The Lock Haven University wrestling team is set to open Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division action this week. The Bald Eagles will open a two-dual week with a home match Thursday vs. Bloomsburg at 7 p.m., before traveling to Clarion on Saturday.
 
Setting the stage:
Thursday's (Dec. 19) home match vs. longtime local-rival Bloomsburg will mark a historic night once again for LHU as it will serve as Lock Haven's first-ever MAC Eastern Division dual.
 
Last March (2019), it was announced that Lock Haven, along with the other members of the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), would be joining the Mid-American Conference for the sport of wrestling this season. It was a historic moment for college wrestling and one that made the MAC the second largest wrestling conference in the country. In the sport of wrestling, the MAC's Eastern Division is made up of Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, George Mason, Lock Haven, Rider and Old Dominion. The Western Division consists of Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Kent State, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Ohio and SIU-Edwardsville.
 
Lock Haven will enter Thursday's home dual with Bloomsburg holding a 4-1 overall record. Officially, LHU made its MAC dual debut on December 6 at home vs. Central Michigan. The Bald Eagles dropped that dual in front of a sold-out Thomas Fieldhouse crowd, but have rebounded to win four straight.
 
Bloomsburg is 0-2 in dual action (0-1 MAC East) and coming off a 28-11 loss to Rider on December 6. Last season (12/16/18), Lock Haven beat Bloom, 36-6 and extended The Haven win streak to five.
 
Clarion is 1-3 (0-1 MAC East) and the Golden Eagles last competed on December 6-7 at the Cliff Keen Invitational. Lock Haven rolled to a lopsided win over Clarion last season in extending LHU's win streak to five in the series.  
PROJECTED LINEUPS - -
 
Lock Haven Projected Lineup
Bald Eagles (4-1, 0-0 MAC East)
125: Jr. Luke Werner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) 15-3
// or 125 – Fr. Matt Maloney (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Liberty 9-10
133: R-Sr. DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) 11-5
141: #18 R-Sr. Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) 5-2
149: R-So. Brock Port (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) 6-3
// or 149 R-Fr. Austin Wilson (New Providence, Pa./Solanco) 10-6
157: #18 R-Sr. Alex Klucker (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro) 11-3
165: R-Jr. Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) 10-4
// or 165 – R-Fr. Caleb Clymer (Germansville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) 5-5
174: Sr. Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) 11-6
184: #13 R-Sr. Corey Hazel (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley) 7-3
197: So. Parker McClellan (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) 9-6
// or 197 – R-So. Blake Reynolds (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) 9-6
285: Sr. Trey Hartsock (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) 5-6
COACHING STAFF:
Head Coach: Scott Moore
Assistant Coach: Nate Carr, Jr.
Assistant Coach: Ronnie Perry
Volunteer Assistant: Rob Weikel
Volunteer Assistant: Ryan Solomon
 
Bloomsburg Projected Lineup
Huskies (0-2, 0-1 MAC East)
125: Fr. Christian Gannone (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) 1-6
133: R-Fr. Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) 9-4
141: Fr. Marlon Argeuta-Diaz (Meriden, Conn./Orville H. Platt) 3-2
// or 141 - So. Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) 4-5
149: So. Gavin Hale (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) 1-2
// or 149 - So. Aaron Coleman (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) 4-5
157: So. Alex Carida (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) 7-6
165: Sr. Nate Newberry (Biglerville, Pa./Biglerville) 4-3
174: Sr. Anthony Vetrano (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) 2-5
184: #15 R-Sr. Trevor Allard (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico) 11-1
197: Sr. Kyle Murphy (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) 4-9
285: R-So. Jarrett Walters (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) 8-6
COACHING STAFF:
Head Coach: Marcus Gordon
Assistant Coach: Russ Hughes
Volunteer Assistant: Steve Mytych
Volunteer Assistant: Mike Dessino
 
