LHU Men’s Wrestling returns to action; Bald Eagles top Columbia and Binghamton
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – The Lock Haven men’s wrestling team returned to the mats today (Sunday, Jan. 5) at the 2025 Journeymen Armbar at the Armory dual event, which was held at the Impact Athletic Center in Clifton Park, New York. Behind wins over Columbia and Binghamton, the Bald Eagles went 2-1 on the day.
The Haven opened the day with a 25-15 win over Columbia and Lock Haven moved to 2-0 on the day with a 23-10 victory over Binghamton. In the final dual of the day, the Bald Eagles fell to Maryland 27-12, and Lock Haven finished the three-match day at 2-1.
The 2-1 mark today pushed Lock Haven to 4-5 overall in duals this season.
As the Bald Eagles opened the 2025 portion of their schedule today, the lineup featured five nationally-ranked wrestlers and a pair of fresh faces.
No. 14 Anthony Noto (133 lbs.), No. 20 Wyatt Henson (141 lbs.), No. 30 Lucas Kapusta (149 lbs.), No. 29 Avery Bassett (174 lbs.) and No. 29 Colin Fegley (184 lbs.) all entered the weekend nationally ranked this week by InterMat.
Henson led the way today for Lock Haven as he was a perfect 3-0 with dominating bonus-point victories in each dual. Henson pinned No. 31 Kai Owen of Columbia before racking up a major decision and tech fall vs. Binghamton and Maryland, respectively.
Freshman Tucker Hogan, nationally-ranked by some media outlets, was also a perfect 3-0 with a tech fall and two major decisions.
Noto, a returning All-American, went 2-1 with a major decision. He now has 98 career wins for Lock Haven as he inches closer to the prestigious 100-win club.
Nick Stampoulos finished the day at 2-1 for Lock Haven at 157 pounds.
Both Branden Wentzel and Gavin Hoffman made their Lock Haven debuts today at 125 and 285 pounds, respectively.
Hoffman, a two-time national-qualifier and 2022 NCAA Division I All-American at Ohio State, is already listed in some national polls. He was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion at nearby Montoursville High School. Wentzel, a mid-year transfer, made his Haven debut at 125 today. He’s also a former state champion at Montoursville.
Hoffman looked as if he hasn’t missed a beat and finished the day an impressive 2-1. He marked his return with a hard-fought 8-3 decision over Vincent Mueller in the Columbia dual and he upset No. 17 Cory Day of Binghamton, 6-3, for his second win of the day.
Lock Haven opened the day with a 25-15 win over Columbia. The Bald Eagles won six of 10 bouts which included four wins by way of bonus point. Noto and Henson posted back-to-back bonus-point wins for The Haven. Noto majored Boris Witmer, 11-0, at 133 and Henson needed 5:50 to earn the fall at 141. Stampoulos majored Dominic Rossetti at 157 and Hogan teched Joe Curtis at 197. Bassett (174) and Hoffman (285) both won by decision.
The Haven dominated Binghamton start to finish on the way to the 23-10 win. The Bald Eagles won seven of 10 bouts including major decisions from Henson and Hogan at 141 and 197 pounds, respectively. Noto, Kapusta, Stampoulos, Caden Dobbins and Hoffman all posted wins for The Haven.
The Bald Eagles closed the busy day on the mats today with a 27-12 loss to Maryland. Lucas Fye put Lock Haven on the board early after he earned a dominant 8-2 decision at 125 pounds. Fye topped Maryland’s Tyler Garvin, marking his first career dual meet victory as a Bald Eagle. Henson added another sensational effort at 141 and needed 6:28 to tech Dario Lemus, 17-2. Hogan majored Chase Mielnik, 12-2, at 197. In the final bout of the day, Hoffman locked up in a thriller with No. 13 Seth Nevills at 285. In the end, the two standouts needed extra time and Nevills edged out Hoffman, 4-1, with a takedown in sudden victory.
