LHU: Noto & Strickland Crowned Champions; Men’s Wrestling Stellar at Patriot Open
FAIRFAX, VA– The Lock Haven men’s wrestling team dominated the mats today at the ARMS Software Patriot Open today hosted by George Mason, which saw LHU crown two champions and eight wrestlers land in the top five.
Of those eight, four made their respective finals for the Bald Eagles, which consisted of Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima (NC State)), Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton), Avery Bassett (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West (George Mason)), and Ashton Eyler (Millersburg, Ohio/ Claymont High (Iowa Central CC)).
Noto, who is currently ranked No. 21 in the latest InterMat rankings, continued to shine for the Bald Eagles and was crowned champion at 125 pounds. The sophomore claimed a 4-0 record on the day, including a pin in under a minute, two tech falls and a 10-3 decision in the championship over George Mason’s Markel Baker.
At 133 pounds, Strickland pushed through the competition on his way to another LHU crown, capping off two tech falls and a 4-0 record, defeating Columbia’s Boris Witmer by a 6-4 decision in the championship match.
Bassett was impressive for LHU at 165 pounds and finished in second after dropping a tight 2-1, decision in the finals against Gardner-Webb’s Rodrick Mosley.
Eyler entered the finals at 157 pounds and placed second for the Bald Eagles, finishing 3-1 on the day after dropping a another hard-fought matchup in the finals.
Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy) grabbed a bronze medal at 184 pounds after earning a 2-1 record on the day.
At 174 pounds, Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph’s Academy) finished third place, earning the bronze after a 2-1 record.
Matt Maloney (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Liberty) placed fourth at 125 pounds, finishing with a 2-2 record on the day.
Rounding out the place winners for Lock Haven was Brad Morrison (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) who rebounded with three straight wins to cap a 4-1 day with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds.
The Road Ahead:
The Bald Eagles will travel south to New Orleans to compete in the 2022 National Collegiate Duals, a two-day tournament with action starting on December 19. The competition consists of twelve elite programs including Penn State, Ohio State, and Iowa State.
