Panthers fail to pin down win against Cleveland State

Cleveland State out-muscled Pitt at the Fitzgerald Field House Wednesday in an Eastern… Cleveland State out-muscled Pitt at the Fitzgerald Field House Wednesday in an Eastern Wrestling League dual meet, defeating the Panthers 21-15. The Vikings (8-2, 1-0 EWL) used one pin and five decisions in the 10 weight classes to separate from Pitt (5-4, 1-1).

No. 3 Keith Gavin and No. 13 Drew Headlee shined for the Panthers in their individual bouts. The duo scored bonus points for the team, which were added to the overall team total after each of their battles.

Gavin, wrestling in the 174-pound class, topped Cleveland State’s Nate Kmets, 20-5, with five takedowns. The redshirt junior won with riding time on a technical fall, his fourth technical fall of the season.

“He did a great job for us,” Pitt head coach Rande Stottlemeyer said. “We thought he had a pin, and he almost got one early on, but the next best thing is a technical fall, and he was able to get that much.”

Headlee wrestled Cleveland State’s David Armstrong in the 133-pound weight class. The Waynesburg, Pa., native shut out Armstrong, 11-0, using one takedown, one near fall, one escape and two back points to win a major decision.

“He worked hard for the pin like Gavin,” Stottlemeyer said. “And even though he didn’t get it, it was a great effort. He has that wrestler’s mindset, and you have to have that to be successful.”

The decision pushed Pitt into the lead, 4-3. But it was the only lead the Panthers took all night.

Following Headlee’s major decision, Cleveland State won three consecutive decisions. It was a stretch that crippled the Panthers.

“In wrestling, you have to learn to keep an even keel,” Stottlemeyer said. “There were some bouts we thought we could win, and it didn’t go our way. But as an individual, you have to be ready to go out and compete on your own terms.”

Sean Richmond, wrestling in the 165-pound class, started the Panthers crawl back into the competition, edging out Cleveland State’s Marcus Effner, 5-2. Richmond took a first-round lead with a takedown, added another in the second round and escaped once in the third round to hold off the shifty Effner.

Gavin’s demolishing of Kmets ensued, but Cleveland State’s David Gilkey overcame a first-round deficit to Pitt redshirt sophomore Kyle Deliere in the 184-pound class to gain momentum for the Vikings.

Gilkey bounced back from Deliere’s takedown with one of his own. He then escaped for one more point and added another escape in the third round to win the bout, 4-2.

“It was a close match,” Stottlemeyer said. “[Deliere] wrestled hard, and it was a tough one to lose.”

In the 197-pound class, Cleveland State’s Chris Hahn wasted little time putting the Panthers away. At the one-minute mark, Hahn pinned Pitt redshirt junior Eric Cassidy to seal the Vikings’ victory and hand Pitt its second loss in three dual meets.

“The pin was totally unacceptable,” Stottlemeyer said. “We needed Cassidy to perform and win the match to give Sheaffer a chance to take the meet.”

Pitt redshirt sophomore Zach Sheaffer won the Panthers’ final bout in the heavyweight division, knocking off Rashard Goff in a 1-0 struggle. Sheaffer needed one escape in the second round to defeat Goff, who entered the showdown with 21 wins.

Sheaffer’s victory made the final tally 22-15, but a penalty charged to Cleveland State for unsportsmanlike conduct cut the Vikings’ final score to 21.

“[Goff] must’ve not shaken hands or said something to the referee,” Stottlemeyer said. “It had to be something pretty significant to get penalized like that. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for us in terms of the points total.”

Pitt wrestling returns to action Sunday at Kent State in an EWL matchup. The Golden Flash defeated the Panthers 25-16 last season. The meet begins at 2 p.m.