The Lock Haven University wrestling team is set to hit the mats for dual-match action for the first time in 2016-17 on Sunday, November 20 at the Cavalier Duals. LHU will take on Maryland and host-Virginia.
 
Monday Mat-Town Wrap up:
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Setting the stage for Sunday's action:
The Bald Eagles will open the dual-match season against Maryland (at UVA) on Sunday at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m., LHU will face off against Virginia.
 
LHU is 1-1 all-time vs. Maryland as Sunday marks the first meeting between the two since 1992. Lock Haven is 3-1 all-time vs. UVA, but the two haven't met since 2007.
 
So far this season, the story for LHU has been redshirt-freshman Corey Hazel, who is a perfect 8-0. Ronnie Perry, the Bald Eagles leader at 141 enters this weekend ranked No. 20 by InterMat.
 
Maryland's lineup will feature a pair of national-ranked wrestlers in No. 12 Tyler Goodwin (133 lbs.) and No. 17 Alfred Bannister (149 lbs.).
 
For Virginia, the Cavaliers are led by George DiCamillo and Jack Mueller. Mueller is ranked No. 17 at 125.
 
DiCamillo is ranked No. 9 at 141 which sets up a must-see bout with Perry.
 
LHU's probable lineup:
125: R-Jr. Jake Field (South Elgin, Ill./Marmion Academy) 0-0
-or- Fr. Brandon Loperfido (Columbia, Pa./Hempfield) 2-5
133: Jr. Joe Ghione (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) 3-3
-or- So. Lewis Williams (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) 3-6
141: R-Jr. Ronnie Perry (Christiana, Pa./Solanco) 6-2
149: R-Fr. Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) 4-3
-or- R-Fr. Patrick Duggan (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) 4-2
157: R-Jr. Kyle Hammond (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco) 4-3
-or- Fr. Jonathan Ross (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) 0-0
165: Fr. Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) 4-4
174: R-Sr. Tyler Wood (West Chester, Pa./West Chester-Rustin) 4-4
184: R-Fr. Corey Hazel (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) 8-0
197: R-So. Tristan Sponseller (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) 2-2
285: R-So. Thomas Haines (Quarryville, Pa./Ohio State) 1-1
 
Bald Eagles strong at Journeymen Collegiate Classic; Hazel the biggest story:
For the second weekend in a row redshirt-freshman Corey Hazel led the way for the LHU as the Bald Eagles competed at the new-look Journeymen Collegiate Classic hosted by Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York.
 
Hazel looked quite comfortable under the new format and rattled off three wins to go 3-0 and win his 184-pound pool and bracket. Today's 3-0 mark helped Hazel improve to a perfect 8-0 on the season.
 
Ronnie Perry went 2-1 and finished second in his 141-pound bracket and Gavin Caprio finished second his 174-pound bracket after going 2-1. Adam Mackie was 2-1 and finished third in his bracket at 184. Thomas Haines made his LHU debut and finished 1-1 (fourth) at 285. DJ Fehlman was a perfect 3-0 and won his pool at 141.
 
Hazel named PSAC Athlete of the Week:
On Monday, November 14, Corey Hazel was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Athlete of the Week.
 
The redshirt-freshman picked up his second individual title (184 pounds) in as many weekends at Sunday's (Nov. 13) Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Hazel went 3-0 on the way to the title and improved to a perfect 8-0 on the season. Hazel was 5-0 at last week's Clarion Open (Nov. 6) as he cruised to the title there as well.
 
At Sunday's Journeymen Classic, Hazel defeated Jack Rozema (Ohio State) 14-8, Matthew Rundell (North Carolina) 5-4 and Brett Perry (Buffalo) 9-4. At Clarion, Hazel was 5-0 on the day. After starting 3-0 with three decisions, he picked up a tech fall in the semifinals and a pin in the finals.
 
LHU opens season; Hazel paces effort at Clarion Open:
LHU opened the 2016-17 season at the Clarion Open on Sunday, November 6 and redshirt-freshman Corey Hazel led the way for the Bald Eagles as he took home the individual title at 184-pounds. Hazel was one of three LHU wrestlers who advanced to the finals.
 
Both redshirt-junior Ronnie Perry and redshirt-freshman Kyle Shoop finished second at their respective weight classes. Perry was second at 141 and Shoop placed second at 149.
 
Hazel went 5-0 on the day. After starting 3-0 with three decisions, he picked up a tech fall in the semifinals and a pin in the finals. Perry went 4-1 with three tech falls, while Shoop was 3-1. It marked the second straight year where LHU officially opened its season at the Clarion Open.
 
Perry picks up win at All-Star Classic:
Redshirt-junior Ronnie Perry competed at the 51st All-Star Classic in Cleveland on Saturday, November 5. He picked up a win in all-Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) battle. Perry took down Cleveland State's Evan Cheek, 8-2 in a "showcase/prelim" bout.
 
Home opener:
The Bald Eagles will make their 2016-17 Thomas Fieldhouse debut on Saturday, November 26 at 5 p.m. when they welcome Michigan State to town. LHU has several special promotions planned for the match, so stay tuned to www.GoLHU.com for details in the coming days. LHU will host a Free Community Youth Clinic, click here for more. 
 
Mat-Town Open on the horizon:
The Bald Eagles are set to host the 2016 Mat-Town Open on Sunday, November 27 at 9:30 a.m. More information is available at www.GoLHU.com.
 
