LHU’s Shufeldt’s National Runner-Up finish headlines trio of All-American performances

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA– Standout Kaelani Shufeldt (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina) knocked off the top-seed in the semifinals and finished as a national runner-up at 109 pounds as she headlined a trio of All-American performances for the No. 7 Lock Haven women’s wrestling team at the 2024 NCWWC National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Along with Shufeldt, Grace Stem (Snow Shoe, Pa./Bald Eagle) and Stella Steigler (Orange County, Va./Orange County) also both earned All-American status as their efforts helped the Bald Eagles close the 2023-24 season in style, and on the sport’s biggest stage.

Shufeldt led the way with a second-place showing at 109 pounds. Stem was fourth at 136 and Steigler placed seventh at 170.

For Shufeldt and Stem, they both became two-time All-Americans.

As a team, Lock Haven turned in a top-10 finish.

Shufeldt, ranked No. 4 nationally, pinned her way to the finals. Yesterday, she recorded back-to-back pins to move to 2-0 and into today’s semifinal round. In the semifinals earlier today, Shufeldt pinned top-ranked Kendra Ryan of North Central in 3:53. The thrilling upset booked the Bald Eagle a spot in the national finals where she took on No. 2 Ava Bayless of Iowa.

In the championship finals at 109 pounds, Bayless edged out Shufeldt, 2-1 for the hard-fought victory.

For the tournament, Shufeldt was 3-1 with three pins.

Stem was fourth at 136 after going 4-2 overall over the two days of competition. Yesterday, she was 2-1 and she advanced to today’s third-place bout with a pair of wins in the wrestlebacks. Stem opened today’s action with a 16-6 tech fall over No. 7 Taylor Graveman of North Central in consolation round five. In the consolation semifinals, she topped No. 4 Jade Trolland of Simon Fraser, 9-0. In the third-place bout, Stem was pinned by No. 6 Viktorya Torres of McKendree.

Steigler finished seventh at 170 and was 4-2 overall in her national championship debut. The freshman was 3-1 yesterday. Today, Steigler opened the day with a loss to No. 6 Cara Braodus of Sacred Heart in consolations. The loss dropped the Bald Eagle into the seventh-place bout, but Steigler closed the tournament with a win, pinning No. 9 Henlee Haynes of Presbyterian in 2:16 for seventh.

The All-American trio of Shufeldt, Stem and Steigler locked up their prestigious All-American status yesterday (Friday, March 8) on Day 1 action at the NCWWA National Championship.

Lily Sherer (Shohola, Pa./Delaware Valley), Paige Jackson (Harpers Ferry, W.Va./Spring Mills) and Azariah Moore (Montross, Va./Westmoreland) also represented Lock Haven yesterday on the first of two days of competition at the national championship event.

For Lock Haven, the six total individual national qualifiers marked the most in school history. A full Day 1 recap is available at GoLHU.com.

Today’s action closed another sensational season for the Lock Haven women’s wrestling program under the direction of second-year head coach Matt Lackey. As a team, the Bald Eagles finished seventh at the national championships, the highest finish in school history.

Lock Haven Results (Day 2):

109: #4 Kaelani Shufeldt

First Round, bye

Round 2 vs. Pauline Granados (McKendree) W, pin (0:47)

Quarterfinals vs. #5 Jenavi Alejandro (Tiffin) W, pin (5:20)

Semifinals vs. #1 Kendra Ryan (North Central) W, pin (3:53)

Finals vs. #2 Ava Bayless (Iowa) L, dec., 2-1

All-American, National Runner-Up (Second Place), 3-1

136: #3 Grace Stem

First Round, bye

Round 2 vs. Raya Carpenter (Huntingdon) W, tech fall, 10-0

Quarterfinals vs. #6 Viktorya Torres (McKendree) L, tech fall, 15-5

Consolation Quarterfinals vs. Gianna Anaya (Emmanuel) W, tech fall, 10-0

Consolation Round 5 vs. #7 Taylor Graveman (North Central) W, tech fall, 16-6

Consolation Semifinal vs. #4 Jade Trolland (Simon Fraser) W, dec., 9-0

Third-Place Match vs. #6 Viktorya Torres (McKendree) L, pin (2:38)

All-American, Fourth Place, 4-2

170: #7 Stella Steigler

First Round vs. Rupinder Johal (Simon Fraser) W, pin (1:34)

Round 2 vs. Elizabeth Stricklin (D’Youville) W, pin (0:46)

Quarterfinals vs. #2 Yelena Makoyed (North Central) L, tech fall, 10-0

Consolation Quarterfinals vs. #10 Jade Herzer (Wisconsin Stevens Point) W, dec., 3-0

Consolation Round 5 vs. #6 Cara Broadus (Sacred Heart) L, tech fall, 12-2

Seventh-Place Match vs. #9 Henlee Haynes (Presbyterian) W, pin (2:16)

All-American, Seventh Place, 4-2

# = National Ranking