Courtesy of Lock Haven University
The Bald Eagles opened the conference schedule with a 20-16 road win over Cleveland State on Friday night. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio. – The reigning Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions opened conference dual action tonight against Cleveland State University (3-5, 2-2 MAC), and the Lock Haven men’s wrestling team (2-5, 1-0 MAC) marked the occasion with a 20-16 victory over the Vikings to being their title defense.

As is becoming a Lock Haven tradition, Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima (NC State)) started the dual off with a win. The No. 6 ranked 125-pounder in the country landed an early takedown and grinded out a 9-5 decision victory to hand the Bald Eagles the early 3-0 advantage.

No. 33 Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton) turned up the heat at 133 pounds and put on a clinic. The sophomore gave Lock Haven a 7-0 lead as he romped to a 14-2 major decision over Jake Manley.

The Vikings grabbed one back at 141 pounds as No. 30 Dylan Layton cut the lead to 7-3.

Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford High School) righted the ship for the Bald Eagles and grabbed a decision victory over Douglas Terry at 149 by a 6-2 decision.

At 157, Cleveland State notched their second win of the night behind No. 33 Marcus Robinson.

No. 33 Avery Bassett (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West (George Mason)) muscled his way to a convincing major decision victory at 165 to push Lock Haven ahead 14-6. Bassett racked up the takedowns on his way to a 15-5 win over Cleveland State’s Daniel Patten.

The Bald Eagles got a massive spark at 174 pounds courtesy of Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph’s Academy) pin. The sophomore showed Tate Geiser the lights at the 4:29 mark to hand The Haven a commanding 20-6 lead.

The Vikings picked up a trio of wins in the final three bouts at 184, 197 and 285, but The Haven brought home the conference victory 20-16.

With the win, The Bald Eagles picked up right where they left off last season at 1-0 in the MAC East. In 2021-22, Lock Haven went a perfect 6-0 in East duals as they brought home the regular season dual title in the division and were crowned champions at the 2022 MAC tournament.

On the night, Lock Haven and Cleveland State split 5-5 in individual wins, but three wins by bonus points, including a pin, sealed the deal for the Bald Eagles.

Bout-by-Bout Results: 

125: #6 Anthony Noto (LHU) dec. Ben Aranda (CSU) / 9-5 / LHU 3-0

133: #33 Gable Strickland (LHU) major dec. Jake Manley (CSU) / 14-2 / LHU 7-0

141: #30 Dylan Layton (CSU) dec. Tyler Dilley (LHU) /8-6 / LHU 7-3

149: Nick Stonecheck (LHU) dec. Douglas Terry (CSU) / 6-2 / LHU 10-3

157: #33 Marcus Robinson (CSU) dec. Ashton Eyler (LHU), 4-3 | LHU 10-6

165: #33 Avery Bassett (LHU) major dec. Daniel Patten (CSU) / 15-5 / LHU 14-6

174: Tyler Stoltzfus (LHU) pinned Tate Geiser (CSU) / (4:29) / LHU  20-6

184: DeAndre Nassar (CSU) dec. Colin Fegley (LHU) / 3-2 / LHU leads 20-9

197: Anthony Perrine (CSU) major dec. Brad Morrison (LHU) / 10-2 / LHU 20-13

285: Daniel Bucknavich (CSU) dec. Isaac Reid (LHU) / 6-1 / LHU 20-16

Final Team Score: Lock Haven 20 Cleveland State 16