LHU’s Shoop & Sponseller Roll to Titles at F&M Open

RecordStaffJanuary 7, 2017Last Updated: January 7, 2017

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LANCASTER – Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) and Tristan Sponseller (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) both went 5-0 on the way to individual titles at 149 and 197 pounds, respectively, to pace another strong effort by the Lock Haven University wrestling team at today’s David H. Lehman Open, hosted by Franklin & Marshall.

DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) added a third-place finish at 133 and Adam Mackie (Bechtelsville, Pa./Brandywine Heights) placed fourth at 174.

Shoop cruised to the title at 149, thanks to a perfect 5-0 mark. Shoop recorded three straight decisions to open the tournament before picking up a tech fall over Adam Whitesell of Maryland, 18-2 in the semifinals. In the finals, Shoop rolled past Ryan Kemmerer (Temple) 7-2 for the title.

Sponseller once again dominated the field at 197 and finished 5-0. He opened the day with a tech fall and never looked back. Sponseller topped Zach Bruce (Pittsburgh) 8-4 in the semifinals, before taking care of business in the finals with an 8-5 victory over Bennett Paulson (USMAPS).

Fehlman was an impressive 6-1 on the day and he’s now 11-1 overall since moving down from 141 to 133 for the Lock Haven Classic (Dec. 29, 2016). He started today’s tournament 2-0 before being downed by Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State, UNA) in the quarterfinals, 9-4. After the loss to Wilson in the quarters, Fehlman rattled off four straight wins to take third overall and he avenged his loss to Wilson, dominating him 13-4 on the way to a major in the third-place bout.

Mackie was 4-2 on the day as he continues to gain confidence in his second straight outing at 174 pounds after moving down to the weight class for the Lock Haven Classic.

Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco), ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation at 285, was 3-0 on the day before a planned default out of the tournament in the semifinals. The three wins extends Haines’ win streak to 15 matches.

The Bald Eagles will now turn their attention to the 2017 Virginia Duals – the 37th annual – hosted at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on January 13-14. It will mark Lock Haven’s first appearance at the Virginia Duals since 2014 as the Bald Eagles will compete among 12 other NCAA Division I powers.