A look back at last season:
The 2015-16 season proved to be another big year for the LHU wrestling program as the Bald Eagles dominated both on and off the mats. Last spring (2016), LHU sent two more wrestlers (Dan Neff & Phil Sprenkle) to the NCAA Division I Championships in New York City. For the NCAA Tournament bound LHU grapplers, it marked Dan Neff's fourth trip to the sport's biggest stage. Neff won the 2016 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) title at 149 pounds, marking LHU's first individual EWL Champion since 2010. During the 2015-16 season, three LHU wrestlers hit the prestigious 100-win mark: Dan Neff, Bobby Rehm and Aaron McKinney. Last season, LHU was 9-9 overall and went 3-3 in the highly competitive EWL. Highlighting the regular season was LHU's win over Michigan State, which was Lock Haven's first win over a Big Ten program since 2002. The Bald Eagles finished second at the 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships and were third at the 2016 EWL Championships with four EWL finalists.
 
Academic standard is high:
Last season, off the mat, senior Phil Sprenkle was named an Academic All-American and he earned a spot on the PSAC's Winter Top-10 List, which is one of the most prestigious academic honors one can achieve. As a team, Lock Haven was ranked No. 23 among all Division I programs with a cumulative team-GPA of 3.123. A total of 15 LHU wrestlers earned a spot on the EWL All-Academic Team.
 
Moore enters fourth season:
LHU head coach Scott Moore enters his fourth year as the head coach of the storied Bald Eagle wrestling program. He was hired in July 2013, and has quickly led a Lock Haven resurgence and positioned Mat-Town U.S.A. back on the national wrestling scence where it so rightfully belongs. In three seasons, Moore has led nine student-athletes to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
 
Top-notch coaching staff:
Head coach Scott Moore has established a top-notch staff. In July (2016), LHU hired Nate Carr, Jr. as the new assistant coach. Carr is a 2012 Iowa State graduate and former standout for the Division I power-Cyclones. Moore and Carr lead a talented and driven group of assistant coaches.
 
Team captains:
During the preseason, LHU head coach Scott Moore announced that redshirt-senior Tyler Wood and redshirt-junior Ronnie Perry were named the team's 2016-17 captains, which were voted on by the student-athletes. Perry, a 2015 NCAA national qualifier who redshirted last season, enters the 2016-17 season ranked nationally at 141 pounds.  Wood won 18 matches for the Bald Eagles last season at 174 pounds.
 
Perry returns:
Former national qualifier, Ronnie Perry returns to the LHU lineup in 2016-17 after a scheduled redshirt-season last season (2015-16). Perry, a 2015 NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds enters the season with 43-20 career record. Those 43 career wins don't include the 25 he ripped off competing unattached last season. Perry went a remarkable 25-4 competing unattached at several tournaments last season as the national wrestling scene quickly took notice after he knocked off a number of returning All-Americans and top-10 wrestlers. Highlighting the unattached season was Perry's sixth-place finish at the prestigious Midlands Tournament. It marked LHU's first Midlands placewinner since 2003.
 
Transfers set to make a difference:
Lock Haven will quickly look for transfers Patrick Duggan and Thomas Haines to bolster the Bald Eagles lineup. Duggan, a redshirt-freshman will compete at 149, while Haines, a redshirt-sophomore will look to lead the way at 285.
 
Duggan was a four-time Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) placewinner. Competing for Cumberland Valley High School, Duggan, finished his career with a remarkable 160-11 record. He was a two-time PIAA state finalist and ranked as high as fifth in the nation at 145 pounds during his scholastic career.
 
While competing at Solanco High School, Haines went 174-5 overall and won four PIAA state titles. He was 42-0 as a senior. Last season, while competing for Ohio State, Haines won the Penn State Open (285) and he helped seal a big dual-win over Illinois with a 3-2 victory over nationally-ranked Brooks Black.
 
Talented recruiting class:
The Bald Eagles 2016 recruiting class, made up of eight talented true-freshmen, was ranked No. 14 by InterMat. Leading the way is true-freshman Jared Siegrist, the projected starter at 165. Lock Haven will also benefit from the return of a number of redshirt-freshmen, including Corey Hazel, the projected starter at 184.
 
Returning starters:
Jake Field (R-Jr.; 125), Tyler Wood (R-Sr.; 174) and Tristan Sponseller (R-So.; 197 (184 last season)) are all projected returning starters, who return from action last season. Last year, the trio picked up a combined 54 wins.
 
Projected number 1's:
Jake Field (R-Jr.; 125), Joe Ghione (Jr.; 133), Kyle Hammond (R-Jr.; 157), Tyler Wood (R-Sr.; 174) and Tristan Sponseller (R-So.; 197) are all returners from last season, who are projected No. 1's at their respective weight class this year entering the season. The five combined for 83 wins last season.
 
Sponseller makes a move:
Redshirt-sophomore Tristian Sponseller, who won 22 matches last season at 184, will make the move to 197 this season. He entered the 2016 EWL Tournament as the No. 2 seed at 184 and will be a major force for the Bald Eagles this year.
 
Field to get things started:
Jake Field returns and should provide the Bald Eagles with plenty of energy at 125. The redshirt-junior won 14 matches last season and picked up four dual-match wins, including two in EWL action. Field has 34 career wins and finished second last March at the 2016 EWL Championships.
 
Senior leadership:
LHU will rely on seniors Brad Emerick, Adam Mackie and Tyler Wood for experience and leadership all season. The trio should provide a huge amount of confidence for the Bald Eagles.  
 
Up next:
The Bald Eagles will make their much anticipated 2016-17 Thomas Fieldhouse debut on Saturday, November 26 at 5 p.m. when they host Michigan State. On Sunday, November 27, LHU will host the Mat Town Open.