Men’s Wrestling falls to West Virginia on Senior Day

by Ashley Lawson Sports Editor

LOCK HAVEN, Pa.–

After clinching the MAC East Championship title, LHU Men’s Wrestling welcomed West Virginia University(WVU) to Thomas Fieldhouse for a non-conference meet on Sunday, Feb. 19.

The Bald Eagles lost 34-9; it was an expected loss due to WVU having nine nationally-ranked wrestlers on their roster, but was more well-fought than anticipated.

Prior to any on-mat action, the university celebrated the following graduating seniors: Ashton Eyler, Matt Maloney, Tyler Dilley, and Kollin Myers.

WVU was able to win their first match via forfeit, likely due to LHU wanting to rest nationally-ranked No. 11 Anthony Noto going into the upcoming MAC Championships, giving WVU the immediate 6-0 lead.

No. 31 Gable Strickland was able to get the pin on Jace Schafer at the 4:28 mark, tying it up, 6-6. Stonecheck’s win

Courtesy of Lock Haven Athletics over Hillegas was the final match of the day that gave LHU points on the board.

At 157, Ashton Eyler lost by major decision against No. 29 Alex Hornfeck, giving the Mountaineers the 13-9 lead.

Peyton Hall, who currently is the top-ranked wrestler at 165, pinned Aiden Gaugler. LHU opted to forfeit at 174, bringing WVU’s lead to 25-9.

Colin Fegley was able to spark some life into the crowd after some disappointing bouts, but was unsuccessful at getting the win.

Despite the loss, Fegley was able to stand his ground relatively well against No. 29 Anthony Carman, holding the match 5-5 until the very last seconds where Carman was able to snag another 4 points, bringing the match to a 9-5 decision. It was now 28-9 in favor of the Mountaineers.

Freshman Cael Black stepped onto the mat to face No. 28 Austin Cooley, but was unable to bring the Bald Eagles more points. Cooley won by decision, furthering WVU’s lead to 31-9.

Miller entered the weekend as the defending indoor 400-meter champion and he left little doubt as to who is the top 400-meter runner in the league. He ran 48.94 in today’s finals – another remarkable time indoors on a flat 200-meter track.

James Price’s (Joppa, Md./Archbishop Curley) six points led the Bald Eagles at halftime, but the Riader’s Carlos Carter paced all scorers with 13 at the break.

In the second half, The Haven clawed back into the game, cutting the lead to 10 at 55-45 with just under 10 minutes to play. The Raiders were able to keep LHU at bay in the final minutes, and the Bald Eagles got no closer as Shippensburg pulled away with the 75-54 win.

Eli Washington (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./ MacDuffie School (Saint Michael’s)) each posted a team-high 12 points, and were joined in double figures by Price with 10 points.

On the glass, Dymir Montague (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) hauled in team-high eight rebounds, but Shippensburg held a 47-30 advantage in rebounding.

For Shippensburg, Carter’s 20 points were a game-high, and the Raiders will now host the PSAC Semifinals and Final on Saturday (March 4) and Sunday (March 5).

The final bout of the day was one of the most exciting, as No. 33 Isaac Reid was put up against No. 23 Michael Wolfgram. Reid and Wolfgram were able to keep each other on their toes, with Wolfgram getting WVU’s sixth straight win of the meet by decision, bringing the final score to 34-9 in favor of West Virginia.

West Virginia was able to notch their tenth victory of the season, bringing their record to 10-5. The loss for Lock Haven has brought their split to 8-7.

Manley won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.32. She put an outstanding kick heading into the final lap and with just over 200 meters to go, Manley went to the front, and she never looked back in topping second-place and top-seed Darby Roth (2:19.31) of Seton Hill.