Pitt picks up two wins in EWL action

The Panther wrestling team turned in a clean sweep last week in winning two Eastern… The Panther wrestling team turned in a clean sweep last week in winning two Eastern Wrestling League dual meets, improving their overall record to 6-4 and remaining unbeaten amongst EWL opponents at 3-0.

Led by freshman Drew Headlee’s pin, Pittsburgh won the final four matches against Cleveland State to overcome a 16-6 Vikings lead and win by a final of 24-15. Headlee got things going again by pulling out a major decision to begin the meet with Virginia Tech, leading the rest of the Panthers on the way to a 26-11 victory over the Hokies.

“These two wins were very significant for us,” head coach Rande Stottlemyer said, “especially coming in the other teams’ gyms.”

Pitt 24, Cleveland State 15

Pitt found itself in a 16-6 hole with only four matches to go against their EWL rival Vikings of Cleveland State, but put together a strong run to knock off the Vikings 24-15.

The Panthers got off to a rough start by losing their first two bouts, with sophomore Justin Nestor and junior Zach Doll losing close decisions at the hands of Cleveland State’s Jason Effner and Matt Klinger at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively.

“Both were upset with the losses, so the team knew they had to pick them up,” Stottlemyer said.

Pitt’s first points didn’t come until sophomore Francis Iorfido gained an 8-6 victory over the Vikings’ Derek Pace. Cleveland State countered right away with a major decision in the 184-pound match with Ron Howard’s victory over Pitt freshman Eric Cassidy.

The two teams exchanged wins in the next two matches when Pitt senior Josh Birt got the decision over Joe Phillips and Cleveland State acquired the match’s first pin when Russ Davie pinned Pitt’s Travis Shirley. The pin lengthened the Vikings’ lead to 10 points with only four bouts remaining.

Pitt’s run began when Headlee recorded the team’s only pin with a fall at 4:09 over DeAngelo Penn. Mike Ciotti followed Headlee’s lead, earning a default victory over Kevin Linich of the Vikings, and a point was deducted from the Vikings’ team score for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Panthers never looked back once they gained the lead at 18-15. Pitt’s Ronald Tarquinio got the win over Anthony Coleman, 4-2, in a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers. Freshman Matt Kocher closed out the meet by improving his personal unbeaten-dual-meet streak to nine bouts with a 7-4 overtime win over Matt DePolo of Cleveland State.

“They did an excellent job of fighting back,” Stottlemyer said. “Everybody chipped in, particularly after the first two losses. Headlee had a great performance and Ronald’s overtime win was big.”

Pitt 26, Virginia Tech 11

Pitt stayed tough in EWL action, picking up a 26-11 victory over Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.

Pitt picked up right where it left off as Headlee and Tarquinio got the Panthers started quickly with a major decision and a pin in the first three bouts for an early, 10-4 advantage.

Headlee scored a 10-0 major-decision victory at 125 pounds for the Panthers’ first four points. After a major decision loss by Ciotti, Tarquinio pinned his opponent just 20 seconds into the second period.

Kocher’s nine-meet winning streak to start his career was snapped by No. 25-ranked Reed Carpenter of the Hokies by a score of 9-1. Nestor bounced the Panthers back with a 3-0 win at 157 pounds to open up an overall lead of 13-8. Virginia Tech picked up its final victory of the meet when Chris Stith upset Doll by a 12-7 count in the 165-pound match.

Iorfido and Croyle earned back-to-back wins, with Iorfido getting the 12-6 victory over Steve Borja and Croyle following up with a 2-1 win at 184 pounds.

The Panthers also took the final two bouts of the meet — 12-4 major decision for Birt over Canaan Prater at 197 pounds and an 8-3 victory by Shirley over Kris Wiedegreen at heavyweight.

“We have a bunch of guys who work hard and care about what they are doing,” Stottlemyer said. “As long as we stay healthy, we’ll compete.”

The Panthers continue their season with a trip to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the Mountaineers of West Virginia.

“It will be a backyard brawl. It will be interesting,” said Stottlemyer. “But I’m really looking forward to going down and having a great chance of winning.”