Lock Haven, PA – Hofstra freshman
Sage Heller won the 174-pound title and sophomore
Ryan Burkert placed second at 149 pounds to lead the Pride to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Lock Haven Classic at Thomas Fieldhouse Thursday.
Heller posted a 4-0 record in the 15-team tournament, including a 9-5 victory over Virginia's Garrett Peppelman, who was wrestling unattached, in the final. Heller recorded his first collegiate championship after a second-place finish in the Blue and Gold/Journeymen Tussle B Division at 174 earlier this month, and a third-place finish at the Bearcat Open in November. He is now 17-7 on the season.
Ryan Burkert tallied a 4-1 record with two wins by fall to place second at 149 pounds. He dropped a 9-2 decision to George Mason's Sahid Kargbo in the final. It was Burkert's second top three finish of the season after a third-place finish at the New York Collegiate Championships in November. He is now 9-9 on the year.
Hofstra placed fifth as a team with 50 points. The host Bald Eagles of Lock Haven won the tournament with 102 points with Kent State placing second with 63.5 and Buffalo finishing third with 55 points. George Mason was fourth with 53 points with the Pride fifth.
Hofstra had two other grapplers, who were wrestling unattached, place third in their weight classes but didn't score for the Pride. Junior
Bryan Damon was 5-1 at 133 pounds with two pins and two major decisions. He is 9-5 on the season. Freshman
Ricky Stamm was 5-1 at 157 pounds to post his third top three finish of the year after a first place finish at the Mat Town Open and a second-place finish at the New York State Championship Open Division. Stamm is 14-3 on the year.
Pride red-shirt freshman
Jake Kaminsky was 3-2 with two tech fall wins at 157 pounds. He is 10-10 on the season. Freshman
Jacob Martin was 2-2 at 125 pounds and is 7-12 this season.
Seven Pride wrestlers posted 1-2 records on the tournament as freshmen
Vinny Vespa (7-8) at 133 and
Charlie Kane (4-5), who wrestled unattached, at 141, red-shirt freshman
Connor Burkert (6-9) at 141, sophomore
Omar Haddad (3-10) at 285, red-shirt sophomores
Bobby Fehr (3-6) at 165 and
Connor Muli (4-10), who also wrestled unattached, at 149, and junior
Cory Damiana (1-3), another unattached wrestler, at 184. Two other Hofstra wrestlers went 0-2 on the day.
Hofstra returns to action on Friday, January 6 when they travel back to Pennsylvania for a dual match at Bloomsburg University. Match time is 6 p.m.
