Pitt earns EWL win without heavyweight Sheaffer

The Pitt wrestling team was without No. 11-ranked heavyweight Zach Sheaffer for its match… The Pitt wrestling team was without No. 11-ranked heavyweight Zach Sheaffer for its match against Lock Haven, but was still able to win, 24-13.

Sheaffer, who leads the team in victories this year with 27, was out with an illness, Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer said. Sophomore Ryan Tomei wrestled the heavyweight match in Sheaffer’s place, winning with an 8-0 major decision to clinch a win for the No. 20-ranked Panthers (9-2, 2-0 EWL).

“We feel comfortable with Ryan,” Stottlemyer said. “He’s done a good job for us this year. He’s worked really hard.”

The Panthers improved to 2-0 in EWL competition for the first time since 2004-05 in front of a packed Fitzgerald Field House thanks to Inspiring Pitt Pride night. The many fans in attendance stood the duration of the match, letting barely a minute go by between numerous loud chants.

“It was a lot of fun,” Stottlemyer said about wrestling in front of such a crowd. “I’m sure [the team] enjoyed it.”

Next up Pitt will head out on the road to take on EWL foe Cleveland State.

After Brad Gentzle was shut out 12-0 in the 125-pound match to give the Bald Eagles (6-4, 0-1 EWL) a 4-0 lead, Pitt’s first victory came from Jimmy Conroy in the 133-pound bout.

The sophomore quickly scored, taking the legs out from under his opponent from behind for a takedown and then scored three more points with a near fall.

Conroy was awarded a point for riding time to win the match, 6-1, decreasing Pitt’s deficit to 4-3.

“He did a real good job,” Stottlemyer said of Conroy, adding that he had also been sick recently.

The 141-pound match saw Drew Headlee take on Clint Shirk in the most aggressive fight of the night.

Early in the match, the two grappled and attempted to throw one another, but the momentum of both fighters ended up tossing them out of the ring.

On his way back to the ring, Headlee and Shirk came face-to-face, and Headlee shoved Shirk out of the way.

The referee intervened and the match continued, with Headlee dominating from there.

Shirk stopped the match and had his left knee taped up by his trainer and was also called for two stalling violations during the match, resulting in an extra point for Headlee.

The senior took the match, 12-0, to give Pitt a 7-4 lead, and the two wrestlers shared some words as they shook hands, and the jawing continued as they walked back to their respective benches.

After Joe Ciampoli dropped the 149-pound match, No. 4 Matt Kocher continued his impressive season with a 17-5 major decision to bring the Pitt lead to 11-7. But Lock Haven didn’t let the lead grow just yet, winning the 165-pound match to keep it within one point.

The Panthers took a commanding lead with the 174-pound match, thanks to a pin-fall victory by No. 1 Keith Gavin. Gavin already led 7-2 heading into the third period, but his best was yet to come.

He was able to score a point on an escape, two points with a takedown and then pinned his opponent, leading the crowd to erupt in applause.

It happened so quickly that if someone looked down to check their digital watch, they would’ve missed the entire sequence.

“That’s a guy who’s stepping to plate for us,” Stottlemyer said. “That’s why we are where we are.”

With the Panther lead now at 17-10, sophomore Dave Sullivan won his match to put Pitt ahead, 20-10. With a late 3-0 lead, Sullivan topped off the match using a takedown with only 20 seconds remaining to give him the 6-0 decision.

“He’s been a nice addition,” Stottlemyer said of the transfer from East Stroudsburg University.

In the final match, Tomei was able to contain Dan Craig, who was tied for the most wins for Lock Haven going into the match.