Wrestling: Panthers enjoying success, but still eye a national championship

On Dec. 12, the Pitt men’s wrestling team renewed its rivalry with Penn State at the… On Dec. 12, the Pitt men’s wrestling team renewed its rivalry with Penn State at the Fitzgerald Field House.

It was the first time the Panthers and the Nittany Lions met on the mat since the 2004-05 season, when Pitt was ranked No. 25 and Penn State No. 16. Penn State took that match, 26-19.

This season, Pitt found itself in a similar situation. The No. 24 Panthers were ready to face the No. 14 Nittany Lions. The results, however, would be different this time.

Pitt didn’t get the victory, but neither did Penn State. The teams tied, 19-19.

“We were upset we didn’t get the win,” junior heavyweight Ryan Tomei said. “But it showed that we could wrestle with the best. I think a lot of guys on the team realized we were legitimate contenders.”

Despite not getting the victory, assistant coach Jason Peters thinks the contest was a turning point in the season.

“We let the match slip away,” he said. “We were all disappointed we didn’t get the win, but I think it helped fuel the team.”

Since that mid-December contest, the Panthers haven’t lost a match and now rank No. 18 in the nation. They are 13-1-1 overall and haven’t lost in their three Eastern Wrestling League matches.

Coming off wins over Penn and conference foe Cleveland State this past weekend, Pitt is enjoying its most successful season in recent memory.

Head coach Rande Stottlemyer believes the source of the team’s success stems from a change in the culture of Pitt wrestling.

“The guys are starting to buy into the process of what it takes to compete at the Division I level,” Stottlemyer said. “In order to be the best you have to wrestle 365 days a year, you can never stand still.”

Stottlemyer’s approach is getting across to the wrestlers.

“The coaches bust our butt. They push us hard” Tomei, the seventh-ranked heavyweight in the NCAA, said. “You have to work hard and the guys are starting to understand what it takes to get stronger and tougher. We’re figuring out what it takes to win.”

Tomei believes the hard work and dedication is what is taking this team to the next level.

“We may not have the most talented wrestlers in the country,” he said, “but I know this team is in better shape than almost any other team we play. That’s because the wrestlers are buying into the system.”

As the team embraces this mentality, the results have been showing on the wrestling mat.

The Panthers haven’t lost since Nov. 15, when they fell to Lehigh, 24-9. The only other blemish on a potential undefeated record since then was the draw against Penn State. With one more win, Pitt can tie a school-record 14 dual-match victories in one season.

The young talent of this Pitt team has especially been impressive this season.

Freshman Anthony Zanetta recently broke into the top 10 for wins by a freshman. His stellar 26-8 record for the year ties him for 10th on the all-time Pitt win list for freshman.

Fourteen of the 26 players listed on the roster are freshman or sophomores, including the one-two punch of sophomore middleweights Tyler Nauman and Matt Wilps.

The latest collegiate rankings put Nauman and Wilps at No. 18 in the 141- and 197-pound weight classes, respectively.

While this team has undoubtedly exceeded expectations this season, the pieces seem to be in place for success in the long run.

“We’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Stottlemyer said. “We have a good recruiting class coming in. We have young guys ready to step up. I think we have a great nucleus of wrestlers here.”

Tomei agrees that the program is laying the foundation for future success.

“We have kids on this team that are willing todedicate themselves to wresting for four or five years,” he said. “We have backups that want to get better and are waiting for their opportunity to step in.”

The Panthers will play four more matches before the EWL championships in March and the NCAA championships that take place a couple of weeks later.

Tomei believes that, while the team should be proud of what it’s done to get to this point, even loftier goals should help fuel the team to compete over the second half of the season.

“Everyone has to stay focused and keep wrestling hard,” said Tomei. “I don’t know what other people’s goals are but mine is simple: I want to be a national champion.”