NO. 20 PITT TAKES DOWN EWL FOE LOCK HAVEN, 24-13

Tomei earns major decision, All-Americans pick up wins

PITTSBURGH —The No. 20 Pitt wrestling team was without one of its three nationally-ranked grapplers tonight at Fitzgerald Field House, as the nation’s No. 11-ranked heavyweight Zach Sheaffer sat on the sidelines and watched the Panthers (9-2, 2-0 EWL) take down Lock Haven, 24-13, and go 2-0 in conference action for the first time since 2004-05.

Sheaffer ( Carlisle , Pa. /Cumberland Valley), who was a bit under the weather earlier in the week, saw his replacement, sophomore Ryan Tomei, pounce on Lock Haven’s Dan Craig from the bout’s opening whistle and earn a major decision victory by a count of 8-0. Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) used a trio of takedowns and an escape over six minutes of action to hold a 7-0 lead as time ticked down in the third. He added a point for riding time to lock up the major decision and set the match’s final score.

“He did a great job tonight,” said head coach Rande Stottlemyer of Tomei. “We asked him to step in tonight and he was terrific. His technique was solid and he remained poised throughout the entire match.”  

Sophomore Jimmy Conroy got the Panthers on the scoreboard with a 6-1 decision over Billy Ashnault. Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield ) controlled the match from the onset, posting five points in the first frame. He then held off Ashnault’s offensive advances and coasted to the five-point victory in the match up at 133 pounds.

Dave Sullivan also turned in a solid performance tonight and topped Lock Haven’s Tom Kocher in the match’s 184-pound bout. Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley/East Stroudsburg) jumped on Kocher with a takedown in the first and, after a scoreless second period, added three more to his total in the third and a point for riding time to win by a count of 6-0.

Pitt’s three All-Americans, Drew Headlee, Matt Kocher and Keith Gavin, were also victorious tonight and accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Panther’s point production.

“It was just a typical performance from those three tonight,” Stottlemyer remarked about the Panther trio. “They’re a big reason why we are where we are as far as our national ranking. They really carry our team.”

Headlee ( Waynesburg , Pa. /Waynesburg) took to the mat against a fired up Clint Shirk in the bout at 141. Shirk’s fire was dowsed early on as Headlee took him down in the first period en route to a 12-0 major decision, in which Headlee was awarded a point due to stalling violations on two separate occasions.

Kocher ( State College , Pa. / State College ) also claimed a major decision against a Bald Eagle grappler. The nation’s No. 5-ranked 157-pounder pummeled Lock Haven’s John Mangini, allowing him only five points on escapes, and masterfully executed an offensive attack that included four takedowns, two near falls, a reversal and well over a minute of riding time.

Gavin’s bout proved to be arguably the most important of the night. Pitt held a slim 11-10 advantage on the scoreboard when the nation’s top wrestler locked up with Mike Metzger. Gavin ( Factoryville , Pa. /Lackawanna Trail), like Headlee and Kocher, surged out to a sizable lead, but refused to relent and put Metzger on his back with just 29 seconds to go in the bout.

“A lot of guys would have been happy with the major decision,” said Stottlemyer. “But Keith wanted more for himself and his team and he certainly came up big again for us tonight.”

The Panthers will travel to Cleveland State for another EWL battle with the Vikings on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.