Match-by-Match (Bout-by-Bout) Results:
Lock Haven 25 – Columbia 15
125: Sulayman Bah (Columbia) tech fall Branden Wentzel (Lock Haven) 28-10 (5:50) / Columbia 5-0
133: #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) major dec. Boris Witmer (Columbia) 11-0 / Columbia 5-4
141: #20 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) pinned #31 Kai Owen (Columbia) 5:50 / Lock Haven 10-5
149: #31 Richard Fedalen (Columbia) major dec. #30 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) 9-1 / Lock Haven 10-9
157: Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) major dec. Dominic Rossetti (Columbia) 12-4 / Lock Haven 14-9
165: #30 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) dec. Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) 6-4 / Lock Haven 14-12
174: #29 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) dec. Jack McGill (Columbia) 9-4 / Lock Haven 17-12
184: Nick Fine (Columbia) dec. #29 Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) 4-1 TB2 / Lock Haven 17-15
197: Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) tech fall Joe Curtis (Columbia) 15-0 (7:00) / Lock Haven 22-15
285: Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) dec. Vincent Mueller (Columbia) 8-3 / FINAL, Lock Haven 25-15
Lock Haven 23 – Binghamton 10
125: #33 Carson Wagner (Binghamton) major dec. Lucas Fye 11-3 / Binghamton 4-0
133: #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec. Micah Roes (Binghamton) 5-2 / Binghamton 4-3
141: #20 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) major dec. Nate Lucier (Binghamton) 14-4 / Lock Haven 7-4
149: #30 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) dec. Ivan Garcia (Binghamton) 5-1 / Lock Haven 10-4
157: Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) dec. Jordan Brown (Binghamton) 8-2 / Lock Haven 13-4
165: Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) dec. Carter Baer (Binghamton) 2-0 / Lock Haven 16-4
174: #14 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) dec. #29 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) 5-3 / Lock Haven 16-7
184: #24 Will Ebert (Binghamton) dec. Cole Bartram (Lock Haven) 1-0 / Lock Haven 16-10
197: Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) major dec. Cayden Bevis (Binghamton) 11-1 / Lock Haven 20-10
285: Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) dec. #17 Cory Day (Binghamton) 6-3 / FINAL, Lock Haven 23-10
Lock Haven 27 – Maryland 12
125: Lucas Fye (Lock Haven) dec. Tyler Garvin (Maryland) 8-2 / Lock Haven 3-0
133: #17 Braxton Brown (Maryland) major dec. #14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 9-0 / Maryland 4-3
141: #20 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) tech fall Dario Lemus (Maryland) 17-2 (6:28) / Lock Haven 8-4
149: #28 Kal Miller (Maryland) dec. #30 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven) 7-5 / Lock Haven 8-7
157: #6 Ethen Miller (Maryland) major dec. Nick Stampoulos (Lock Haven) 12-2 / Maryland 11-8
165: Alex Urinyak (Maryland) dec. Caden Dobbins (Lock Haven) 6-3 / Maryland 14-8
174: Branson John (Maryland) pinned #29 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven) 2:59 / Maryland 20-8
184: #10 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) major dec. Cole Bartram (Lock Haven) 12-2 / Maryland 24-8
197: Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven) major dec. Chase Mielnik (Maryland) 12-2 / Maryland 24-12
285: #13 Seth Nevills (Maryland) dec. Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) 4-1 SV / FINAL, Maryland 27-12
*Individual Ranking = InterMat (Dec. 31)
Edinboro Bobby Kauffman Open Recap:
Six members of the Lock Haven men’s wrestling team competed – unattached – yesterday (Saturday, Jan. 4) at Edinboro’s Bobby Kauffman Open. Leading the way was Hudson Ward who finished second at 157 pounds after going 2-1 on the day with one major decision. Brandon Stiehler picked up a pair wins including a tech fall at 285 pounds. Full Results
Up Next for Lock Haven:
The Bald Eagles will officially return to action on Friday, Jan. 10 at the David H. Lehman ’68 Open, hosted by Franklin & Marshall.