Clarion Projected Lineup
Golden Eagles (1-3, 0-1 MAC East)
125: R-Sr. Jake Gromacki (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) 0-4
133: So. Seth Koleno (Clarence, Pa./Bald Eagle) 5-6
141: R-Jr. Taylor Ortz (Brookville, Pa./Brookville) 2-3
149: #10 R-Sr. Brock Zacherl (Mayport, Pa./Brookville) 9-3
157: Jr. Avery Shay (New Fairfield, Conn/New Fairfield) 5-7
165: R-Sr. Mike Bartolo (Greenville, Pa./Reynolds) 3-5
174: Jr. Max Wohlabaugh (Winter Springs, Fla./Winter Springs) 4-6
184: Jr. Luke Funck (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) 4-7
197: #13 R-Jr. Greg Bulsak (South Park, Pa./South Park) 11-5
285: R-So. Ty Bagoly (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) 8-3
COACHING STAFF:
Head Coach: Keith Ferraro
Assistant Coach: Nathan Kraisser
Volunteer Assistant: Malike McDonald
Volunteer Assistant: Nick Deloia
 
* # - Individual Rankings = FloWrestling (Dec. 16)
 
LHU news, notes & storylines:

• Lock Haven is 4-1 overall and on a four-match win streak after opening the dual schedule with a loss.
• Thursday's match is Lock Haven's first ever MAC Eastern Division match.
• DJ Fehlman will look for win No. 100 Thursday night.
• Fehlman would become Lock Haven's 22^nd all-time 100-match winner and the first since Kyle Shoop hit 100 wins last season.
• Fehlman was 4-0 last week and was named this week's MAC East Wrestler of the Week.
• Shoop now has 113 career wins which ties him for No. 9 all-time.
• Freshman 125-pounder Matt Maloney had his redshirt pulled for the Navy match and he went 3-1 last weekend. One of his three wins came by way of an 11-second pin which marked the fastest to start a match in school history.
• The 2019-20 season marks Lock Haven's first in the MAC.
• The win over Navy marked Scott Moore's 50^th career dual win at LHU.

Women's Exhibition:
More history will be made Thursday (Dec. 10) night as the newly formed women's varsity wrestling team will be in action. Dallis Dillon (Howard, Pa./Bald Eagle) will represent the LHU women's wrestling team in an exhibition match prior to the LHU-Bloom dual at 6:30 p.m. Dillon will take on East Stroudsburg's Josselinne Campos. The projected 130-pound match between Dillon and Campos will be held under freestyle rules with the two competing in two 3-minute periods of action.

LHU in the national rankings:
*FloWrestling rankings (Dec. 16)
141: Kyle Shoop, No. 18
157: Alex Klucker, No. 18
184: Corey Hazel, No. 13
 
MAC rankings:
On December 13, the MAC released its December 2019 rankings and the Bald Eagles were picked to finish fourth at the 2019-20 MAC Championships. Lock Haven was ranked in six of 10 weight classes including Corey Hazel's hold on the No. 1 spot at 184. Luke Werner was ranked No. 5 at 125, DJ Fehlman was ranked No. 2 at 133, returning All-American Kyle Shoop was ranked No. 3 at 141, Alex Klucker was ranked No. 5 at 157 and Jared Siegrist was listed No. 5 at 174. Full release/rankings at getsomemaction.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT (Dec. 14): Lock Haven rolls at Messiah Duals
On Saturday, December 14, Lock Haven turned in an all-around dominating effort on the way to a perfect 3-0 run at the Messiah Duals, hosted by Messiah College. LHU beat Millersville University 41-6, topped McDaniel College 49-6, and in the final match of the day, Lock Haven rolled by host-Messiah College, 43-3. On the day, Lock Haven won 26 of 30 bouts with 13 pins, five tech falls and three majors. The three wins today helped Lock Haven cap a perfect 4-0 weekend.  Leading the way today was Matt Maloney, DJ Fehlman, Austin Wilson, Austin Bell, Jared Siegrist and Parker McClellan, who were all a perfect 3-0 on the day. Lock Haven opened the day with a 41-6 win over Division II Millersville. The Bald Eagles won eight of 10 bouts, recording bonus points by way of three pins, two tech falls, a major and a forfeit. LHU followed up the win over Millersville with a dominating effort vs. Division III McDaniel. In a match that took no more than 20 minutes of real time, the Bald Eagles recorded six pins and two tech falls, and LHU won nine of 10 bouts in the 49-6 victory. Five of Lock Haven's six pins came in the first period including Maloney's 11-second fall, which established a new school record for fastest pin. In the day's final dual, Lock Haven won nine of 10 bouts vs. Messiah and won, 43-3 behind four more Haven pins. Messiah is ranked No. 17 in Division III. With the three wins, Lock Haven extended its win streak to four after Friday's (Dec. 13) victory at the 2019 Rumble in the Jungle.
 
