LHU Second at PSAC Tournament
Highest PSAC Finish in 11 Years
BLOOMSBURG – The Lock Haven University wrestling team finished second overall at the 2014 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, marking the Bald Eagles best PSAC tournament finish in 11 years.
Saturday marked the highest finish for LHU since finishing second during the 2003-04 season.
No. 13 Edinboro took home the team title with 189.5 points, while Lock Haven scored 130.5 points. Mercyhurst, ranked No. 4 in Division II was third (95.5 points).
The Bald Eagles were led by Ronnie Perry (Christina, Pa./Solanco), Bobby Rehm (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor), Aaron McKinney (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) and Fred Garcia (Donora, Pa./Ringgold), who all took second for LHU.
Dan Neff (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco) placed third for Lock Haven.
Kaleb LeMaire (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Caesar Rodney), Elias Biddle (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run), Tyler Wood (West Chester, Pa./West Chester-Rustin) and Adam Mackie (Bechtelsville, Pa./Brandywine Heights) all finished fourth for LHU.
Brad Emerick (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Coughlin) made LHU a perfect 10-for-10 in placewinners, taking fifth overall.
The Bald Eagles entered the tournament with eight wrestlers seeded among the top-three and six wrestlers earned first-round byes. LHU went 3-1 in the first round.
Lock Haven had nine alive in the quarterfinals and went a perfect 9-0. The Bald Eagles went 4-5 in the semifinals.
LHU rolled into the finals, thanks to an impressive 5-1 record in the consolation semifinals, as the Bald Eagles battled back in a big way.
Perry, ranked No. 31 in the nation, went 2-1 and finished third overall. He entered the championship bout 2-0 after a tech fall and major. In the title bout, he fell to Edinboro’s Aaron Schopp (TF, 19-4, 7:00) the nation’s top ranked 133-pounder.
Rehm recorded back-to-back, 15-4 majors to earn a spot in the 141-pound finals, where he was downed by Mitchell Port of Edinboro (fall, 2:3), who is ranked second in the nation. Rehm was 2-1 on the day.
McKinney finished second at 165, going 2-1 on the day. He dropped a hard-fought title-bout, 3-2 to top-seed Casey Fuller (Edinboro).
No. 25 Garcia picked up three wins and cruised into the 184-pound finals. In the title-bout, he was edged, 5-2 by No. 14 Victor Avery (Edinboro).
Neff, ranked No. 23 in the nation, finished third at 149. After an opening round bye, Neff majored Clarion’s Brodie Zacherl, 12-1, before dropping a semifinal bout. He followed up the loss with a pair of wins to take third for LHU. Neff was 3-1 on the day.
LeMaire was 3-2 on the day and finished fourth at 125. Biddle was 2-1, but medical defaulted before the third-place match and finished fourth overall at 157. Wood went 3-2 on the way to a fourth-place showing at 174 pounds. Following a tournament-opening loss, Mackie (fourth, 3-2) recorded three straight wins to earn a spot in the third-place bout at 197-pounds.
Emerick went 2-2 and took fifth at 285.
Lock Haven will travel to the Cleveland State Open on Saturday, December 13 (9 a.m.). LHU returns to dual action on Friday, December 19 at 7 p.m. when the Bald Eagles host West Virginia in Thomas Field House.
Lock Haven Results:
125: Kaleb LeMaire (#3 seed)
First Round: W, dec. Austin Camacci (Millersville) 9-4
Quarterfinals: W, dec. Anthony Marino (East Stroudsburg) 11-10
Semifinals: L, #2 seed Willie Bohince (Mercyhurst) dec. LeMaire 11-7
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. #5 seed Mike Soria (Seton Hill) 10-4
Third-place Bout: L, #4 seed Evan Link (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. LeMaire 6-2
LeMaire, fourth, 3-2
133: Ronnie Perry (#2 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, tech fall Aaron Smith (Gannon)
Semifinals: W, major dec. #3 seed Ryan Bohince (Mercyhurst) 13-0
Finals: L, #1 seed Aaron Schopp (Edinboro) tech fall Perry 19-4 (7:00)
Perry, second, 2-1
141: Bobby Rehm (#2 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, major dec. Adam Weinell (Gannon) 15-4
Semifinals: W, major dec. #3 seed Sam Hanau (Pitt-Johnstown) 15-4
Finals: L, #1 seed Mitchell Port (Edinboro) pinned Rehm
Rehm, second, 2-1
149: Dan Neff (#2 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, major dec. Brodie Zacherl (Clarion) 12-1
Semifinals: L, #3 seed Jeremy Landowski (Mercyhurst) pinned Neff (5:19)
Consolation Semifinals: W, pinned Eric Lewandowski (Gannon) 4:01
Third-place Bout: W, dec. #5 seed Colin Landwoski (Pitt-Johnstown) 5-3
Neff, third, 3-1
157: Elias Biddle (#3 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, dec. Matt Martoccio (Kutztown) 4-2
Semifinals: L, #2 seed Francis Mizia (Mercyhurst) dec. Biddle 6-5
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. Garret Smith (Gannon) 7-4
Third-place Bout: Biddle – Medical Default – Matt Martoccio (Kutztown) takes third
Biddle, fourth, 2-1
165: Aaron McKinney (#2 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, major dec. Ian Shannon (Millersville) 17-5
Semifinals: W, dec. #3 seed Tyler Reinhart (Pitt-Johnstown) 6-5
Finals: L, #1 seed Casey Fuller (Edinboro) dec. McKinney 3-2
McKinney, second, 2-1
174: Tyler Wood (#4 seed)
First Round: W, major dec. Hunter Fenk (Shippensburg) 11-1
Quarterfinals: W, dec. John Blankenship (Pitt-Johnstown) 6-1
Semifinals: L, #1 seed August Mizia (Mercyhurst) dec. Wood 6-0
Consolation Semifinals: W, dec. Casey Bearden (Bloomsburg) 2-0
Third-place Bout: L, #3 seed Mike Pavasko (Clarion) dec. Wood 7-2
Wood, fourth, 3-2
184: Fred Garcia (#2 seed)
First Round: W, tech fall Dan Sutherland (Clarion) 19-4 (6:47)
Quarterfinals: W, tech fall Kyle Taylor (Shippensburg) 24-9 (6:27)
Semifinals: W, dec. #3 seed Andre Petroski (Kutztown) 9-3
Finals: L, #1 seed Victory Avery (Edinboro) dec. Garcia 5-2
Garcia, second, 3-1
197: Adam Mackie (#3 seed)
First Round: L, Nikos Garafola (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Mackie 4-2
Consolation First Round: W, pinned Marshall Hobbs (Shippensburg) 4:34
Consolation Second Round: W, pinned #2 seed Brandan Clark (Kutztown) 1:14
Consolation Semifinals: W, pinned Nikos Garafola (Pitt-Johnstown)
Third-place Bout: L, #4 seed Ryan Darch (Clarion) major dec. Mackie 21-7
Mackie, fourth, 3-2
285: Brad Emerick (#4 seed)
First Round: BYE
Quarterfinals: W, major dec. #5 seed Warren Bosch (Edinboro) 9-0
Semifinals: L, #1 seed Ziad Haddad (Kutztown) major dec. Emerick 13-4
Consolation Semifinals: L, Nick Budd (Gannon) dec. Emerick 3-1
Fifth-place Bout: W, pinned #2 seed Andy Welton (Mercyhurst) (5:44)
Emerick, fifth, 2-2
