Bald Eagle Trio Advances to Southern Scuffle Semifinals

RecordStaffJanuary 2, 2019Last Updated: January 2, 2019

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LHU’s Kyle Shoop. Photo courtesy of Lock Haven University Athletics

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) and Chance Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard-Dale) of the Lock Haven University wrestling team all advanced to the semifinals at the 2019 Southern Scuffle. The semifinals are set for Wednesday and the Bald Eagles are tied for third overall in team standings after Day 1 action in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The trio of Werner (125), Shoop (141) and No. 3 Marsteller (165) highlighted a tremendous Day 1 showing for the No. 14 Bald Eagles as the prestigious two-day Southern Scuffle got underway, kicking off the 2019 calendar year in a big way. In all, Lock Haven sent five into the quarterfinals. Joining Werner, Shoop and Marsteller in the quarterfinals were DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) and Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco), at 141 and 285, respectively.

After Day 1 action, Lock Haven is tied for third overall in the team standings. Penn State is pacing the field with 121.5 points, while Oklahoma State is second overall with 111.5 points. Lock Haven has 60 points and is tied with Iowa State. Navy is fifth with 47.5 points.

Werner and Shoop were both 3-0 on the day. Marsteller, the No. 2 seed at 165, was 2-0.

Fehlman was 2-1 and his loss in the 141-pound quarterfinals moved him into the consolation round Wednesday. Haines was 2-1 at 285 and his loss in the quarters pushed him into the consolation round as well.

Both Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) are 3-1 at 174 pounds and both will be back in action again Wednesday morning in the consolation rounds. True-freshman Luke McGonigal (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield) is 3-1 and advanced to Wednesday’s consolations round at 197 pounds. The strong efforts from Siegrist, Bell and McGonigal capped what was an-around solid day for Lock Haven.

Werner, unseeded at 125, opened Day 1 action with a solid 4-1 win over Benny Gomez (UNA, Presbyterian). In the Round of 16, he edged Navy’s Jacob Allen, 10-9 to earn his spot in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Werner put on a clinic and earned the 15-0 tech fall over Penn State’s (UNA) Brody Teske. In the semifinals, Werner will meet No. 1 seed Nick Piccinni of Oklahoma State.

Shoop, the No. 5 seed at 141, opened tournament action in true-Shoop fashion as he recorded a second-period tech fall. He shutout Owen Lamb of Northern Colorado, 15-0 (TF, 4:07) in the Round of 32. Shoop advanced to the quarterfinals with a thrilling 15-9 victory over Duke’s Josh Finesilver in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Shoop won by medical forfeit over Ian Parker, the No. 4 seed from Iowa State. The 3-0 day helped Shoop book a spot in the semifinals where he’ll meet No. 1 seed Nick Lee (Penn State).

Marsteller, the No. 2 seed at 165, earned a bye into the Round of 16 where he opened the tournament in a dominating way. Marsteller, the nation’s third-ranked 165-pounder, picked up a second-period tech fall over Billy Higgins (UNA, Northern Colorado) at the 3:57 mark (TF, 16-1). In the quarterfinals, Marsteller downed Penn State’s Manson Manville, 4-2. Manville tied the bout at 1-1 in the third with an escape, but Marsteller sealed the win with a last-minute takedown, before adding on a riding-time point. In the semifinals, Marsteller will take on No. 3 seed Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State.

Fehlman, the No. 6 seed at 141, helped the Bald Eagles continue to flex their dominance at the weight class. He opened the day with a 16-3 major decision over Angelo Martinoni (UNA, CSU-Bakersfield). Fehlman followed it up with a hard-fought win in the Round of 16, as he edged out Chris Debien of Chattanooga, 6-5. In the quarterfinals he fell to No. 3 seed Nick Gill of Navy, 9-6. Fehlman will drop into the consolation bracket.

Haines, ranked No. 10 nationally and the Southern Scuffle’s No. 6 seed at 285, opened the day with a workmanlike 5-0 win over Columbia’s Dan Herman. In the Round of 16, Haines picked up a quick fall, pinning Stanford’s David Showunmi just one minute into the bout. In the quarterfinals, Haines fell to No. 3 seed Derek White of Oklahoma State. The loss pushed Haines into the Wednesday consolation round.

The 2019 Southern Scuffle picks back up Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 10 a.m.
Day 2 will start tomorrow with a fifth round of consolations. The championship semifinals are scheduled for 12 p.m., and the championship finals and medal matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start. A full recap of the Bald Eagles two days of action at the prestigious early January event will be available at www.GoLHU.com.