"We won eight of ten tonight, I think that's pretty good to say the least," noted Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer.
"I really felt like our guys went out and tried to control the match from the start. Being able to win a conference match in our league this early in the season is always a great thing."
True freshman Chris Albright sparked Pitt (1-1, 1-0) in the opening match of the night at 125 pounds. Down 8-6 to Ian Moser entering the third period, Albright was able to draw two stalling points from Moser to knot the score with 10 seconds remaining. He was then able to hold off Moser's late takedown attempts to secure the 9-8 win after accumulating over a minute of riding time, giving Pitt the early 3-0 lead.
"You know, we're always looking for improvement and for Chris to come out tonight and win after being majored two weeks ago by Moser, that shows that our guys are improving on a daily basis," said Stottlemyer of his 125-pounder.
Junior Jimmy Conroy, ranked 20th in the latest USA Today/Intermat/NWCA poll, put Pitt up 6-0 with his 4-1 decision over Jason Guffey in the 133-pound match. Conroy cruised after a late first-period takedown, yielding only an escape point to Guffey en route to his first dual win this season.
Tyler Nauman made it three straight for the Panthers with his 10-3 decision over Rockey Donald at 141. The redshirt freshman jumped out to a 4-2 lead after the first period and continued to pour it on en route to his second straight dual win.
Click here to find out more!
Senior transfer Mark Powell gave Pitt a 12-0 advantage with his 4-0 shutout decision over George Hickman. After a scoreless first and second period which say Powell accumulate two minutes of riding time, he escaped eight seconds into the third to take the 1-0 lead. Powell added a takedown late in the third for good measure and tacked on a riding time point to even his dual record at 1-1.
Bloomsburg's lone wins came by way of a major decision at 157 and decision at 165. No. 11 ranked Matt Moley downed junior Jeff Warusz 12-2 in the 157-pound match while Ricky Schmelyn was an 8-2 winner over sophomore Ethan Headlee at 165.
Redshirt junior David Sullivan and freshman Zac Thomusseit quickly put the Panthers back on track with wins in the 174 and 184-pound matches respectively. Sullivan accumulated over two minutes of riding time on his way to earning the 4-1 decision while Thomusseit's early third-period escape proved to be the difference in the 3-2 decision.
Matt Wilps was the third freshman of the night to earn a victory. After trading escapes in the second and third periods, Wilps and Ryan Sutton entered overtime tied at 1-1. 18 seconds into the extra frame, Wilps carded his first collegiate pin and dual match victory, putting Pitt up 24-7.
It was business as usual for the No. 7 ranked heavyweight in the country on the mat tonight. Less than 20 seconds into the first period Zach Sheaffer struck with a two-point takedown on Zac Walsh. Two takedowns and an escape later, Sheaffer had racked up over four minutes of riding time, taking the 8-3 decision for his second win on the year.
"Zach is always fun to watch because he is technically sound," said Stottlemyer. "He does some things that most heavyweights just don't do and we are fortunate to have a leader of his caliber on our team, setting the example for the younger guys."
The Panthers will hit the road for the next three weeks of the season. The next stop is the Keystone Classic hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Sunday, Nov. 23.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now