Head Coach Matt Lackey
Entering fourth season at Lock Haven: 19-9 overall
Matt Lackey was officially named the Lock Haven women’s wrestling coach on October 19, 2022.
The 2025-26 season will mark his fourth at the helm of a program that soared to new heights during Lackey’s first three years as head coach.
A look back at 2024-25:
The 2024-25 was another historically year for Lackey and the Bald Eagles.
The Bald Eagles finished the regular season with an 11-9 record with ranked wins over No. 17 Wisconsin-Stevens Point, No. 19 Elimira and No. 23 Gannon.
In January, Alyssa Favara was named the Region 2 Wrestler of the Month, after finishing 7-1 overall with two tech falls and one pin.
The Bald Eagles were nationally ranked throughout the season and entered postseason competition as the No. 14 team in the country.
The Haven kicked off the postseason with a bang by winning the Team Championship at the Region 2 Tournament behind three individual champions and a total of twelve place winners.
Jayleah Pletz (117), Azariah Moore (180), and No. 4 Alyssa Favara (207) all placed first in their respective weight classes. Summer Batts (103), Lily Sherer (131), Marissa Rumsey (145), Avry Ryhal (160), and Trinity Monaghan (207) placed third. Paige Jackson placed fourth at 138, finishing with a record of 4-2 with two pins and one tech fall. Isabella DeVito and Lydia Knarr placed fifth at 124 and 131, respectively.
Moore went on to secure All-American honors at the National Event, placing sixth with five victories over the two-day event.
Sophomore Lindsay Laws (Health Science), junior Trinity Monaghan (Sports Management), freshman Jayleah Pletz (Education) and senior Lily Sherer (Sports Management) were named 2025 NCAA Women's Wrestling Scholar All-Americans.
A look back at 2023-24:
The 2023-24 season for Lackey and the Lock Haven women's wrestling program was truly a year to remember.
The Bald Eagles reached as high as No. 7 in the national rankings for the second straight season under Lackey.
Lock Haven was selected to host the 2023-24 National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) Region 1 Championships and did not disappoint in front of the home crowd.
Kaelani Shufeldt and Grace Stem both claimed gold and were two of six total national qualifiers as the Bald Eagles finished second overall at the Region I Tournament.
By way of their individual titles, both Shufeldt and Stem punched their ticket to the National Championships in Iowa. Joining them as national qualifiers was Lily Sherer, Stella Steigler, Azariah Moore, and Paige Jackson.
The second-place team finish is the best for Lock Haven in three total regional championship appearances. The six national qualifiers are also the most ever for the Bald Eagles.
Stem, Steigler and Schufeldt went on to close remarkable seasons with All-American performances as the 2024 NCWWC National Championship event.
Shufeldt finished as a national runner-up at 109 pounds, earning All-American status for the second straight season. Stem became a two-time All-American after placing fourth overall at 136. Steigler finished seventh at 170 and was 4-2 overall in her national championship debut. The trio helped Lock Haven place seventh at the national championship, the highest team finish in school history.
In April, Schufeldt competed in the United States Olympic Team Trials in State College, Pennsylvania.
A look back at 2022-23:
What a year it was for the women’s wrestling program and first-year head coach Matt Lackey.
The nationally-ranked women's wrestling team closed the 2022-23 season in style on the biggest stage. With three All-Americans, the Bald Eagles made a historic run through the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) National Championship tournament in early March.
The trio of Grace Stem, Kaelani Shufeldt, and Lily Sherer all earned All-American status for the Bald Eagles.
As a team, the Bald Eagles placed 11th overall with 38.5 points, narrowly missing the top-10 by half a point. In historic fashion, it marked the highest team finish ever for the still young program.
Stem finished fourth overall, Shufeldt was sixth overall, and Sherer placed eighth as they became Lock Haven’s first All-Americans for women’s wrestling.
In all, five Bald Eagles competed at the national championships as both Madison Matta and Trinity Monaghan qualified for the tournament and represented Lock Haven well.
During the season, Lock Haven jumped to as high as No. 7 in the national rankings, which is the highest in program history.
Lackey is just the second coach in program history when he was officially appointed to lead the program on October 19, 2022. Him and the team never looked back as they soared to new heights. Lackey replaced Ronnie Perry who is now the assistant coach with The Haven's Division I men's program.
Not long ago - on May 22, 2019, Lock Haven announced plans to add women’s wrestling as a varsity sport.
Day 1 for Lackey:
Lackey, a former NCAA Division I men’s national champion wrestler and the 2003 Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, returned to Mat-Town U.S.A prior to the start of the 2022-23 season. He returned after previously serving as the men’s assistant wrestling coach at Lock Haven from 2009-2011.
A decorated collegiate wrestler, Lackey competed at the University of Illinois where he won a NCAA Division I championship at 165 pounds in 2003.
Lackey was a three-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten Champion, and he was named the 2003 Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year. As an athlete, he also was a two-time United States’ Olympic Trials qualifier.
Following his stint with the Bald Eagles, he moved on to the University of Buffalo where he served as the head assistant men’s wrestling coach from 2011-2014.
During his time at Buffalo, Lackey served as the recruiting coordinator. Over three seasons, he helped guide 11 wrestlers to the national tournament.
Coach Lackey lives locally with his wife Elisa and their four daughters, Anna, Payton, Kennedy and Dylan.
*UPDATED: August 5, 2025
