LHU’s Neff Eliminated at NCAA’s

OKLAHOMA CITY – Dan Neff (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) of the Lock Haven University wrestling team dropped his Session 3 match Friday morning at the 2014 NCAA Division I Championships, wrapping up the Bald Eagles season.

Neff fell to Hofstra’s Luke Vaith, the eighth-seed at 141, 12-2 (major) in today’s Consolation Round 2 Wrestlebacks. Neff finished his second straight NCAA Tournament, 1-2, pushing his season record to 32-10.

Thursday Fred Garcia (Donora, Pa./Ringgold), who was joining Neff as a back-to-back national qualifier went 1-2 at 184 for LHU.

Both Mac Maldarelli (Merrick, N.Y./Nassau C.C.) and Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) made their first-ever NCAA DI tournament appearances yesterday.

Maldarelli and Kemerer both went 0-2 at 149 and 165, respectively.

Both Neff and Maldarelli finished the season with over 30 wins.

The four NCAA qualifiers are the most since Lock Haven sent four to the NCAA Tournament in 2006. Appropriately enough, the 2006 Championship was in Oklahoma City.

The Bald Eagles finished third at the 2014 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Championship (March 8), their highest finish, since finishing third in 2007.

The 2013-14 season marked the first season at the helm for head coach Scott Moore.