University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Bloomsburg
Tasser Brothers Lead Pitt Wrestling Past Bloomsburg, 30-3
1/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 15, 2012
PITTSBURGH – Redshirt junior Donnie Tasser pulled off a huge upset, topping No. 8 Frank Hickman at 157 pounds to lead the No. 10 Pitt wrestling team to a 30-3 win at Bloomsburg on Sunday.
P.J. Tasser also had a big upset for Pitt with a 4-1 decision over No. 33 Mike Dessino, the returning Eastern Wrestling League champion at 174 pounds. Overall, the Panthers won nine of 10 bouts to notch their 15th straight victory in the conference.
Donnie Tasser, a returning national qualifier, has bounced back strong after an off day at the Pitt Duals with wins in each of the last two dual meets. He never trailed in the match with Hickman on his way to a 7-3 decision.
In what was true for nearly every weight class for the Panthers, Tasser controlled the action from start to finish in his win over Hickman. He scored a takedown in every period, while the only points he allowed came from three escapes.
It was only two weights later that P.J. Tasser made it a two-for-two day for the brothers against ranked opponents. After a scoreless first period, Tasser opened the second period with an escape and added the only points he would need with a takedown for a 3-0 lead. He allowed an escape in the third but tacked on a riding time point for a 4-1 decision.
Two weights featured matchups of ranked opponents, both resulting in easy wins for Pitt. No. 14 Tyler Nauman scored five nearfall points in a 9-0 shutout of No. 30 Bryce Busler at 149, while No. 5 Matt Wilps improved to 11-0 in dual meets with an 11-1 major decision over No. 31 Richard Perry at 197.
No. 16 Anthony Zanetta started the Panthers off with an 11-3 major decision over Sean Boylan at 125 pounds. The junior is 11-0 in dual meets and 22-2 overall this season. No. 20 Shelton Mack (133), Travis Shaffer (141), No. 31 Tyler Wilps (165) and Andy Vaughan (184) all came through with decisions in the win.
Pitt didn’t trail in a match the entire night until Vaughan was taken down in the first period at 184. The senior quickly erased the 2-0 deficit with a reversal and went on to win 9-2, racking up over five minutes of riding team in the process. He improved to 15-5 overall with his 10th straight victory.
Much of the Panthers’ success this season has been due to their skill in neutral. Sunday was no different as they held a 15-2 advantage over Bloomsburg in takedowns.
Pitt (10-1) has won six straight matches overall. In the last two dual meets, the Panthers have won 17 individual matchups to just three losses.
The Panthers will attempt to make it 16 straight wins in the EWL when they host Clarion on Friday at the Fitzgerald Field House.
Pitt 30, Bloomsburg 3
125: No. 16 Anthony Zanetta (P) maj. dec. Sean Boylan (B), 11-3
133: No. 20 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Nick Wilcox (B), 8-3
141: Travis Shaffer (P) dec. Derek Shingara (B), 9-2
149: No. 14 Tyler Nauman (P) maj. dec. No. 30 Bryce Busler (B), 9-0
157: Donnie Tasser (P) dec. No. 8 Frank Hickman (B), 7-3
165: No. 31 Tyler Wilps (P) dec. Chris Smith (B), 5-3
174: P.J. Tasser (P) dec. No. 33 Mike Dessino (B), 4-1
184: Andy Vaughan (P) dec. Sam Shirey (B), 9-2
197: No. 5 Matt Wilps (P) maj. dec. No. 31 Richard Perry (B), 11-1
285: Zac Walsh (B) dec. Joel Yahner (P), 2-0
