LHU Men’s Wrestling hosts annual Mat-Town Open; Strickland leads the way

LOCK HAVEN – The Lock Haven men’s wrestling team returned to action today (Sunday, Dec. 1) as the Bald Eagles hosted the annual Mat-Town Open I Tournament in Thomas Fieldhouse.

A total of 20 Bald Eagles hit the mats today, competing both attached and unattached.

Leading the way for Lock Haven was Gable Strickland.

Strickland competed unattached and soared to the 133-pound title after a perfect 4-0 day that included a tech fall and a pin. In the finals, Strickland downed Penn State’s Timothy Levine, 6-3 for gold.

Tyler Stoltzfus (174 lbs.), Cole Bartram (184 lbs.) and Brandon Stiehler (285 lbs.) all finished second on the day.

Lucas Fye and Brett Barbush finished third at 125 and 165 pounds, respectively, to highlight the strong individual effort from The Haven on the home mats.

Stoltzfus finished the day at 2-1 with a tech fall. Bartram went 2-1 with a pin, and Stiehler was 1-1.

Fye went 3-1 with a pin and Barbush finished the day 2-1.

Last Time Out:
Today’s (Sunday, Dec. 1) action marked the first for Lock Haven since the Bald Eagles soared to the team title at the PRTC Keystone Classic on November 24. Behind four individual champions, The Haven topped the team standings in a field that included nationally-ranked Virginia Tech and defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champion – Central Michigan.

Up Next:
Lock Haven will return to dual action on Friday, Dec. 6 at No. 17 Rutgers. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start in Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway N.J.).

Looking Ahead – White Out vs. Wisconsin:
Friday’s dual at No. 17 Rutgers Friday (Dec. 6) is the first of two straight contests vs. a Big Ten Conference opponent.

Lock Haven will return home to host Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. in what will serve as the Bald Eagles’ annual White Out / Alumni Appreciation match. On the season, Lock Haven is 1-0 in dual action, thanks to a 48-0 victory over Bloomsburg at home on Nov. 14.