Feb. 16, 2008

The No. 22 Pitt wrestling team bested visiting North Carolina by a score of 20-19 today at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers did not trail the Tar Heels all afternoon and upped their overall record to 12-3 on the year and their record against non-conference foes to 8-3. Pitt was led once again by its three All-Americans: Keith Gavin, Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher, who accounted for 11 of the Panthers' 20 points.

"Those three are the heart and soul of this team," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "They really carried us today. We're very lucky to have them on our side and they will continue to be a big part of any success that we have in the future."

Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) was the first of the trio to take to the mat, as he locked up with UNC's Nick Stabile. After a scoreless first period, Headlee used a reversal and a near fall with under a minute left in the second to take a four-point lead into the bout's final frame. Stabile was able to answer early in the third with an escape and a takedown and sliced Headlee's advantage to just one. The Panther All-American was able to break free from Stabile's grasp with less than 30 seconds in the bout however, and went on to take the bout by a count of 5-3.

Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) entered his showdown with Thomas Scotton as the nation's No. 7-ranked 157-pounder and coasted to a 6-1decision, giving him 21 victories on the season. Kocher used an escape and two takedowns over the contest's second and third periods to create a five-point cushion. He cut Scotton loose with 17 seconds remaining in the third, but added a point for riding time to set the final score.

The nation's top grappler at 174, Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) lit up the scoreboard with a series of takedowns in the first five minutes of his bout with Kyle Kiss. Last year's national runner up then mixed in two three-point near falls in the third before ending the bout with one final takedown and extending Pitt's lead back to five, 17-12, in the overall match. The win marked Gavin's second technical fall of the season, with the first coming Cleveland State's J.T. Miller.

Redshirt sophomore David Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./East Stroudsburg) also contributed to the team's cause with a 9-3 decision over Nick Tenpenny of North Carolina. Sullivan fell behind early after a Tenpenny takedown at with 1:48 left in the first, but rattled off an escape, a takedown and a two-point near fall before the end of the period to take ownership of a 5-2 lead. He traded escapes with the Tar Heel before using a takedown in the final minute and adding a point for riding time to lock up the victory.

The Panthers' six other team points came by way of a UNC forfeit at 125. Sophomore Ryan Bosso (Pequea, Pa./Penn Manor) stepped to the circle to get his arm raised by the official and give Pitt the early lead, which they never relinquished.

The Panthers will conclude their season with two conference showdowns at home against Clarion and No. 14 Edinboro. The Golden Eagles will be in town on Wednesday, Feb. 20 for a 7 p.m. contest, while the Fighting Scots will visit the Field House next Saturday, Feb. 23.

"It's been a long season and we're just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," offered Stottlemyer. "Those two matches coming up are going to be big ones. They're league matches, which means they'll be even more intense. We'll have to bring a little more emotion than we did today, but I believe we'll be ready."