Friday night
DeKALB, Ill. – The Lock Haven men’s wrestling team (6-10, 3-3 MAC) picked up bonus points in two of four individual victories tonight (Friday, Feb. 9), but host Northern Illinois University (12-2, 6-1 MAC) was able to take down the Bald Eagles, 22-15, in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) clash.
In all, The Haven won four bouts thanks to the efforts of Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton), Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg), Eric Alderfer (Harleysville, Pa./Faith Christian Academy) and Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph’s Academy).
Strickland won by decision at 133 pounds and Henson posted another impressive tech fall at 141. Alderfer won by major decision at 165 and Stoltzfus added a win at 174.
Strickland, ranked No. 29 nationally, grinded out an important 5-4 victory at 133. Strickland’s win tied the dual at 3-3 after Logan Sallot (Erie, Pa./McDowell) was edged out 9-5 by No. 33 Blake West at 125 in a hard-fought battle to open the night.
Henson, who is ranked 13th in the nation and leads Division I in tech falls, added to his season total with his 14 tech. The Bald Eagle rolled by Jacob Brya 22-6 in just 3:27, and it put Lock Haven in the lead. For Henson, it marked his 30th win of the season and his 14 tech falls are the third-most ever in a single season at Lock Haven.
Northern Illinois pushed into the lead with bonus points at 149 and 157, but the Bald Eagles responded in a big way thanks to Alderfer and Stoltzfus.
Alderfer majored Tommy Bennett at 165, 12-1, and Stoltzfus downed Ricardo Salinas, 11-4, at 174
The back-to-back wins put Lock Haven up 15-13, but NIU closed the dual with three straight victories to clinch the dual.
Bout-by-Bout Results
Northern Illinois (NIU) 22 – Lock Haven 15
125: #33 Blake West (NIU) dec. Logan Sallot (Lock Haven), 9-5 / NIU, 3-0
133: #29 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec. Michael Kaminski (NIU), 5-4 / Tied, 3-3
141: #13 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) tech fall Jacob Brya (NIU), 22-6 (3:27) / Lock Haven, 8-3
149: #30 Jaivon Jones (NIU) pinned Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven), 2:22 / NIU, 9-8
157: Munktugla Zunnbayan (NIU) major dec. DaShawn Farber (Lock Haven), 9-1 / NIU, 13-8
165: Eric Alderfer (Lock Haven) major dec. Tommy Bennett (NIU), 12-1 / NIU, 13-12
174: Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) dec. Ricardo Salinas (NIU), 11-4 / Lock Haven, 15-13
184: Matt Zuber (NIU) dec. Colin Fegley (Lock Haven), 10-3 / NIU, 16-15
197: Sean Carroll (NIU) dec. Cael Black (Lock Haven), 7-1 SV / NIU, 19-15
285: Jacob Christensen (NIU) dec. Ethan Miller (Lock Haven), 4-1 / FINAL, NIU, 22-15
*Individual Ranking = NCAA Coaches’ Panel (Jan. 22)
Up Next for Lock Haven:
Lock Haven will close the 2023-24 regular season next week with a pair of MAC duals. The Bald Eagles will open the weekend vs. Cleveland State at home in Thomas Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Lock Haven will travel to Edinboro for a 7 p.m. match.