Haven picks up another win at Red Lion, Rumble in the Jungle (Dec. 13):
Alex Klucker and Corey Hazel recorded valuable bonus-points, and DJ Fehlman sealed the team victory with a dominating win in the night's final bout, helping the Lock Haven University wrestling team edge out Navy (3-3), 19-15, at the 2019 Rumble in the Jungle in Red Lion, Pennsylvania at Red Lion High School's Fitzkee Center. Klucker recorded a quick pin at 157 and Hazel recorded a major decision at 184 and the duo's bonus-point victories certainly played a major role in the outcome for the Bald Eagles (1-1). With the win, Lock Haven moved to 1-1 and bounced back from the dual season-opening loss last week vs. Central Michigan. Returning All-American Kyle Shoop and Brock Port also won tonight for LHU as Lock Haven and Navy each split five wins in the dual. This marked the second Rumble in the Jungle and the Red Lion fans were once again treated to thrilling Division I wrestling action. Red Lion lies in the heart of the PIAA's District 3, a tradition-rich wrestling area, and LHU wrestling continues to hold close District 3 ties. Lock Haven's current 2019-20 roster features nine student-athletes from District 3, including Shoop and Klucker who both won tonight. Shoop and Klucker were two of three District 3 alums in Lock Haven's starting lineup tonight. The other was Jared Siegrist, who was edged out by a nationally-ranked foe at 174 pounds.
 
A look back at LHU's season-opening dual (Dec. 6, 2019):
The then-ranked No. 25 Bald Eagles got major decisions from DJ Fehlman, Jared Siegrist and No. 14 Corey Hazel, but it wasn't enough as visiting Central Michigan (1-1) won seven of 10 bouts and took the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East-West Crossover, 24-12. It marked a historic night for LHU wrestling as it served as the Bald Eagles' first dual vs. a MAC member as a member of the Mid-American Conference. For Fehlman, the win was a big one as it pushed his career win total to 95, as he inches closer to becoming LHU's 22nd all-time member of the 100-win club. Fehlman, ranked No. 22 at 133 pounds, knocked off Deven Perez in dominating fashion 13-2 (major dec.). Siegrist won a thriller at 174 and his dominating effort helped him drop CMU's Jake Lowell, 15-6 (major dec.), and Hazel thrilled the home crowd with another major at 184. Hazel, ranked No. 14 in the nation, rolled by Central Michigan's Ben Cushman 14-6. - - Full recap at www.GoLHU.com - -
 
A historic dual:
The December 6 home dual match vs. Central Michigan proved to be a historic day for LHU wrestling as the Bald Eagles made their official MAC-dual debut by hosting the Chippewas in the East-West MAC Crossover. It marked LHU's first dual as a MAC member vs. a fellow MAC team. Last March (2019), it was announced that Lock Haven, along with the other current members of the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), would be joining the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the sport of wrestling this season. It was a historic moment for college wrestling and one that made the MAC the second largest wrestling conference in the country. In the sport of wrestling, the MAC's Eastern Division is made up of Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, George Mason, Lock Haven, Rider and Old Dominion. The Western Division consists of Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Kent State, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Ohio and SIU-Edwardsville.
 
