Pitt second in EWL tourney, sends four to NCAAs

Although the Pitt wrestling team finished second overall as a team at the Eastern Wrestling… Although the Pitt wrestling team finished second overall as a team at the Eastern Wrestling League Championships, it captured a league-best four individual titles.

Seniors Drew Headlee and Keith Gavin repeated as champions in their respective weight classes, junior Zach Sheaffer won the heavyweight division for the second time in his career, and sophomore Jimmy Conroy earned his first EWL title.

Four winners are a program best for the Panthers, who finished second to Edinboro.

The Fighting Scots’ 133 points topped Pitt’s 111.50 points for their sixth consecutive EWL title.

It was Pitt’s third-ever second-place finish at the EWL Championships, with the other two coming in 1989 and 1997, respectively.

By winning their respective weight classes, the four Panthers clinched a spot in the NCAA Championships held in St. Louis March 20 to 22.

Also joining the four champions are senior Matt Kocher and freshman Ethan Headlee, who are both going as wildcards.

Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer could not be reached for comment.

Conroy was the first Panther to punch a ticket to Missouri by taking the 133-pound weight class. The sophomore started off his title run with a 17-4 major decision over Cleveland State’s Josh Palivoda, and then he scored an 11-5 decision over Jason Guffey of Bloomsburg.

In the finals, he defeated Lock Haven’s Billy Ashnault for his first-ever EWL crown.

Last year’s EWL champion at 133 pounds, Drew Headlee, gave the Panthers their second win of the day in the 141-pound division.

Headlee pinned West Virginia’s Steve Waite in his first bout of the day and shutout Clint Shirk of Lock Haven, 2-0, in the second round to earn a spot in the championship match. There he beat Edinboro’s Torsten Gillespie, 5-1, to earn his third-straight trip to the NCAA Championships.

For the second straight year, Gavin won the EWL title for the 174-pound weight class.

The nation’s top-ranked wrestler in the division was awarded a first-round bye, and then he bested Lock Haven’s Tom Kocher with a 12-4 major decision. In the championship bout, Gavin used a 7-3 decision to improve his unbeaten streak to 28 matches.

Sheaffer ended the tournament on a positive note for the Panthers, winning the second EWL title in his three-year career.

He pinned Dan Craig of Lock Haven in the first round and defeated Cleveland State’s Rashard Goff, 5-1, in the second round. With a 4-2 decision in the championship bout, Sheaffer beat Bloomsburg’s Mike Spaid.

The six Panthers will now turn their focus to the national stage.

In the 133-pound weight class, Conroy will have to compete with fellow sophomore, and Big Ten champ, Franklin Gomez from Michigan State, as well as Cornell’s Mike Grey and Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott.

The favorite in the 141-pound division is Chad Mendes of Cal Poly, but Headlee will also have to go against Michigan’s Kellen Russell and Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State.

If Kocher wants to take the 157-pound crown, he’ll have to find a way to beat Edinboro’s Gregor Gillespie, who has conquered Kocher twice within the past month alone. Another wrestler to watch is Illinois’ Mike Poeta.

At 165 pounds, Ethan Headlee will have to face top talent such as Michigan’s Eric Tannenbaum and Iowa’s Mark Perry.

Gavin has spent his entire senior season as the nation’s top-ranked 174-pound wrestler, and he’ll attempt to show why in the NCAA Championships, which he is the favorite to win.

Trying to hand Gavin his first loss this year will be Jay Borschel, who Gavin defeated, 13-4, in the championship bout at the Midlands tournament this past December.

If Sheaffer hopes to win his first national title, he’ll most likely have to go through Dustin Fox from Northwestern and Ohio State’s J.D. Bergman.