Sprenkle’s NCAA Run Comes to a Close
NEW YORK – Redshirt-senior Phil Sprenkle (Seven Valleys, Pa./Dallastown) capped his Lock Haven University wrestling career in style, picking up a pair of wins at the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, hosted in historic Madison Square Garden.
This marked Sprenkle’s NCAA Tournament debut and he went 2-2 overall in the Big Apple, putting an exclamation point on a remarkable career in the Crimson & White singlet.
Yesterday Sprenkle went 1-1 and his first three matches on the sport’s biggest stage all came against guys seeded in the top-10 of the 197-pound bracket.
Sprenkle opened today’s Session 3 with a dominating win over No. 10 seed Maxwell Huntley of Michigan. It marked Sprenkle’s third time facing a top-10 seed in as many matches at the tournament.
The Bald Eagle left little doubt and ended the match in the second period after forcing a fifth stall call against Huntley, which led to the Wolverine’s disqualification.
Sprenkle opened the match with a quick takedown and hammered Huntley on top for the remainder of the period. Sprenkle led 4-0 thanks to a pair of stall points and racked up 2:38 of riding time.
Starting the second period down, Sprenkle earned a quick reversal for a 6-0 lead and quickly went to work. His pressure paid off as the bout was called late in the second after Huntley was hit with his fifth stall call and disqualified.
With a spot in the Round of 12 on the line, Sprenkle was edged 5-3 by Rider’s Ryan Wolfe.
Sprenkle led 1-0 after one on a stall call on Wolfe. Wolfe started the second down and worked for a quick reversal and a 2-1 lead, but a Sprenkle-escape knotted the bout at 2-2. Sprenkle started the third period down and escaped for a 3-2 lead. He held that lead into the final minute and got in on a deep single leg, but Wolfe countered and earned a takedown of his own. A riding time point stretch Wolfe’s victory to a 5-3 decision.
In last night’s consolation round Sprenkle upset No. 9 seed Reuben Franklin, which moved him to today’s action.
Redshirt-senior Dan Neff (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) went 0-2 yesterday and was eliminated from the tournament. It marked the end of a sensational career for the returning All-American.
Sprenkle, who was making his NCAA Tournament debut yesterday, won last night in dramatic fashion over Franklin of California State University Bakersfield.
Sprenkle trailed 1-0 after two periods, but ended up winning 8-6 after an exciting third period. Sprenkle began the third period down and the scoring frenzy started with him earning a quick reversal. Both Sprenkle and Franklin put it all on the line in the final minute, and Sprenkle hung on to advance.
Neff, a returning All-American and the No. 15 seed at 149 pounds was eliminated from the tournament after his second loss of the tournament, which came in the Session 2 consolation wrestlebacks.
Neff fell to Eastern Michigan’s Nick Barber 7-4.
Both Neff and Sprenkle dropped their First Round matches during yesterday’s Session 1.
Neff, the 2016 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Champion opened the day vs. Bucknell’s Victor Lopez.
Late in the first period Lopez worked out of a scramble on the edge of the mat and locked up a tight cradle, which led to a pin (2:55). Neff entered today’s action on a 19-match win streak.
Sprenkle’s NCAA Tournament debut came against No. 8 seed Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska. After a scoreless first period in their bout at 197 pounds, Studebaker rode out the second period for a two-minute riding time advantage. In the third, Studebaker earned a quick escape and held on for a 2-0 victory.
Neff wrapped up his Bald Eagle career as a four-time NCAA qualifier and his 109 wins are the 11thmost in school history. Neff is 6-9 all-time at the NCAA Tournament and finished this season at 26-10. He went 19-2 at 149 pounds, returning to the weight on December 17, 2015. Neff’s career mark is 109-46.
Today’s NCAA Tournament action concludes a successful season for third-year head coach Scott Moore and his Bald Eagles. LHU finished third at the 2016 EWL Championships. The two national qualifiers this season give Moore nine in the last three seasons.
Despite no more action for Bald Eagle wrestlers, the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships continue tonight at 8 p.m. with the semifinal round. Updated brackets and results can be found at www.TrackWrestling.com (live results) and www.NCAA.com.
