University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Wrestling Upsets #24 Lock Haven
2/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Wrestling Upsets #24 Lock Haven
2/4/2000
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Mike Ziska shook off a knee injury to defeat Lock Haven's Brian Olenek, 10-6. |
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh wrestling team upset 24th-ranked Lock Haven, 23-11, in an Eastern Wrestling League matchup tonight at Fitzgerald Field House.
Pittsburgh swept the first five bouts of the evening. Sophomore Blaise Mucci (Blairsville, Pa./Derry Area) began the Panther scoring with a 14-4 major decision over Lock Haven's Chris Spealler at 141 pounds and earned five near fall points during the match. Freshman Justin Giovinco (Norristown, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) followed with a major decision of his own, 10- 2, over Dave Shafer at 149 pounds.
Mike Ziska (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin), Pittsburgh's 15th-ranked 157-pounder, battled through a knee injury to win a 10-6 decision against Lock Haven's Brian Olenek, putting the Panthers up 11-0 after three bouts.
Carl Fronhofer (Salem, N.Y./Salem), a redshirt freshman, continued the scoring for Pittsburgh, earning eight points in the third period and defeating Ben Stehura, 12-6, at 165 pounds. In the 174- pound match, 14th-ranked junior Nick Mengerink (Upper Sanduskey, Ohio/Carey) claimed a 3-0 decision over Josh Millard.
Lock Haven took the next two matches, beginning with Dave Murray's 9-4 decision over the Panthers' Fabian Sciullo (West Mifflin, Pa./Central Catholic) at 184 pounds. Josh McCullough (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) dropped the 197-pound weight class to Avery Zerkle, who earned an 11-3 major decision, making the match score 17-7.
Senior Matt Mueller (North Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) rebounded for Pittsburgh with an 8-2 decision in the heavyweight division, before Lock Haven's 16th-ranked Trap McCormack earned a major decision, 13-5, over Zach Hasse (Washington, W.Va./Parkersburg South).
The match was already out of reach for the Bald Eagles, but the most exciting bout turned out to be the last between eighth-ranked Rob Loper of Pittsburgh and 13th-ranked Scott Bair of Lock Haven at 133 pounds. The hard-fought close match went scoreless for the first period, before Loper earned one escape point in the second. He then made a decisive takedown and, with riding time, won the 4-0 decision. Earlier in the year, Bair had defeated Loper, 4-2, for first place in the Mat Town Invitational. Loper is 26-3 this season and remains undefeated, 12-0, in dual matchups.
Pittsburgh improves to 7-5 (2-2 EWL) while Lock Haven moves to 8-6 (2-3 EWL).
The Panthers return to the mat Thursday, Feb. 10, when they host EWL foe Clarion at Fitzgerald Field House (7:30 p.m.).
