Three crowned champions; No. 8 LH women’s wrestling stellar at NCWWC Regionals

ERIE, PA. – In a history-making day, the No. 8 Lock Haven University women’s wrestling team took to the mats at the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Region 1 Championships, and put on a performance for the record books on Saturday afternoon in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Bald Eagles showed out in their second trip to the regional tournament, as all five Bald Eagles who entered the tournament made the final bout at their respective classes, and three brought home individual championships, the firsts in Lock Haven women’s wrestling history.

Each of the five Bald Eagle wrestlers also secured their spot at the NCWWC National Championships on March 3-4.

At 109, No. 4 Kaelani Shufeldt (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina) powered her way to the finals in dominant fashion, the freshman tech falled each of her first two opponents before facing Izabella Frezzo of New Jersey City in the finals. Shufeldt made history for LHU and became the first Bald Eagle in program history to earn a NCWWC Region 1 Championship behind yet another dominating 12-2 tech fall victory.

Not settled with crowning one champion, head coach Matt Lackey’s Bald Eagles went on to crown three total champions, and finish fifth out of 12 total teams despite entering just five wrestlers.

Lily Sherer (Shohola, Pa./Delaware Valley) continued the Bald Eagle dominance and used two decisive tech fall victories to cruise to the 130-pound finals. Against Sacred Heart’s Alexandra Fitzgerald, Sherer notched a 12-6 decision victory behind a massive 10-point second period. Down 4-2 after one, Sherer put on a masterful final period to earn the title and become a two-time NCWWC national-qualifier.

Grace Stem (Snow Shoe, Pa./Bald Eagle) helped keep the Bald Eagles streak rolling and also used two dominant tech falls to advance to the finals. The No. 2-ranked 143-pounder in the country showed off with yet another tech fall victory over Khadijah Sanusi of Sacred Heart to become The Haven’s third and final champion in what was a landmark day in the history of the program.

In the 136-pound bracket, Madison Matta (Blue Ridge, Pa./Waynesboro) the Bald Eagles pin master was out in full force again on the big stage. The junior notched her place in the national championships by way of a second-place finish to become a two-time national qualifier. Matta muscled her way to two early pins as she breezed to the final before falling to Lana Perez of Gannon.

At 191 pounds, Trinity Monaghan (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) made the Bald Eagles five-for-five on finals appearances as she used a tight 5-2 decision to advance to the finals before dropping a tight decision to Sacred Heart’s Jacklyn Smith. Monaghan’s spot in the NCWWC National Championships, however, had already been clinched and the Bald Eagles sent all five of their entered wrestlers in today’s competition to next month’s national tournament.

Up Next:
The five nationally-qualified Bald Eagles have a week off to prepare for the NCWWC National Championships on March 3-4 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.