Wrestling: Panthers go 2-1 in opening weekend

While the Pitt wrestling team posts a 2-1 record after three weekend matches, redshirt sophomore… While the Pitt wrestling team posts a 2-1 record after three weekend matches, redshirt sophomore Tyler Nauman remains undefeated with an 8-0 record.

In Sunday’s match against No. 17-ranked Lehigh, Nauman earned a 5-3 decision over Seth Ciasulli, ranked 18th in the 141-pound weight class. Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer was impressed with Nauman’s efforts in such an important match-up.

“Tyler really excelled in a wild match,” Stottlemyer said. “Let’s just say there was a lot of creative wrestling taking place.”

Despite Pitt’s initial lead and the spark provided by Nauman, the Panthers fell to Lehigh 24-9, their first dual match loss this year.

Pitt nearly swept Sacred Heart last Friday in the first match of the season, led by a fall win by junior Ryan Tomei.

“Tomei did a good job for us and helped the team perform to its maximum potential,” Stottlemyer said. “It was important for us to open the season with an overall positive effort.”

All but two Panthers – sophomores Chris Kochinsky and Karl DeCiantis – won their matches in Pitt’s 35-6 victory. Eric Albright won his 149-pound bout 21-6 to give him a major decision. Matt Wilps also won by pinfall in his 197-pound match.

The superior play continued in Friday’s second match as Pitt defeated Drexel 28-13. In this match, Stottlemyer noted the victories of several individuals and their contribution to the team.

“We had six guys come away with wins against Drexel,” Stottlemyer said. “Balance on the team is crucial, and I definitely saw that on Friday.”

Kochinsky won his 125-pound match with a 9-5 decision. Winning against both Drexel and Sacred Heart were Nauman, Albright, Zac Thomusseit, Wilps and Tomei.

Even the team loss against Lehigh allowed Stottlemyer to see the strength of certain wrestlers, especially Wilps.

“Matt was really impressive in an overtime win on Sunday,” Stottlemyer said. “We like to see our younger wrestlers remain tough and rise to the level of competition.”

Although Pitt is 2-1, Stottlemyer still anticipates growth and improvement in the coming matches.

“We are in the process of figuring things out,” Stottlemyer said. “We felt like we could have come away with a big win against Lehigh, so we still have work to do.”