Six wrestlers place at Lock Haven

The Panthers’ wrestling team had an eventful week with two competitions. The team first took… The Panthers’ wrestling team had an eventful week with two competitions. The team first took on the Bloomsburg Huskies on Nov. 26 at the Fitzgerald Field House, losing 20-13 in its first Eastern Wrestling League match of the season. The loss puts its record at 1-1 overall.

Pitt made up for its loss on Saturday, as the Panthers competed in the Mat Town Invitation at Lock Haven University. The team ended up with 75 total points thanks to six wrestlers who earned places.

Bloomsburg 20, Pitt 13

The Huskies proved to be a tough match for Pitt, as the Panthers couldn’t maintain their initial lead in the match. Justin Giovinco, wrestling at 149 pounds, dominated his match giving the Panthers the lead 3-0.

Wrestling at 157 pounds, Justin Nestor tried to win his match against George Carter of the Huskies, but ended up losing 13-4, giving the Huskies the lead 4-3. Matt Catullo, at 165 pounds, also faced a tough match against the Huskies’ Ryan Garner. Garner won the match 8-4.

When Steve Selcher, wrestling at 174 pounds, stepped onto the mat vying for a win, his attempts were unsuccessful. He lost his match 13-2, which kept Bloomsburg in the lead, 14-3. Mike Croyle, 184 pounds, also was hoping to give the Panthers a win, but couldn’t. He lost his match 8-2.

Gregg Osbeck, wrestling at 197 pounds, lost his match 6-5 to the Huskies’ Andy Ludlow. The Huskies continued to dominate, as Tony Milone defeated Travis Shirley by a score of 12-5.

It wasn’t until Jordan Sianni, wrestling at 125 pounds, stepped on the mat that the Panthers began to show signs of improvement. He gave the team a win when he defeated the Huskies’ Mike Collins by a score of 14-0.

Mike May, wrestling at 133 pounds, also performed well for the Panthers. He added another win with a score of 10-3 in his match.

Ronald Tarquino finished off the match with another win for the Panthers when he beat Brad Forbes of the Huskies by a score of 9-3, but it was not enough as Pitt fell, 20-13.

Mat Town Invitational

In Saturday’s tournament at Lock Haven, six Pitt wrestlers placed in the tournament and the team ended up with 75 points overall.

Giovinco placed third in the 125-pound division with a record of 4-1. Sianni also placed in his 125-pound weight class after winning four out of five matches.

Other contributors for the Panthers included May, who finished fifth at 133 pounds with a record of 3-5. Tarquino had another impressive meet when he placed sixth with a record of 3-3 in the 141-pound division.

Nestor brought the team a seventh place finish with a record of 4-2 in the 184-pound weight class. Also placing for the Panthers was Croyle who took eighth place at 184 pounds with a record of 2-3.

Other Panther scorers included Mike Ciotti, with a record of 2-2 at 133 pounds. James Thornton wrestled at 125 pounds, and ended with a record of 0-2. Bill Mowbray also ended up with a record of 2-2 in the 141-pound weight class.

Jim Mangan finished with a record of 1-2 in the 149-pound division. Catullo finished 1-2 at 165 pounds and Shirley finished with a record of 0-2 at 285 pounds. Both Osbeck and Selcher wrestled at 174 pounds and finished with records of 0-2 and 1-2 respectively.

The Panthers will be competing in the Reno Invitation in Reno, Nev., Dec. 19.