LHU’s Marsteller into Consolation Finals

CLEVELAND – The NCAA wrestling seeds gave little credit to Lock Haven University’s Chance Marsteller. The Bald Eagle junior was accorded a No. 9 seed before the national tourney began in Cleveland on Thursday. But after a nail-biting 5-3 win in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning, Marsteller can finish as high as third place and no worse than fourth.

Marsteller’s Saturday morning win came over David McFadden from Virginia Tech, the No. 2 seed at 165 pounds. The victory puts Marsteller into the third place bout against Evan Wick, the No. 10 seed from Wisconsin. Wick’s lone loss at the tourney was by a 3-0 score to McFadden in the quarterfinals.

Marsteller’s bout with McFadden was scoreless after one. McFadden chose down and escaped quickly in period two for a 1-0 lead. The bout stayed that way into period three. Marsteller chose down and quickly escaped and shot for a successful go-ahead takedown and a 3-1 lead. McFadden escaped to make it 3-2 Marsteller deep into the period. The LHU wrestler picked up a late counter takedown for a 5-2 lead and gave up a meaningless escape just before the buzzer for the 5-3 win.

Marsteller’s performance means LHU will have two high-finishing wrestlers. At 148 pounds senior Ronnie Perry will be in the Saturday night championship bout against two-time defending NCAA champion Zain Retherford from Penn State.

Lock Haven is in 15th place in the team standings midway through the Saturday morning consolations with 35 points. Ohio State has moved back into the lead with 125.5 to second place Penn State’s 120.5. The Nittany Lions will have five wrestlers in the championship finals to Ohio State’s two. The finals are scheduled for 8 p.m.