“Last week in eight different matches the ride time was against us, so we really got exposed,” head coach John Smith said. “And if your team is getting ridden, it's a matter of them not brawling. Sometimes you have to throw skill out of the window and just start fighting a little bit, throwing elbows and hands and whatever else you have to do to get out. This Pittsburgh team is full of guys who are tough, blue-collar guys, and really when you look at the matches, they were tough. 125 was a pretty competitive match, 133 was a come-from-behind win. At 141, I was pleased with the pin, and 149 was a competitive match. It was 25-13, but they were tough competitive matches."
Klimara started the dual with a 4-1 win, picking up a takedown less than 30 seconds into the match and riding out Pitt’s Dom Forsyth for the remainder of the period. Klimara finished the dual with an escape and a riding time point, only allowing the Panther an escape at the 6:44 mark.
At 133 pounds, Gary Wayne Harding earned his 22nd win of the season, storming back in the final period as he trailed most of the match. Entering the third period, Harding was down, 4-3, with Nick Zanetta taking down the Cowboy twice and racking up more than a minute of riding time. Harding started the third on top and worked up the crowd putting Zanetta on his back for a three-point nearfall and erasing the Panther’s riding time, ultimately giving him the win.
The first bonus points of the day came at 141 pounds with Dean Heil picking up a first-period fall over Travis Shaffer in 2:47. The pin was Heil’s third of the season.
“After last week’s loss, I made a few lifestyle changes that would help my wrestling as a whole,” Heil said. “They turned out to be very beneficial this weekend. I went out there today with the mindset of going out and being better and improve. I just want to keep going up with every match I wrestle.”
In a controversial match at 149 pounds, Josh Kindig met up with Mikey Racciato to avenge his loss to the Panther in early 2014. Following a crazy scramble in the second period, the two were tied, 8-8, exchanging takedowns, reversals and nearfalls. Kindig pulled ahead with an escape to start the third period and a takedown matched with riding time to win the match, 12-8.
"I've been training the same, and I wasn't sure who I was going to have,” Kindig said. “I was hoping I was going to have Mikey (Racciato) to avenge my loss from last year. I just had to stay intense during the whole match and finish hard. I got into a scramble there at one point, but I regrouped and I kept staying intense and pushing the pace and came out on top."
At 157 pounds, Pittsburgh earned its first win of the day as Anthony Collica fell to Ronnie Garbinsky, 6-5, in overtime.
The Cowboys tallied another pin at 165 pounds as top-ranked Alex Dieringer pinned Pitt’s Cody Wierchioch in 1:30. Prior to the fall, Dieringer earned two takedowns and three back points for a 7-1 lead. It was the Cowboy’s second fall of the weekend.
The Cowboys surrendered a major decision at 174 pounds as No. 8 Tyler Wilps of Pittsburgh defeated Jordan Rogers, 17-8.
At 184 pounds, Nolan Boyd sought his third win of the season over a top-10 opponent as he took on No. 2 Max Thomusseit. The Pittsburgh grappler took an early lead, scoring four takedowns in the first period; however Boyd refused to go down without a fight. Boyd started the second on top and turned the Panther for a pair of nearfalls to start his comeback. In the final seconds of the period, Boyd earned another two points on the reversal and cut Thomusseit’s lead to 11-9 entering the third period. The two battled in the third, but an escape awarded at the buzzer gave Thomusseit a 14-13 win.
The Panthers grabbed their final win of the day with No. 14 Nick Bonaccorsi earning an 8-2 decision over Austin Schafer.
At heavyweight, No. 5 Austin Marsden and John Rizzo produced a scoreless first period, but Marsden kicked it into gear in the second with an escape and takedown. He added to it in the third, picking up a nearfall and another takedown to earn an 11-1 major decision.
The Cowboys travel to Columbia, Mo., and Ames, Iowa next weekend to take on Mizzou on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, respectively.
Results:
125: Eddie Klimara (OSU) dec. Dom Forys (PITT), 4-1
133: Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) dec. Nick Zanetta (PITT), 6-4
141: No. 19 Dean Heil (OSU) fall Travis Shaffer (OSU), 2:47
149: No. 4 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Mikey Racciato (PITT), 12-8
157: Ronnie Garbinsky (PITT) dec. No. 19 Anthony Collica (OSU), 6-5 TB1
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall Cody Wierchioch (PITT), 1:30
174: No. 8 Tyler Wilps (PITT) MD Jordan Rogers (OSU), 17-8
184: No. 2 Max Thomusseit (PITT) dec. No. 15 Nolan Boyd (OSU), 14-13
197: No. 14 Nick Bonaccorsi (PITT) dec. Austin Schafer (OSU), 8-2
285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) MD John Rizzo (PITT), 11-1
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