Bonus points carry LH men’s wrestling over Navy, 24-17

LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Lock Haven University men’s wrestling team used a fast start to drop Navy (3-6 overall), 24-17, on Friday night as the Bald Eagles (5-6 overall) remained undefeated at home in duals. Lock Haven raced out to a 19-0 lead and never looked back.

Overall, the Bald Eagles won six of 10 bouts and secured bonus points in three victories by way of two tech falls, and a pin.

Nationally-ranked – No. 6 – Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima (NC State)) and Ashton Eyler (Millersburg, Ohio/ Claymont High (Iowa Central CC)) posted tech falls at 125 and 157, respectively, and Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy) recorded a thrilling pin at 184.

Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford High School), No. 33 Avery Bassett (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West (George Mason)) and Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph’s Academy) all added victories for Lock Haven.

With the win, Lock Haven moved to a perfect 4-0 in duals this season at home in Thomas Fieldhouse, and the Bald Eagles extended their win streak to three.

The non-conference thriller in front of another packed house started at 149 pounds and Stonecheck quickly put Lock Haven up 3-0 in the team score. Heading into the third, the Bald Eagle trailed Navy’s James Latona 1-0, but Stonecheck responded with a quick reversal before riding out the period dominating fashion for a 3-2 decision.

Eyler put on a show at 157 as he rolled to a 15-0 tech fall (5:55) over Devon Deem. Eyler led 4-0 with over two minutes of riding time after one period and he led 9-0 after two, before putting things away quickly in the third. Lock Haven led 8-0 after Eyler’s bonus-point victory.

At 165, nationally ranked Bassett returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 20 and he earned a hard-fought 5-4 sudden-victory win over Val Park. Lock Haven was deducted one team point during the 165-pound bout and the Bald Eagles led 10-0 after the Bassett win.

Lock Haven posted another win at 174, thanks to a strong effort from Stoltzfus who dropped Sammy Starr by way of an 11-5 decision. Stoltzfus led 8-3 after two periods as he rolled to victory, and put Lock Haven up 13-0.

At 184, Fegley brought the Bald Eagle faithful to their feet with a pin. After a scoreless first period, Fegley pinned Cael Crebs at 3:35. It was all Lock Haven to this point as The Haven won all five bouts and held a lopsided 19-0 lead.

At 197, Navy recorded their first takedown of the dual and ended up earning six team points by way of a pin from No. 25 Jacob Koser. Thanks to back-to-back Navy wins from nationally-ranked wrestlers at 197 and 285, Navy nudged their way back into the match. At 285, No. 17 Grady Griess edged out standout Isaac Reid (Saltsburg, Pa./Kiski) 3-1 in a sudden-victory clash. Lock Haven held a 19-9 advantage after the 285-pound bout.

Noto put Lock Haven right back in the win column with a brilliant effort at 125. Takedown after takedown, and pure dominance helped Noto earn the important tech fall (19-4; 7:00), and team bonus points. He stretched the Lock Haven lead to 24-9.

With the win, Noto extended his win streak to 11 matches and improved to a remarkable 22-2 on the season.

Navy closed the night with victories at 133 and 141, but the tremendous Lock Haven start helped the hosts earn the victory.

The match marked the third of three straight duals at home, and overall, it’s the fourth straight home competition in Thomas Fieldhouse.

The match also marked a homecoming of sorts for a pair of Navy coaches. Third-year Navy head coach Cary Kolat is a 2003 LHU graduate. Kolat was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion for Lock Haven. Navy volunteer assistant coach Dan Neff was an All-American for the Bald Eagles in 2015. Neff is a 2016 Lock Haven graduate.

The Bald Eagles will return to action next week with a pair of duals on the road.

Bout-by-Bout Results:

*match started at 149 pounds

149: Nick Stonecheck (LHU) dec. James Latona (Navy) / 3-2 / LHU 3-0

157: Ashton Eyler (LHU) tech fall Devon Deem (Navy) / 15-0 (5:55) / LHU 8-0

165: #33 Avery Bassett (LHU) dec. Val Park (Navy) / 5-4 SV / LHU 10-0

174: Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU) dec. Sammy Starr (Navy) / 11-5 / LHU 13-0

184: Colin Fegley (LHU) pinned Cael Crebs (Navy) / (3:35) / LHU 19-0

197: #25 Jacob Koser (Navy) pinned Brad Morrison (LHU) / (1:56) / LHU 19-6

285: #17 Grady Griess (Navy) dec. Isaac Reid (LHU) / 3-1 SV / LHU 19-9

125: #6 Anthony Noto (LHU) tech fall Dayton DelViscio (Navy) / 19-4 (7:00) / LHU 24-9

133: Brendan Ferretti (Navy) dec. #33 Gable Strickland (LHU) / 5-3 / LHU 24-12

141: #20 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) tech fall Ty Linsenbigler (LHU) / 16-1 (5:18) / LHU 24-17

*Lock Haven deducted a team for control of the mat during the 165-pound bout

**Rankings: NCAA Coaches’ Panel (Jan. 25)

Final Team Score: Lock Haven 24 – Navy 17

Up Next:

The Bald Eagles will return to action next weekend when they compete in a pair of duals on the road on Saturday, Feb. 11. Lock Haven will open the day on Saturday, Feb. 11 vs. George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The MAC dual is set for 1 p.m. start and Lock Haven will close the day with a 6 p.m. match at American University in Washington, D.C. The full 2022-23 LHU men’s wrestling schedule is available at GoLHU.com.