Cover Photo taken by Lock Haven Athletics Department
LOCK HAVEN — It’s that time of year once again, as Lock Haven men’s wrestling is preparing to compete at the MAC Championships in Trenton, NJ starting on Friday, March 7th.
It has been an incredible year so far for the Bald Eagles, going 7-0 in the MAC, undefeated at home, having multiple wrestlers nationally ranked throughout the season, and being crowned the MAC East champs for the third time in four years. This season also marks the most single-season dual wins (14) since the 17 they had back in 2001-02. But all that is in the past now and this Lock Haven squad, led by 12th year head coach Scott Moore, has only one goal in mind, to reclaim their spot atop the MAC.
“It’s everything to us.” Moore said when asked what winning the MAC championship would mean, “I mean, this is what we do it for. We want to see our guys wrestle and compete hard, and ultimately we want to see all those pieces come together and claim the team title this weekend.”
There is more on the line this weekend than just the individual team title however, as the MAC championships also serves as the qualifier for the NCAA tournament in Philadelphia. Each weight class has a certain amount of “Auto Bids”, meaning if you finish at a certain spot at your weight or higher, you automatically will clinch a spot in the national tournament.
The automatic bids for the MAC are as follows: 125 (1), 133 (3), 141(1), 149 (3), 157 (3), 165 (2), 174 (3), 184 (3), 197 (1), and finally 285 (3).
“It’s about going into the conference tournament and just wrestling your best. Moore said when talking about the opportunity to not only win the MAC, but send wrestlers to the NCAA championships as well, “Knowing you can beat anyone in your bracket, and also keeping in mind that it’s a bid for the national tournament.”
Lock Haven may very well have a chance to send five or more representatives to Philadelphia on Mar. 20th, as the Bald Eagles currently have five wrestlers ranked inside the top 33 for their respective weight class (Via NCAA Coaches Poll). Those wrestlers are #16 Anthony Noto (133), #17 Wyatt Henson (141), #32 Lucas Kapusta (149), #23 Colin Fegley (184), and #17 Gavin Hoffman (285).
The lineup for the MAC tournament will be the same one that the Bald Eagles have rolled out the past few duals.
At 125 lbs it will be Branden Wentzel getting the nod. Wentzel, a Montoursville native, came to Lock Haven as a mid-season transfer by way of Penn State. After injuries to both Sean Logue and Lucas Fye ended their seasons, it was Wentzel who was asked to step in their place. Now Wentzel has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself on the biggest stage of his young career.
At 133 lbs it will be Anthony Noto searching to win his fourth straight MAC title. Noto is coming off a year where he finished inside the top three at nationals and being named an All-American at 125. Now in a new weight class Noto looks to see if he can win as the heavy favorite and cement his legacy as one of the best wrestlers in Lock Haven’s storied history.
At 141 lbs it’s Wyatt Henson. Henson currently sits inside the top 10 in tech falls in the nation with 10, and he will look to add more to that total as he aims to win his second MAC title in a row. Henson is also looking to qualify for his third straight NCAA tournament, doing so last year for Lock Haven, and the year prior at Oklahoma.
At 149 lbs it’s the red-shirt freshman Lucas Kapusta competing in his first MAC Championship. The two-time PIAA state qualifier needs to finish inside the top three in order to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
At 157 lbs Buffalo transfer Nick Stampoulos looks to avenge his loss in the MAC third place match last year. Stampoulos was a qualifier for the NCAA tournament last season for the Bulls. Now he looks to do so again, only this time he will be wearing the crimson and white.
At 165 lbs Bloomsburg transfer Caden Dobbins is also looking to avenge his loss in last year’s MAC third place match. Unfortunately Dobbins’ 4th place finish meant missing out on a chance to qualify for the NCAA tournament. This year Dobbins needs to finish inside the top two in order to qualify.
At 174 lbs senior Avery Bassett looks to suit up for what will likely be his final MAC tournament. Bassett has earned NWCA Div. 1 scholar All-American honors the past two seasons, and this year he has been a weapon for the Haven both on the Mat and in the classroom.
At 184 lbs Colin Fegley slots in. Last year Fegley had an up and down season, but ended strong with a 4th place MAC finish. This year there have been only ups, as he has been a star at the back half of the Haven lineup. Now he goes into the MAC tournament as one of the favorites at his weight, needing to have a podium finish to clinch an auto bid.
At 197 lbs it’s the true freshman phenom Tucker Hogan. Hogan was a two-time PIAA state champion in high school, and has carried that success into what turned out to be an electric freshman campaign. Now, as he preps for MACs, only time will tell if he can continue his hot start to his career.
Finally at 285 lbs Ohio State transfer Gavin Hoffman slots in to round out the lineup. The former Buckeye is a two-time NCAA qualifier, and earned All-American honors in 2022. Now the Montoursville native looks to punch his ticket to the NCAA tournament for the third and final time in his great career.
This Haven lineup goes into the MAC Championships as the likely favorite, having the most nationally ranked wrestlers of any MAC team, and sporting the only undefeated record in conference play.
Ryan States is in his 3rd year at Lock Haven University, and his second with the Eagle Eye. He is a Journalism major with intentions to minor in Sports Management. With his never-ending passion for all things sports, he wishes to pursue a career as a sports writer for a major outlet. When not watching sports, he can be found playing video games, hanging out with friends at the REC. Or you can find him helping out in the booth during LHU sporting events. His biggest hope while at Lock Haven is to be able to positively contribute to LHU sports in any way he can.
