University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Four Panthers Advance to Finals at 34th EWL Championships
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 7, 2009
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Eight University of Pittsburgh wrestlers remain alive in action at the 34th Eastern Wrestling League Championships, with four vying for individual titles this evening.
With 110 points, Edinboro leads the way in search of its fifth straight team title. West Virginia stands in second with 70 points, followed closely by the Panthers with 67 points in the team race.
Three Panther wrestlers received first-round byes, both defending champions, Jimmy Conroy (133) and Zach Sheaffer (285) and freshman Zac Thomusseit (184).
Pitt finished the opening round with a 2-5 mark. Picking up wins for the Panthers were redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman at 141 pounds and true freshman Karl DiCiantis at 174 pounds. Nauman was winner by major decision for the second time this year over Lock Haven’s Zach Kell. He won 14-5 in the January 15th dual and 13-3 today in the opening round. DiCiantis won the starting slot at 174 after having won the final two dual meets of the season. In opening round action he was a 7-6 winner by decision over Nate Kmetz of Cleveland State.
Dropping first-round matches were Chris Albright (125), 5-0 to Lock Haven’s Nick Hyatt; Mark Powell (149), 3-2 to David Jauregui of West Virginia; Phil Sorrentino (157), 10-2 to West Virginia’s Ryan Goodman; Ethan Headlee (165), 3-2 to Cleveland State’s Rob Michaels and Matt Wilps (197), 6-4 to Matt Ryan of West Virginia.
In second round action, Conroy, Nauman, DiCiantis and Thomusseit all punched tickets to the finals in their respective classes.
The championship match at 133 will feature a repeat of the final dual meet of the season with Conroy and Edinboro’s Rickey Deubel. Deubel was a 4-3 winner in Edinboro on Feb. 20. Nauman will meet Colin Johnston of West Virginia to decide the championship at 141. Nauman was a 7-5 winner over Johnston back on Feb. 7 in Pittsburgh.
DiCiantis and Thomusseit both advanced to the finals in their first season in thrilling fashion. After battling to a 1-1 tie in regulation, DiCiantis was able to take down Bloomsburg’s Nate Graham 24 seconds into the extra frame, setting up a championship match with West Virginia’s Kurt Brenner. After an opening-round bye, Thomusseit avenged an 8-3 loss to Tom Kocher of Lock Haven in the semifinals of the 184-pound bracket. Less than a minute into the second period, the Thomusseit lifted and slammed Kocher to the mat, forcing the fall seconds later. His opponent in the finals is Edinboro’s Chris Honeycutt. Honeycutt was a 4-1 winner over Thomusseit in Pitt’s season finale on Feb. 20.
Joining the four finalists in action tonight will be Albright, Headlee, Wilps and Zach Sheaffer (285).
Albright will face Ian Moser of Bloomsburg in the consolation semi’s at 125 pounds. In their previous matchup, Albright was a 9-8 winner. Headlee and Bloomsburg’s Ricky Schmelyun are set for a consolation semi showdown, with Headlee looking for payback from a 8-2 loss earlier this year. Wilps and Jamie Luckett will meet for the second time this year. Luckett was a 5-2 winner in the Feb. 13 dual in Clarion.
After an opening round bye, Sheaffer fell to Edinboro’s Joey Fendone, 5-1. He will face Gabe Murtoff in the semifinals of the consolation bracket. After dropping their second matches of the day, Powell and Sorrentino were eliminated from competition at 149 and 157 respectively.
Action continues at Thomas Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. this evening.
