Jan. 26, 2008

PITTSBURGH - The No. 20-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team (10-2, 3-0 EWL) upped its record to 3-0 in EWL conference action tonight by downing Cleveland State 32-5 at Woodling Gymnasium. Pitt captured eight of the match's 10 bouts on the night and shut down the Vikings in their EWL opener.

The Panthers were led by their four nationally-ranked grapplers in a match that started with the 165-pound bout. No. 1-ranked Keith Gavin(Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) got Pitt on the scoreboard with a technical fall over the Vikings' J.T. Miller by a count of 16-0. The win marked Gavin's 21st of the season and his first tech fall during the 2007-08 campaign.

No. 11 Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) captured his team-leading 28th victory of the season after toppling Rashard Goff 3-2 in the matchup at heavyweight. Following the bout, Cleveland State was penalized one team point for unsportmanslike conduct, extending the Panthers lead to 13 at the time.

In the showdown at 141-pounds, Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) - who entered the match as the 16th best wrestler in the nation, according to the Intermat poll - bested Cleveland State's Mike Hurley by a score of 8-1. Headlee now owns a record of 17-6 this season, including a perfect 10-0 mark in dual competitions.

Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College), the nation's 5th-ranked 157-pounder, capped off the night with another technical fall. The All-American racked up 22 points while only allowing seven to Cleveland State's Shaun Mitchell and set the match's final score at 32-5. Since his loss to Illinois' Mike Poeta in the championship bout at the Midlands, Kocher has rattled off six straight victories, including two falls, two technical falls and one major decision.

The Panthers will return home to host Kent State at Fitzgerald Field House on Thursday, Jan. 31. Action will begin at 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh 32 Cleveland State 5

 

165: Marcus Effner (CSU) dec. Ethan Headlee (Pitt) 3-2

174: Keith Gavin (Pitt) tech. fall. JT Miller (CSU) 16-0, 3:59

184: David Sullivan (Pitt) maj. dec. DJ Cummins (CSU), 10-0

197: David Crowell (Pitt) dec. Alek Hughes (Csu) 15-11, sudden victory

285: Zach Sheaffer (Pitt) dec. Rashard Goff (CSU) 3-2*

125: Brad Gentzle (Pitt) win by forfeit

133: Josh Palivoda (CSU) dec. Jimmy Conroy (Pitt), 10-8, sudden victory

141: Drew Headlee (Pitt) dec. Mike Hurley (CSU), 8-1

149: Joe Ciampoli (Pitt) dec. Ryan Hurley (CSU), 8-4

157: Matt Kocher (Pitt) tech. fall Shaun Mitchell (CSU), 22-7

 

*CSU penalized one team point, unsportsmanlike conduct following the 285 bout