During the regular season, Zach Sheaffer, Pitt’s heavyweight wrestler, lost only two times in… During the regular season, Zach Sheaffer, Pitt’s heavyweight wrestler, lost only two times in dual Eastern Wrestling League competition — a 3-1 loss to Cleveland State’s Joe Dennis and a 10-7 defeat at the hands of Edinboro’s Joe Hennis.

Sheaffer, however, enjoyed the sweet taste of revenge March 5 and 6 at the EWL tournament as he defeated both Dennis and Hennis on his way to claim the heavyweight title.

“Those wins were really sweet wins to say the least,” head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “Whenever Zach lost at Edinboro, it really crushed him, but he used it as motivation to better himself. It was pretty impressive.”

After defeating Hennis in the semifinals, Sheaffer met up with Dennis for the title match. Sheaffer used two near-fall points and a takedown for four first-period points to take the early lead that he held onto for an 8-6 victory.

Ron Tarquinio, an EWL title-winner last year, was the second of three Pitt wrestlers to find themselves in the championship bout as he battled Clarion’s Frank Edgar for the 141-pound title.

Edgar and Tarquinio wrestled to a 1-1 tie at the end of the third period, forcing the match into overtime. It didn’t take Edgar long to finish the match though, as he caught Tarquinio for a takedown in just 13 seconds to claim the championship.

“That’s the second time Tarquinio has wrestled Edgar in his own gym this season, and that’s never easy,” Stottlemyer said. “I wish I had an explanation for it because I wouldn’t have liked to see it end that way, but I know Ron will bounce back.”

To complete the Panther appearances in the finals, sophomore Keith Gavin took on West Virginia’s Greg Jones, the nation’s No. 1-ranked 184-pound wrestler.

“Gavin’s showing in the finals shocked a lot of people, but it didn’t shock us,” Stottlemyer said of Gavin reaching the 184-pound final after beginning the season in the 157-pound weight class.

Though Gavin showed no fear, Jones proved why he is considered the best wrestler in the country, recording takedown after takedown for a 20-7 major decision over Gavin for his fourth EWL title.

The win for Jones keeps him undefeated on the season and lengthens his winning streak to 46 matches over the past two years.

“It takes a lot to wrestle a guy like that, especially coming from where Gavin came from earlier this year,” Stottlemyer said. “I give Keith Gavin a lot of kudos for his efforts. He continued to stand up and battle.”

Sophomore 133-pounder Drew Headlee joined teammates Gavin, Sheaffer and Tarquinio, finishing in the top three of his weight class to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Headlee found himself in a 4-4 tie with Lock Haven’s Jim Collins as the third period was nearing its end, but he used an escape point with 38 seconds remaining to gain the lead and hold on for the third-place finish.

In addition to the four automatic berths in the NCAA tournament, two other Pitt wrestlers also received at-large bids to take place in the national championships.

Sophomore Matt Kocher will make his second appearance in the NCAAs, this year at 157 pounds. Kocher finished in sixth place at the EWL tournament after bumping up a weight class from 149 pounds earlier in the season.

“Normally you wouldn’t see a sixth-place finisher receive a bid to the NCAAs,” Stottlemyer said, “but Matt [Kocher] has earned a lot of respect of the coaches in his two years and will get to make his second appearance at the tournament.”

At 165 pounds, Justin Nestor also received an at-large bid from the EWL after losing a 6-3 decision to West Virginia’s Zac Fryling in the third-place bout in the EWL tournament. Nestor makes his third appearance at the NCAAs with the bid.

The top eight finishers in each weight class will earn All-American status, while the first-place finisher is named the National Champion.

The six Pitt wrestlers will begin their quest for a national championship Thursday as the tournament kicks off in St. Louis, Mo., and they will finish up on Saturday.

“We trained smart and backed off a little bit to make sure we didn’t get ourselves overtrained,” Stottlemyer said. “They’re pretty well focused, and now it’s time to go out and wrestle to the best of their abilities with the best wrestlers in the country.”