The Pitt wrestling team kicks off its season this weekend at the Michigan State Open with a… The Pitt wrestling team kicks off its season this weekend at the Michigan State Open with a mixture of youth and experience.

The Panthers will return four starters this season. Redshirt sophomore Mike May, redshirt senior Carl Fronhofer, senior Justin Giovinco and redshirt junior Matt Catullo are all returning lettermen.

The Panthers will be without the services of Zack Doll as he will receive a medical redshirt after having shoulder surgery.

“We are going to miss Zack, but it is in his best interest for us to sit him,” head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “We have had four guys who were starters have surgery over the last couple of years.”

Doll, along with Giovinco and Fronhofer, will be the team captains this season.

“We expect on the mat leadership from Fronhofer and Giovinco,” Stottlemyer said. “You always expect leadership from your upperclassmen.”

There is a possibility that Pitt’s starting lineup will see seven new faces. Jordan Sianni, Ron Tarquinio, Justin Nestor, Mike Croyle, Josh McCollough and Travis Shirley are all newcomers to the starting lineup.

“The youthfulness scares me; there is no two ways about it,” Stottlemyer said.

The possible starting lineup projects Sianni, a freshman, to wrestle at 125 pounds. This is probably the deepest weight class as far as numbers and quality. James Thornton will back up Sianni.

While numbers are great in some weight classes, other weight classes lack depth.

“Depth could be an issue,” Stottlemyer said. “In a couple of weight classes if somebody gets hurt we are in trouble.”

May will bump up to 133 pounds this season. He only saw action in 15 matches last season and is coming off shoulder surgery.

“I think that Mike is looking forward to coming back this year. It was a frustrating year for him, but I think he has put it behind him,” Stottlemyer said. “He too is coming off of shoulder surgery and I think that he will be fun to watch.”

Tarquinio, a redshirt freshman, will wrestle at 141 pounds. Giovinco will occupy the 149-pound weight class and Nestor, another redshirt freshman, will wrestle at 157 pounds.

Catullo slides down to 165 pounds from 174 pounds and Fronhofer will bump up and fill that weight class.

“Carl is in his fifth year and wants to make a statement and I know that he will,” Stottlemyer said. “He is up a weight class and he will train like a mad man. His goal is to stand on the podium at the NCAA Tournament.”

Croyle, a redshirt sophomore, will wrestle 184 pounds, while McCollough, a redshirt senior, is applying for a medical redshirt at 197 pounds. Josh Birt, currently at North Idaho junior college, will join the team next semester and fill McCollough’s spot. Shirley, a redshirt junior, will occupy Pitt’s heavyweight spot.

“The exciting thing about this crew is that we might have seven new faces in the line up,” Stottlemyer said. “It is exciting, but we lack experience.”

There are five freshmen that will receive red shirts this season. Frank Ross, Mike Ciotti, Josh DesLauries, Francis Iorfido and Nick Krecker all fit into this category. It is still undecided whether or not Michael Perinotti will be redshirted.

The Panthers finished last season with an overall record of 12-5 and a record of 4-3 in the Eastern Wrestling League. Pitt finished fourth in the EWL Championships behind West Virginia, Edinboro and Loch Haven respectively.

Pitt advanced four wrestlers into the second day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, but all four failed to place.

“Last year we were certainly not pleased with the way that we finished,” Stottlemyer said. “I think that we will learn a lot from our experiences last year as wrestlers and coaches. It can be a stepping stone.”

Sanshiro Abe returns to Pitt as an assistant coach and Jason Peters joins the team as another assistant this season. Peters attended Hershey High School and wrestled at East Stroudsburg. He has coached at Princeton and Harvard during the last few years.

Stottlemyer is looking ahead to big matches against Iowa State and Lehigh. The Panthers will wrestle Iowa State Jan. 4 at the Peterson Events Center. There is currently an attempt to find an off-campus location to wrestle Lehigh Jan. 6.

“It’s a good bunch of guys,” Stottlemyer said. “They have worked hard, but are a little inconsistent because of their youth.”

Pitt wrestles in the Michigan Open Nov. 9 and Nov. 10. The Michigan Open is an all day tournament.

“I’m anxious for this weekend. I think that it will educate us for where we are at.” Stottlemyer said.