LHU Hosts Mat-Town
LOCK HAVEN – Sunday saw the Lock Haven University wrestling team host the 13th annual Mat-Town Open Tournament marking the first time this season LHU has competed in the friendly confines of Thomas Fieldhouse. The No. 17 Bald Eagles rested their starters but a number of LHU wrestlers finished among the top-four at their respective weight class.
In all, over 80 wrestlers competed in the tournament and despite most of them competing unattached, over 14 different institutions were represented on the mats.
Leading the way for Lock Haven’s unattached contingent of 12 was Isaac Reid (Saltsburg, Pa./Kiski and Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon).
Reid finished second at 285 pounds and Bell was second in a round-robin style 174-pound bracket.
Reid was 2-1 on the day and he opened the tournament with a pin. In the finals, he was edged 2-1 by Cornell’s Brendan Furman.
After opening the day with a loss, Bell rattled off three straight wins to finish the day at 3-1 overall (2nd, 174 (Round Robin)). He registered two majors on the way to the second-place finish.
Dalton Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) both placed third at 133 and 141, respectively.
Rohrbaugh was 3-1 with two pins at 133 and he won the third-place bout in thrilling fashion, edging Noah Levett (Bucknell), 7-6.
Fehlman finished third at 141. He opened the day with a major before a tight, 3-2 loss in the quarterfinals. After the loss, Fehlman rattled off four wins which included a pin and three majors. In the third-place bout, Fehlman majored Penn State’s Scott Obendorfer, 18-6. The win avenged Fehlman’s only loss of the day, as he lost to Obendorfter, 3-2, in the quarters. Overall, Fehlman finished the day at 5-1 with four majors and a pin.
Breylon Douglas (Youngstown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch) was fourth at 184.
Lock Haven will return to action on Friday, November 30 when the Bald Eagles kick off the dual portion of their 2018-19 season. It will be a WHITE OUT Friday when LHU hosts George Mason. The Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) match is set for a 7 p.m. start in Thomas Fieldhouse.
