Neff Champ, Eagles Third at Cradle Invite

LOCK HAVEN – Dan Neff won the 141-pound title and the Lock Haven University wrestling team finished third Sunday at the 2013 Cradle Gear Invitational.

Neff, who went 4-0 on the way to the individual crown, was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.

The redshirt-sophomore dominated the field, winning by pin, major, tech fall and major. Neff, ranked 20th in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News (AWN) majored Buffalo’s Nick Flannery 22-10 in the finals.

Michigan State crowned three individual champions and the Spartans won the team race with 105 points. No. 22 Bloomsburg was second (86 points) overall, edging host-Lock Haven by a half-point (85.5).

Neff’s win in the finals ran his current win streak to 11 matches. Neff was one of four Lock Haven wrestlers who advanced to the finals.

Cody Wheeler,  Mac Maldarelli and No. 13 Fred Garcia all finished second for the Bald Eagles.

Phil Sprenkle and Elias Biddle finished third and fourth, respectively for The Haven. 
 Wheeler lost to Bloomsburg’s Nick Wilcox (fall, 3:31) in the finals at 133 to finish the day 3-1.

Maldarelli’s 4-1 loss to Michigan State’s Nicholas Trimble in the finals ended a bid for his 10th straight win. Maldarelli finished the day 3-1 at 149. 
 Garcia (184) rattled off a pin and two majors to advance to the finals, but fell to nationally-ranked John Rizqallah of Michigan State, 7-4. Garcia finished the day 3-1. 
 Sprenkle went 4-1 at 197 for third-place. 
 Biddle finished fourth at 157 after going 3-2 on the day.  
 Lock Haven returns to action when the Bald Eagles head to former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) foe West Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 4 for a 7 p.m. match.