ERIE, Pa. – The Lock Haven University Women’s Wrestling team competed in the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Region 1 Championships on Saturday, Feb. 18. It was the Bald Eagles second trip to the regional tournament. Lock Haven finished fifth out of 12 teams.
Head Coach Matt Lackey was proud of how the Bald Eagles performed, as all five wrestlers who entered the tournament made the finals in their respective weight classes, with three bringing home individual championships.
“I think it just shows the trajectory of where our program is going, and ultimately where it can go,” Lackey said. “We only entered five of 10 weight classes in the tournament due to injuries, and doing what we did with what we had was pretty incredible.”
At 109, freshman Kaelani Shufeldt defeated her first two opponents by tech fall to make her way to the final bout. In the finals, Shufeldt won by tech fall (12-2) over New Jersey City’s Izabella Frezzo.
Freshman Grace Stem brought home another championship for Lock Haven, using two tech fall victories to advance to the finals at 143-pounds. Against Sacred Heart’s Khadijah Sanusi, Stem used a 12-2 tech fall victory to bring home a first place finish.
“Grace and Kaelani’s work ethics are at a high level, Lackey noted. “These are the future leaders of our program to help grow this team.”
Lily Sherer cruised her way to the 130-pound finals after defeating her first two opponents by tech fall. Sherer grabbed a 12-6 decision victory over Sacred Heart’s Alexandra Fitzgerald. After being down 4-2 after the first period, Sherer used a huge 10-point second period to earn herself the title. Sherer is now a two-time NCWWC national-qualifier.
Photo: Lock Haven Athletics/Dave Janosz
“I think Lily can develop into a leadership role on this team,” Lackey noted. “Every year that we bring another class in is people we need to develop, and I’ll look at people like Lily to integrate them into what we do.”
At 136, Madison Matta made her way to the finals after defeating Gabby Bradigan of Elmira College by pinfall (1:57). Matta took runner-up after falling to Gannon’s Lana Perez by pinfall (2:03).
At 191, Trinity Monaghan was the fifth and final Bald Eagle to make the finals after a 5-2 decision victory in the semifinals. Monaghan fell to Jacklyn Smith of Sacred Heart by decision (6-1).
UP NEXT… The five nationally-qualified Bald Eagles will compete in the NCWWC National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 3-4.
“I think everybody, with a great performance, has a shot, so I’m excited to see what we do,” Lackey mentioned.
(Photo: Lock Haven Athletics)