2019-20 MAC Eastern Division Wrestlers of the Week:
December 18 - - DJ Fehlman, 133 pounds
For the second time in three weeks, a Bald Eagle was named the MAC Eastern Division Wrestler of the Week. This week, redshirt-senior DJ Fehlman (Warren, Pa./Warren) took home the honor for the Bald Eagles. Fehlman enjoyed a busy and perfect weekend for LHU. The redshirt-senior went a perfect 4-0 and helped Lock Haven go 4-0 as he recorded a win in each of Lock Haven's four dual victories over the weekend. With the four wins, Fehlman pushed his career win total to 99. The returning national qualifier will look for win No. 100 this week in MAC Eastern Division action. Fehlman started his week with a huge win vs. Navy on Friday, (Dec. 13). After the match started at 141, it was all up to Fehlman in the night's final bout to seal the team-victory in front of 2,000-plus at Red Lion High School in the 2019 Rumble in the Jungle. As the Bald Eagles clung to a one-point 16-15 lead heading into the final bout, Fehlman put it away in style, dominating Navy's Casey Cobb, 9-3. Fehlman and Cobb, who was listed in some national rankings last week, were tied 0-0 after one, but Fehlman led 7-2 after an exciting second period. A late Fehlman third-period takedown sealed the win. On Saturday, (Dec. 14), Lock Haven picked up lopsided wins over Millersville, McDaniel and Messiah, and Fehlman was 3-0 on the day with a tech fall and two pins.
December 4 - - Luke Werner, 125 pounds
Luke Werner was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division Wrestler of the Week on December 4, 2019. It marked the first time in history that a Bald Eagle has earned the weekly honor with this being LHU's first season as a wrestling only affiliate member of the MAC. Werner, the Bald Eagles' junior 125-pounder, turned in another impressive early-season outing, going 5-0 on the way to the title at LHU's annual Mat-Town Open. Werner recorded two majors, a tech fall and two pins as all five wins came in dominating style with bonus points attached. The 5-0 day helped Werner improve to 15-2 on the season. Werner was projected to redshirt the season, but plans changed after his hot start. In the dual vs. Central Michigan, Werner nearly pulled an immediate and huge upset, but he was edged by his top-10 opponent Drew Hildebrandt, 3-2 in a thriller.
 
National qualifiers return:
Last season (2018-19), Lock Haven sent a total of six Bald Eagles to the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championships in Pittsburgh. Four of those six return this season in the form of redshirt-seniors DJ Fehlman (133), Kyle Shoop (141), Alex Klucker (157) and Corey Hazel (184). Shoop, a returning All-American (7th, 141), is a three-time national qualifier. Fehlman, Klucker and Hazel are all two-time NCAA qualifiers.
 
The march toward 100 wins:
DJ Fehlman (R-Sr.) currently has 99 career wins as he looks to become LHUs 22nd 100-match winner. Senior Jared Siegrist is also inching closer to 100 wins and has 80 career victories as a Bald Eagle. Redshirt-senior Corey Hazel has 74 career wins, while Luke Werner, a junior, sits on 71 career wins.
 
All-American Shoop leads the way:
On November 23 at the Navy Classic, returning All-American Kyle Shoop made his highly anticipated 2019-20 season debut. He finished second after going 4-1 vs. tough early-season competition. Shoop, a three-time NCAA tournament qualifier, has led the nation in Division I tech falls in each of the last two seasons. He's the career school record holder in tech falls and moving up the all-time win list (112 wins). Shoop reached 100 wins last year, becoming the 21st Bald Eagle to do so. He currently has 113 wins, which ties him for the ninth most in school history. Shoop finished seventh last year at the NCAA Tournament at 141 pounds.
 
Up next:
After Saturday's (Dec. 21) MAC East dual at Clarion, LHU will open the 2020 calendar year at the prestigious Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee (Jan. 1-2).