Panthers’ starters named, trip to Iowa State ensues

Rande Stottlemyer begins his 26th season as the Pitt wrestling coach this weekend, but coming… Rande Stottlemyer begins his 26th season as the Pitt wrestling coach this weekend, but coming away with an season-opening win will not be easy.

The Panthers travel to Iowa State to wrestle a Cyclone team that Pitt has not beaten in 42 years. Furthermore, Iowa State currently ranks fifth in the nation and possesses a team searching for a national championship.

Iowa State returns four All-Americans to its lineup, as well as seven NCAA qualifiers from last season. Pitt, on the other hand, boasts just four returning NCAA qualifiers.

Pitt’s starting lineup fell into place over the weekend when it hosted its annual wrestle offs, where members of each weight class compete against each other to earn a starting spot.

Returning sophomores Matt Kocher and Drew Headlee won their starting spots, and will open up at the 149- and 133-pound weight classes, respectively.

Kocher is favored to beat Iowa State freshman Aron Scott, while Headlee is up against junior Jesse Sundell.

Defending Eastern Wrestling League champion Ron Tarquinio defeated his counterpart at the wrestle offs, and will square off with the nation’s second-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, Nate Gillick.

With the eligibility of 197-pounder Josh Birt still up in the air, Stottlemyer will turn to either sophomore Michael Heist or freshman Lou Thomas to battle it out with Iowa State’s Trevor Smith.

Justin Nestor and Zach Doll got starting nods, and will open up their seasons with a couple of tough opponents.

Nestor will wrestle either Nick Possolano or Travis Paulson, while Doll prepares for Iowa State senior Grant Turner.

The rest of Pitt’s lineup will be filled up with first-time starters and incoming freshmen. Despite the youth in the lineup, a lot is expected of this Panther team and Stottlemyer, who look for their first EWL title in school history.

Iowa State is one up on Pitt already, after the Cyclones pulled out a 40-6 victory over Upper Iowa in their opening match. The match against Pitt, however, will be its first home match of the season.

“We are extremely excited about wrestling at home,” Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas said on Cyclones.com. “We both have young teams, and Pennsylvania wrestlers are always tough.”

Upon returning from Iowa State, the Panthers will open up their EWL schedule during their first home match Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Fitzgerald Field House against Bloomsburg.

Sophomore transfer Jeff Ecklof will sit out with a redshirt this season. He participated in the West Virginia Open wrestling tournament Sunday and walked away victorious with a 6-0 record on the day.

Freshman Lou Thomas finished second in his weight class, while other incoming freshmen Zach Bowman, Joe Ciampoli, Tim Allen and Kyle Deliere all competed as well.