ASHLEY LAWSON/For The Express Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto wrestles Harvard’s Diego Sotelo, ranked No. 28, in a second-round championship contest in Missouri at the NCAA Division I championships. Noto advanced to the semifinals on Friday night, securing an All-American honor in the process.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Anthony Noto continued to lead the way for the No. 24 Lock Haven men’s wrestling team at 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship as he downed No. 4 seed Matt Ramos of Purdue in sudden victory in Friday morning’s quarterfinal round and with the win, he booked a spot in the national semifinals.

In the semifinals, Richard Figueroa of Arizona State defeated Noto by decision in an extremely tight bout, 4-3. The loss drops Noto into the consolations.

Noto held a 1-0 lead early in the second period against Figueroa but the Sun Devil was able to get three big points to close the period out and take a 3-1 lead against Noto. Noto cut the deficit to 3-2 halfway through the third period but Figueroa countered with an escape for a point and a 4-2 advantage.

Noto would secure a point via escape for a 4-3 deficit with less than 20 seconds remaining in the bout, but couldn’t get another point to tie it..

With the quarterfinal victory, Noto also secured All-American status for the second straight year.

Noto became Lock Haven’s first two-time All-American since Chance Marsteller claimed All-American honors in 2018 and 2019. The quarterfinal win over Ramos, last year’s national runner-up at 125 pounds, pushed Noto into tonight’s semifinals. Noto is the Bald Eagles’ first national semifinalist since assistant coach Ronnie Perry made a Cinderella-run to the 149-pound finals in 2018.

With Noto securing All-American status, he’s guaranteed a top-six finish at this point and it serves as the 45th time a Lock Haven Bald Eagle has achieved DI All-American honors on the mats.

In the quarterfinals, Noto locked up with a familiar foe and he once again avenged a loss. Noto, the No. 12 seed at 125, took down fourth-seeded Ramos in sudden victory. The two were tied 0-0 after the first period and Noto led 1-0 after the second on an escape point. Ramos tied the bout at 1-1 with an escape of his own in the third. Late in sudden victory, Noto secured the wining takedown after an exciting scramble that ignited the packed crowd inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

This marked Noto’s second straight NCAA quarterfinal appearance.

Although, the exhibition loss didn’t impact his record on the season, Noto did drop a bout to Ramos in November at the 2023-24 National Wrestling Coaches’ Association All-Star Classic.

Thursday, on Day 1 of the championship, Noto went a perfect 2-0 to book his spot in today’s quarterfinals.

In championship second-round action, Noto picked up a dominating 9-2 victory over No. 28 Diego Sotelo of Harvard. Noto’s victory over Sotelo also avenged a loss from earlier in the season. Noto entered the national tournament with just two losses, and one came at the hands of Sotelo during a dual on January 11. Noto opened the tournament Thursday with a first-round win over Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State.

With today’s quarterfinal victory in hand, Noto improved to 20-2 on the season. He’s now 85-9 for his career.

Now a three-time NCAA qualifier, Noto is 9-4 lifetime at the national tournament.

Gable Strickland also competed today, but he dropped his consolation second round bout to No. 21 Ethan Oakley (Appalachian State), 8-2. Strickland bowed out of the NCAA Tournament, his second straight national-championship appearance, with a 1-2 record.

He picked up his first career NCAA Tournament victory last night in the wrestlebacks. Strickland, a two-time NCAA qualifier and two-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion finished the season at 33-13.