11/3/23
 
WREST: 2023-2024 Preview       
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – After an undefeated season in duals and putting six qualifiers through to the NJCAA Wrestling Championships last season, Lackawanna College wrestling is poised to take another step forward as the Falcons prepare for the 2023-2024 campaign.
 
The Falcons return five wrestlers from last year's squad, four of which were national qualifiers. Leading the pack is sophomore Dylan Hogan (Bushkill, PA), who was a team-best 17-3 last season. Hogan, competing at 165 lbs., was an 8-seed in last year's national tournament, advancing into the second round before dropping a match, then winning a consolation bracket match-up before falling in the next round. Hogan is the defending Region XIX champion at 165 lbs., and was 12-1 in matches that ended in falls. He is ready to step up his game this season.
 

 
Also, back for more this year is sophomore heavyweight wrestler Shannon Clark (Scranton, PA), who went 14-6 overall last season. Clark, who finished as runner-up in the Gulf Atlantic District Championships last year, was the 14^th seed heading into the national tournament, and won a pair of matches, including his first-round bout. Shannon is ready to raise his game, and wants to see improvement this season.
 

 
The Falcons also return another pair of national qualifiers in Evan Raposo (Sophomore; East Stroudsburg, PA) and Simeon Hunte (Sophomore; Burlington Twp., NJ). Raposo was 12-6 last season, wrestling at 157 lbs. He was 8-1 in matches ending in falls, and won a consolation bracket bout at the national tournament last season. Hunte competed at 174 lbs. last year, going 9-11 overall. Hunte won a pair of matches at the Gulf Atlantic District Championships to qualify himself for the national tournament last year. He will compete at 197 this season for the Falcons.
 
Back for this season is Felix Mendez, who did not compete last season but did compete in 2021 on a limited basis. Mendez will be wrestling at 149 lbs. this season. The Falcons also add Carlos Cruz, James Forsette, Edward Lauritsen, Anthony D'Angelis, Bre'yon Moore, and Freya Lauritsen to this season's active roster.
 
Coach Frank Barbrie is back for his third season in charge of the program. After taking the Falcons to some heights last season, coach Barbrie believes he's got the talent to once again compete for trophies and accolades, both in Region XIX and beyond.
 

 
The Falcons have another challenging schedule ahead of them, all on the road, with a home match to be added sometime in the 2024 portion of the schedule. It starts with back-to-back duals on back-to-back weekends, as the Falcons open the season at ancient rival Keystone College on Sunday, November 5^th for a dual, then travel to Wilkes University on Saturday, November 11^th for a dual with the Colonels inside the Marts Center.
 
Lackawanna also has duals set up against Wilmington College (OH) on the second weekend in December, and will compete in a quad dual at Bergen CC later in January against Bergen, Thaddeus Stevens, and RPI.
 
The Falcons also have plenty of open tournaments where they will be competing, starting on Saturday, November 18^th, when they travel to Millersville to take part in the Shorty Hitchcock Classic at Millersville University. On the first weekend in December, Lackawanna travels to Niagara County CC for the Thunderwolves Open, then it will head back to Wilkes-Barre to participate in the Wilkes Invitational on December 22^nd. Finally, in late January, the Falcons will head back up north to New York to take part in the Jamestown Open at Jamestown CC.
 
To close out the year, Lackawanna College will once again host the NJCAA Gulf Atlantic District Championships, where teams from Regions XIX, X, and XX will converge in Scranton for the national qualifying tournament on February 17^th. The wrestlers chosen out of that tourney will then compete at the NJCAA Wrestling Championships, being held once again in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the Mid-America Center on the first weekend in March.