University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers and Illini Collide Saturday Night
1/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 7, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team opens up the 2009 portion of its schedule with a home dual against the seventh-ranked Illini here at Fitzgerald Field House, Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. The match against Illinois marks Pitt's third dual of the season against a top 25 opponent.
Midlands Recap
Zach Sheaffer was the lone Panther to place at the 46th Annual Midlands Championships, held Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. Sheaffer advanced to the finals with four straight wins before falling 2-1 to Missouri's Mark Ellis.
Eight Panthers notched at least two wins at Midlands; freshman Chris Albright (2-2), senior Brad Gentzle (2-2), redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman (2-2), senior Mark Powell (3-2), sophomore Ethan Headlee (3-2), junior David Sullivan (3-2), freshman Zac Thomusseit (2-2) and junior A.J. Hunte (2-2).
Pitt tallied 43.0 points in the two-day tournament, finishing 14th out of 47 teams and clubs.
Scouting the Illini
The University of Illinois wrestling team embarks on a two-state, two-match trip this coming weekend. The Illini will square off against West Virginia Friday, Jan. 9 before making their way to Fitzgerald Field House for a Saturday night dual with the Panthers.
The seventh ranked team in the land stands a perfect 5-0 on the year. Three of their five wins came in early Novemeber at the ACC/Big Ten Clash, held in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Illini posted dominating wins over N.C. State (40-7) and No. 21 Virginia (39-7) before picking up a 26-9 decision over host North Carolina.
They have four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes, led by returning All-American Jimmy Kennedy. Kennedy is third in the 133-pound class, while Roger Smith-Bergsrud enters the weekend 11th at 165 pounds, Jordan Blanton 15th at 184 and heavyweight John Wise 10th.
Series History
The Panthers and Illini will be meeting for just the third time overall and first since the 1954-55 season come Saturday night. Currently Pitt holds a 2-0 record in the series, taking the first-ever matchup 17-9 in 1951-52 and following it up two seasons later with a 18-8 win.
The Number 2
In two of the most prestegious tournaments held so far this season, the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the 46th Annual Midlands Championships, senior heavyweight Zach Sheaffer has twice finished as the runner-up. Most recently, Pitt's team captain dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to Mark Eillis (Missouri) in the finals at Midlands. For the year, the two-time EWL champion and national qualifier stands at 16-2.
100th Win Comes by Pin
Senior heavyweight Zach Sheaffer recently won his 100th career match as a Pitt Panther. The fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation scored a fall over Nate Everhart (Indiana) in the quarterfinals at the 46th Midlands Championships.
Sheaffer has won at least 25 matches each year, including 35 a year ago during his run to a second EWL heavyweight crown. He now stands just five wins from cracking Pitt's all-time wins list.
Jimmy Squared
The 133-pound match in Saturday's dual will consist of two ranked opponents that share something more than just their weight - a first name. Jimmy Conroy of Pitt, currently 14th in the nation, sports a 14-7 record on the year while his counterpart, Jimmy Kennedy, is the third ranked wreslter in the country at 133 and is 16-1 on the season, including a perfect 5-0 mark in dual meet action.
In Good Company
After their fourth-place finish at the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Panthers found their way into the USA Today/Intermat/NWCA rankings in the No. 25 spot. The Panthers jumped to the No. 24 slot before falling to Northwestern back on Dec. 19, causing a slight step back down to the 25th position in this week's poll.
Ranked Panthers
Three Panthers enter this week's Midlands Championshps ranked among the top 20 in their respective weight classes. Junior Jimmy Conroy is 14th in the 133-pound class, redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman is 11th at 141-pounds and senior heavyweight Zach Sheaffer is 4th in the heavyweight class.
Cant Nobody Take Me Down
Senior heavyweight Zach Sheaffer enters Saturday's dual with Illinois with a 16-2 mark. Despite two losses in championship matches - at the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the 46th Annual Midlands Championships - Sheaffer has yet to be taken down this season. Other than the two back points yielded in Las Vegas and a reversal at Midlands, Sheaffer has only given up escape points so far this season.
