LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University wrestling team won six of 10 bouts and Mac Maldarelli's (Merrick, N.Y./Nassau C.C.) major decision at 149 pounds sealed the deal today as the Bald Eagles edged their former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) rival West Virginia, 19-15 in a thriller.

Lock Haven (2-2) and West Virginia (1-3) entered the final bout of the day (149) tied at 15-15 after today's match started at 157 pounds.

The win marked the first for Lock Haven over West Virginia since 2005 and snapped a seven-match losing streak to the Mountaineers.

Aaron McKinney (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny), Fred Garcia (Donora, Pa./Ringgold), Phil Sprenkle (Seven Valleys, Pa./Dallastown), Harry Turner (Howell, N.J./Howell), Matt Bryer (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton) joined Maldarelli as Haven winners on the day.

Aaron Fry (Muncy, Pa./Muncy) opened the day with a hard-fought 3-2 loss to WVU's Jason Luster at 157. The bout was tied 2-2 after two periods and Fry nearly rode out the third period, but Luster scored on a late takedown to earn the victory.

McKinney (165) quickly put Lock Haven on the board with a 3-2 win of his own at 165. McKinney and Ross Renzi were tied at 2-2 after two periods, but McKinney dominated on top and rode out the third period for the thrilling, hard-fought win.

WVU's Bubba Scheffel pinned (5:09) Tyler Wood (West Chester, Pa./West Chester-Rustin) to put the Mountaineers up 9-3 after three bouts.

At 184, Garcia got Lock Haven right back in it with a workmanlike, 3-1 upset win over No. 23 Lance Bryson. Garcia scored on a quick takedown and went to work on top, racking up 2:03 of riding time in the first period. Garcia chose down to start the second and Bryson was tough, erasing much of the riding time advantage, but Garcia did score on the takedown for the 3-1 advantage. The third saw some good action with Garcia pushing the pace throughout, but neither man could score.

Sprenkle (197) used a riding time point to edge A.J. Vizcarrondo, 5-4 in another exciting bout. After a scoreless first period, Sprenkle led 3-0 after two. Sprenkle's 1:05 riding time advantage was the key as the bout finished with a frenzy.

Turner's win at 285 marked the third straight Haven win and put Lock Haven in the lead for the first time in the match, 12-9. Turner wrestled outstanding from start-to-finish and shutout Phil Mandzik, 4-0. The two stayed scoreless after one period, but a second-period escape-takedown put Turner up 3-0 after two as he controlled the flow to the end.

At 125, No. 29 Shane Young tied the match again with a thrilling win over Bobby Rehm (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor), 13-8. The bout was tied 5-5 after two periods and had the crowd on its feet in the third period as Young was able to hang on for the win.

Bryer was nearly perfect on the way to this 7-2 win over Sean Fee at 133. Bryer led 6-2 after two and already had 2:47 of riding time. Bryer's dominance continued in the third where he rode out the period on the way to the 7-2 win and a 4:47 riding time advantage.

In the match's marquee bout, No. 18 Nathan Pennesi beat No. 24 Dan Neff (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco), 4-0 at 141.

Pennesi's win tied the match at 15-15, setting things up for Maldarelli's fireworks.

Maldarelli scored a late, first-period takedown to lead 2-0 after one. Starting the second period down, Maldarelli scored on a quick escape and a takedown as he jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead after just two periods.

In the third period, Maldarelli tilted Timothy Wheeling for a pair of points and collected a 2:52 riding time advantage on the way to the major that sealed the huge victory for The Haven.

Lock Haven will return to action on Sunday, January 13 at the University of Pittsburgh. Lock Haven will take on Davidson and Eastern Michigan. 

Individual Bout-by-Bout Results –
*match started at 157-pounds
157: Jason Luster (WVU) dec. Aaron Fry (LHU) 3-2
165: Aaron McKinney (LHU) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU) 3-2
174: Bubba Scheffel (WVU) pinned Tyler Wood (LHU) 5:09
184: Fred Garcia (LHU) dec. #23 Lance Bryson (WVU) 3-1
197: Phil Sprenkle (LHU) dec. A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU) 5-4
285: Harry Turner (LHU) dec. Phil Mandzik (WVU) 4-0
125: #29 Shane Young (WVU) dec. Bobby Rehm (LHU) 13-8
133: Matt Bryer (LHU) dec. Sean Fee (WVU) 7-2
141: #18 Nathan Pennesi (WVU) dec. #24 Dan Neff (LHU) 4-0
149: Mac Maldarelli (LHU) major dec. Timothy Wheeling (WVU) 8-0

*rankings - Gregg Henry's/WrestlingReport

FINAL: Lock Haven 19 – West Virginia 15
Lock Haven: 2-2
West Virginia 1-3

Team Score by Bout:
157: WVU 3-0, 165: TIE 3-3, 174: WVU 9-3, 184: WVU 9-6, 197: TIE 9-9, 285: LHU 12-9, 125: TIE 12-12, 133: LHU 15-12, 141: TIE 15-15, 149: LHU 19-15 FINAL
*match started at 157-pounds

Match Notes:
- Lock Haven is now 15-20 all-time vs. West Virginia. The win was the first for Lock Haven over WVU since 2005 and snapped a seven-match losing streak.
- West Virginia held a 13-8 advantage in takedowns.
- 2012-13 marks the first year where WVU is competing in the Big 12 Conference. Prior to that LHU and WVU were EWL rivals.
- Aaron McKinney leads LHU with 21 wins on the year (20-16). Matt Bryer now has 18 wins for Lock Haven, while Dan Neff and Jake Kemerer (#20 at 157) all have 17 wins for Lock Haven.
- LHU is coming of a third-place showing at the Brute Invitational. A trio of wrestlers took second for Lock Haven (Rehm, Neff & Maldarelli).
- Dan Neff is ranked No. 24 at 141. The redshirt-freshman is 17-5 on the year.
- Lock Haven finished 4th at the 2012 PSAC Championships. All 10 Bald Eagles placed and LHU crowned a pair of individual champs.
- Brute marked the fifth tournament of the year for the Bald Eagles.
- No. 20 Jake Kemerer (157) was second at the PSAC Championships and third at the Nittany Lion Open.
- Lock Haven had nine-place winners at the Mat Town Open including Cody Wheeler (133) & Harry Turner (285), who were second overall in the talented early-season field.
- The second-place finish at Mat Town marked the second time this season Harry Turner took second at a tournament. Turner, a redshirt-senior was also second at the Binghamton Open. Turner was fifth at Brute.
- The Bald Eagles are ranked 49th in the Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index.