LH wrestling soars by Edinboro; claims share of MAC East title

LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Lock Haven University men’s wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts and rolled by longtime rival Edinboro (1-11, 0-7 MAC), 29-9, on Thursday night to claim at least a share of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division regular season title.

 

With the win, Lock Haven improved to 8-6 overall in duals and moved to 5-1 in MAC action. The win also extended the Bald Eagles’ win streak to six straight duals and LHU remained perfect at home (5-0).

 

No. 11 Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima (NC State)), No. 31 Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton), Sean Logue (Philadelphia/Father Judge), Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford High School), Ashton Eyler (Millersburg, Ohio/ Claymont High (Iowa Central CC)), No. 32 Avery Bassett (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West (George Mason)), Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy), and No. 33 Isaac Reid (Saltsburg, Pa./Kiski) all won for Lock Haven.

 

Noto got things going with a pin, and both Logue and Reid posted major decision as it was all Lock Haven.

 

Noto quickly energized the home crowd with a pin at 125. He led 4-1 with well over two minutes of riding when he ended the bout versus Eamonn Jimenez in the opening frame (2:46). The first-period fall put Lock Haven up 6-0.

 

At 133, Strickland grinded out a 3-2 victory over Cameron Soda. Strickland’s win pushed The Haven lead to 9-0.

 

The Bald Eagles led 13-0 after Logue’s thrilling major decision at 141. He dominated Amonn Ohl from the start on the way to the 13-4 major. Logue scored a quick takedown and added four near-fall points in the opening seconds of the first period, and in the end, the Bald Eagle had racked up 2:42 in riding time.

 

At 149, Stonecheck rode out the third on the way to a workmanlike 4-0 decision over Jacob Pail. Stonecheck scored a quick second-period escape and he added a takedown, before securing over two minutes of riding time after a dominating third-period ride.

 

The Bald Eagles won the first five bouts and led 19-0 at halftime. Eyler used a third-period takedown and topped Luke Kemerer 4-2 at 157 to make it five-for-five for Lock Haven.

 

At 165, Bassett rode out the second period and scored on a third-period escape on the way to a 2-0 win over Alex Garee.

 

After six straight Lock Haven wins, and with the Bald Eagles leading 22-0, Edinboro finally picked up a win at 174. Despite an outstanding effort by Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph’s Academy), he was edged 4-2 by No. 27 Jared McGill.

 

Fegley quickly put Lock Haven back in the win column as the 184-pounder stretched the LHU lead to 25-3. Fegley scored a takedown in each of the first two period and tallied 2:16 in riding time on the way to a 6-0 victory over Jack Kilner.

 

At 197, Cody Mulligan pinned John Miller (Lock Haven). It marked just the second win of the night for Edinboro and Lock Haven led 25-9 heading into the final bout of the night.

 

In the final bout of the dual, Reid put on a show and dominated his way to a win at 285. Reid led 4-0 after one, 6-0 after two periods and the strong start paved the way for the 12-3 major decision over Nick Lodato.

 

Lock Haven will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 19 at noon when the Bald Eagles host West Virginia in non-conference action. The home dual will close out the 2022-23 regular season for The Haven, and Sunday will serve as the Bald Eagles’ annual Senior Day Celebration. Lock Haven is also calling for a “Black Out.” Following Sunday’s action, the Bald Eagles will turn their focus to the postseason and the 2022-23 MAC Tournament, which is scheduled for March 3-4.

 

Bout-by-Bout Results:

125: #11 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) pinned Eamonn Jimenez (Edinboro) 2:46 / Lock Haven 6-0

133: #31 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) dec. Cameron Soda (Edinboro) 3-2 / Lock Haven 9-0

141: Sean Logue (Lock Haven) major dec. Amonn Ohl (Edinboro) 13-4 / Lock Haven 13-0

149: Nick Stonecheck (Lock Haven) dec Jacob Pail (Edinboro) 4-0 / Lock Haven 16-0

157: Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven) dec. Luke Kemerer (Edinboro) 4-2 / Lock Haven 19-0

165: #32 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) dec. Alex Garee (Edinboro) 2-0 / Lock Haven 22-0

174: #27 Jared McGill (Edinboro) dec. Tyler Stoltzfus (Lock Haven) 4-2 / Lock Haven 22-3

184: Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) dec. Jack Kilner (Edinboro) 6-0 / Lock Haven 25-3

197: Cody Mulligan (Edinboro) pinned John Miller (Lock Haven) 4:33 / Lock Haven 25-9

285: #33 Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) major dec. Nick Lodato (Edinboro) 12-3 / Lock Haven 29-9

FINAL: Lock Haven 29 – Edinboro 9

*Individual Rankings = NCAA Coaches’ Panel (Feb. 9)