Wrestler Chance Marsteller set for first NCAA Championships appearance

He's been out of high school for four years, but Kennard-Dale legend Chance Marsteller is finally making his NCAA Championships debut next week.

The Lock Haven 165-pounder earned a bid by finishing second at the the Eastern Wrestling League Championships last weekend. He enters the NCAA Championships ranked ninth at his weight with a 40-2 record on the season.

He'll face unranked Indiana junior Bryce Martin (15-8) in his first match next Thursday. If he wins his first two matches, he could likely face top-seed Isaiah Martinez of Illinois in the quarterfinals. A senior, Martinez is undefeated this season and is a two-time national champion.

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Regardless of how Marsteller does next weekend, this season has been a major step for him after a turbulent start to his college career.

After transferring from Oklahoma State to Lock Haven in 2016, Marsteller was arrested in August of that year when he was accused of kicking, spitting and biting at police officers when they were called to an apartment complex near Lock Haven. According to court documents, he had a blood alcohol content that was more than three times the legal limit for driving and also had marijuana and cocaine in his system.

He pleaded guilty to one count of lewdness and six counts of simple assault in January of last year and was given seven years of probation. Marsteller said he completed rehab and he returned to Fawn Grove following his arrest, volunteering as a Kennard-Dale junior high wrestling coach last year.

He was added back to Lock Haven's roster this past October. A redshirt junior, he has one more year of eligibility after this season.

Marsteller went 166-0 and won four consecutive state championships at Kennard-Dale. He originally verbally committed to Penn State before switching to Oklahoma State, where he spent two seasons before quitting the team. He redshirted his first year and went just 6-5 the next campaign.

The 2018 NCAA Championships take place from March 15 to 17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The opening round will be aired on ESPN U while the semifinals and finals will be aired on ESPN.

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