LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven men's wrestling team is set to take on Northern Illinois University on the road Friday (Feb. 9) night at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CDT) in Mid-American Conference (MAC) action.
 
Friday's match at NIU will serve as the Huskies' "Beauty and the Beast" event as the Northern Illinois women's gymnastics team will also be in action in the NIU Convocation Center.
 
Lock Haven is 6-9 overall in duals and the Bald Eagles are 3-2 in MAC action. Last week, The Haven went 1-1. Lock Haven opened last week's slate with a thrilling 25-16 win over longtime rival Clarion on Feb. 1. The Bald Eagles dropped their second match of the week as they were downed by Navy on the road in non-conference action a day later on Feb. 2.
 
Overall, Lock Haven was won three of its last five duals.
 
Northern Illinois is an impressive 11-2 overall and the Huskies are 5-1 in MAC duals with wins over Kent State, Ohio, Cleveland State, Central Michigan and Buffalo. Three NIU wrestlers were listed in the first edition of the 2023-24 NCAA Coaches' Rankings when they were released on Jan. 22, including projected Friday-night starters Blake West (No. 33, 125), Jaivon Jones (No. 30, 149) and Jacobi Jackson (No. 26, 285).
 
Returning All-America Anthony Noto and returning national-qualifiers Gable Strickland and Wyatt Henson were ranked in the NCAA Coaches' Rankings. Noto leads the way as he's ranked No. 8 at 125 pounds. Strickland is ranked No. 29 at 133 and Henson is ranked 13 at 141.
 
Noto is 12-2 on the season and Strickland improved to 23-10 with a pair of impressive wins last week vs. Clarion and Navy.
 
Henson is now 29-2 on the season and he leads all NCAA Division I wresters in tech falls. He has 13 techs on the season including 12 vs. DI opponents.
 
At 149, Nick Stonecheck has been on a roll and his pin clinched the team victory over Clarion in thrilling fashion. This week, he's ranked No. 33 by InterMat. Stonecheck now has 14 wins as his strong-second half of the season continues.
 
Colin Fegley, the Bald Eagles' starter at 184 pounds, enjoyed a breakout-week last week that saw him go a perfect 2-0. His tech fall helped power the Bald Eagles to the win over Clarion, and it was even more impressive as Fegley jumped up a weight class to get it done. He moved up to 197 in a strategic move that paid off as Fegley needed just 5:53 to tech Clarion's Brett Wittmann, 17-2. A day later, on the road at Navy, Fegley settled back into his normal spot at 184 pounds, but the fireworks carried on as the Bald Eagle scored a major upset in downing nationally-ranked David Key, 5-2.
 
Lock Haven's Projected Lineup:
125: #8 R-Jr. Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) 12-2
// OR // 125: Fr. Logan Sallot (Erie, Pa./McDowell) 5-13
133: #29 Jr. Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton) 23-10
141: #13 R-So. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) 29-2
149: Jr. Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford) 14-9
157: Jr. Connor Eck (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) 24-17
// OR // 157: R-So. DaShawn Farber (Bethlehem, Pa./Nazareth) 12-6
165: R-Fr. Eric Alderfer (Harleysville, Pa./Faith Christian Academy) 7-16
174: Jr. Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph's Academy) 5-6
184: R-Jr. Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy) 13-13
197: So. Cael Black (Warren, Pa./Eisenhower) 10-18
285: So. Ethan Miller (York, Pa./Central York) 6-18
*#, Individual National Ranking = NCAA Coaches' Panel (Jan. 22)
 
Up Next:
Lock Haven will close the 2023-24 regular season next week with a pair of MAC duals. The Bald Eagles will open the weekend vs. Cleveland State at home in Thomas Fieldhouse on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Lock Haven will travel to Edinboro for a 7 p.m. match.