Bald Eagle trio set to compete at 2024 NCAA DI Men’s Wrestling Championship
LOCK HAVEN– The No. 24 Lock Haven men’s wrestling team is set to compete at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship. The Bald Eagles will be represented by Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima), Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton) and Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg).
The 2024 National Championship is scheduled for March 21-23 (Thurs. – Sat.) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Setting the Stage:
Noto is the No. 12 seed at 125 pounds, Strickland is the No. 27 seed at 133 pounds and Henson is the No. 12 at 141 pounds.
Noto, a returning All-American, is now a three-time NCAA qualifier. The three-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion is 17-2 on the season and 82-9 for his career. Last season, Noto finished fourth at the NCAA Championship and became Lock Haven’s 44th Division I All-American. Overall, Noto is 6-4 lifetime at the NCAA Tournament. Last season, when Noto earned All-American status on the mats, he became The Haven’s first All-American since 2019, and he will look to become the Bald Eagles’ first two-time All-American since Chance Marsteller in 2018 and 2019.
Strickland is set for his second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He went 0-2 in his debut last season in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but he’s coming off his second straight MAC title, and has looked outstanding down the stretch. Strickland is a remarkable 32-11 on the season and he’s 80-39 for his career.
Henson, a first-year Bald Eagle, was a national qualifier last season at Oklahoma. He went 1-2 at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, but he’s been on an absolute tear all season now that he’s found his way in The Haven. Henson is coming off his first MAC title and he was named the Co-Outstanding Wrestler at the recent Mid-American Conference Tournament. On the season, Henson is 35-2 with 19 tech falls. The 19 tech falls stand as a Lock Haven single-season record and he also sits atop the Division I standings in the category.
Notably, both Strickland (32) and Henson (35) rank among the top-three in the nation in Division I victories on the season.
Championship Schedule:
– – Thursday, March 21
– Session 1: 12 p.m. EST (11 a.m. CDT) | First Round | ESPNU
– Session 2: 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CDT | Second Round, Consolation First Round | ESPN
– – Friday, March 22
– Session 3: 12 p.m. EST (11 a.m. CDT) | Quarterfinals, Consolation Second/Third Round | ESPNU
– Session 4: 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CDT) | Semifinals, Consolation Fourth/Fifth Round | ESPN
– – Saturday, March 23
– Session 5: 12 p.m. EST (11 a.m. CDT) | Consolation Semifinals, 3rd, 5th, 7th | ESPNU
– Session 6: 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CDT) | Championship Finals | ESPN
Lock Haven Lineup:
125: R-Jr. Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima)
2024 Season Record: 17-2 (6 tech falls, 4 pins)
Career Record: 82-9
NCAA Tournament Record: 6-4 (2023 & 2022)
– 3X NCAA Qualifier … Returning All-American (Fourth in 2023) … Lock Haven’s 44th Division I All-American … 3X Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champion … 2023 MAC Wrestler of the Year … 2022 MAC Freshman of the Year.
133: Jr. Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton)
2024 Season Record: 32-11 (6 major decisions, 5 tech falls, 3 pins)
Career Record: 80-39
NCAA Tournament Record: 0-2 (2023)
– 2X NCAA Qualifier … 2X Mid-American Conference Champion.
141: R-So. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg)
2024 Season Record: 35-2 (19 tech falls, 6 pins)
Career Record: 35-2 at Lock Haven (NCAA DI Record = 54-15 (19-14 at Oklahoma in 2023))
NCAA Tournament Record: 1-2 (2023)
– 2X NCAA Qualifier … 2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champion … 19 total tech falls this season which is the Lock Haven single-season record … 16 of the 19 tech falls have come vs. DI opponents, which is tied for the most in Division I entering the national tournament (*Henson leads on time).
First-Round Bouts:
125: #12 Anthony Noto vs. #21 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State)
133: #27 Gable Strickland vs. #6 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
141: #12 Wyatt Henson vs. #21 Josh Edmond (Missouri)
# = NCAA Tournament Seed
This is Mat-Town U.S.A.
Lock Haven is known as Mat-Town U.S.A for a reason, and the three Bald Eagles set to compete at the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship this year will look to add their names to a long line of All-Americans and champions before them. Lock Haven is home to 44 all-time DI All-American performances. Individually, The Haven has claimed nine individual Division I national championships with the last coming from Cary Kolat at 142 pounds in 1997. The Bald Eagles most recent national finalist came by way of Ronnie Perry – current assistant coach – who became the first No. 15-seed to reach a national final during his Cinderella-run to the 149-pound title-match in 2018.
