PWC has 9 place winners

The Pittsburgh Wrestling Club was well represented with 18 high school wrestlers at Flowrestling’s Flonationals March 27th and 28th in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The PWC left with 9 place-winners including 3 champs in Jimmy Gulibon at 112, Travis Shaffer at 135, and University of Pittsburgh bound Ty Wilps at 171.

4th seeded Travis Shaffer was impressive beating 2 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 nationally (intermat). In the semi finals, Shaffer tech falled the #4 ranked wrestler in the country Jake Sueflohn from Wisconsin. In his finals match, Shaffer beat University of Minnesota recruit and #8th ranked Chris Dardanes from Illinois.

Other place winners for the PWC were Jason Luster 2nd, Ty Lydic 4th, Travis McKillop 6th, Jordan Moss 7th, John Pezze 7th, and Godwin Nyama 8th. All of these guys wrestled really tough and beat many state place-winners throughout the competition.

Check out the PWC boys in action at flowrestling.org. Many of the matches from the weekend are up. I also plan on posting a highlight video from the trip on pittsburghwrestlingclub.com within the next week or so.

I would like to thank all of the parents and wrestlers for helping to make this trip run smoothly. I had a blast and it was a pleasure working with you guys. I hope you can make it on future trips.

Our next trip will be to Fila Cadet Freestyle Nationals in Akron, OH April 9-11. The tournament is open to kids born 1993-95. Event details can be found at http://www.themat.com/events/default.php?page=default&EventID=21930. This event is awesome because in coincides with the University Nationals so our PWC high school kids can watch some of the best college wrestlers compete. It will be great for us having both Pitt wresters and PWC kids compete under one roof. I am currently working on our trip details and hope to have the trip information available by Wednesday.

Pitt Qualifies 6 to NCAA’s

Friday Morning Tyler Nauman defeated the #2 seed Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State to guarantee himself a spot on the podium at the NCAA Championships. After losing 7-6 in the semi-finals, Nauman ended the tournament 4-2 and earned All-American honors placing 5th in the country. This marks the fourth consecutive year Pitt has produced an All-American. The five other Panthers who competed at the NCAA Championships Anthony Zanetta (1-2), Eric Albright (2-2), Zac Thomusseit (2-2), Matt Wilps (2-2), and Ryan Tomei (1-2) all won at least one match.

Tyler Nauman’s All-American performance at the national championships capped off a record setting season for Pitt. Going 17-1-1, the Panthers set the record for most dual wins in a season and had the most successful dual team since 1956 when Pitt went 10-0. This year Pitt also went a perfect 6-0 in the EWL earning the program’s first EWL dual meet title by defeating Edinboro for the first time in 11 years.

Two days after the NCAA tournament we are already looking forward to next season. Although we graduate 4 year starter and 2x NCAA qualifier Jimmy Conroy, 2x NCAA qualifier Eric Albright, and 3 year starter David Sullivan, we have high expectations for next season. With Ethan Headlee coming off a redshirt season, Pitt returns 6 NCAA qualifiers and one All-American. We are also bringing in a strong recruiting class lead by Zac Thomusseit’s younger brother Max. Max is fresh off his second Ohio state title winning all of his matches in the state tournament by either fall or technical fall.

Get Ready for NCAA’s in Philly Next Year
We should have a strong Pitt contingent at next year’s NCAA’s at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. Our team goal is to finish in the top 10 and my personal goal is to eat 10 Philly cheese steaks (I know, I set the bar high for myself). We are currently getting tickets and making hotel reservations. If you are interested in attending next year’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, contact Pitt assistant Jason Peters at jpeters@athletics.pitt.edu

Jimmy and Nick are extremely committed to the sport and are great examples for what is possible if you are dedicated to achieving your goals. Other PWC wrestlers who placed at this past weekend’s PIAA Championships are Nick Bonaccorsi, Michael DePalma, Travis McKillop, Travis Shaffer, and Ty Wilps. You should all be very proud to have stood on the podium at Hershey.

Also, congratulations to Jason Luster for claiming the National Prep Title two weeks ago!

Monday, March 01, 2010
By Ken Wunderley, Tri-State Sports & News Service

Six wrestlers enter the WPIAL Class AAA tournament Thursday with an unblemished record. But at least one will taste defeat before the championships end That’s because the 171-pound weight class has two unbeaten entries.

Butler junior Cole Baxter and Chartiers Valley senior Tyler Wilps each have 33-0 records. And both were WPIAL finalists last year. Baxter won a WPIAL title and placed fifth in the PIAA championships at 145; Wilps finished second in the WPIAL and eighth in the PIAA at 171.

“The schedule I’ve wrestled has been a little more challenging [than what Baxter faced], but he’s a returning WPIAL champion and I’m only a runner-up,” Wilps said when asked who should be seeded first. “It doesn’t really matter where I’m seeded. I have to win four bouts to win a WPIAL title. That’s what matters.”

Baxter believes there’s more pressure on him because he is a returning champion. The tournament is at Canon-McMillan High School and concludes Saturday. “Last year, nobody expected much from me since I was only a sophomore,” Baxter said.

“There’s a lot more pressure on me as a WPIAL champion, but it doesn’t bother me. I still have to go out there and wrestle the way I’m capable of wrestling.”

The other four unbeaten wrestlers in the tournament are Upper St. Clair sophomore Mackenzie McGuire (27-0 at 112), Franklin Regional junior Nico Megaludis (28-0 at 119), Bethel Park sophomore Dylan Mogan (18-0 at 125) and Ringgold senior Fred Garcia (33-0 at 189).

Returning champions
Baxter and Megaludis are among seven returning champions at the Class AAA tournament. Megaludis has moved up one weight class to 119 after winning WPIAL titles at 103 and 112. He is also a two-time PIAA placewinner and one-time champion.

Derry Area has two returning champions in sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (28-1) and Travis Shaffer (25-3). Gulibon won WPIAL and PIAA titles at 103 and has since moved to 112. Shaffer is a two-time WPIAL finalist and one-time champion who returns at 135.

The other three returning champions are Hopewell senior Matt Hundenski (34-2), West Allegheny senior Troy Reaghard (32-2) and Connellsville senior Nathan Gaffney (36-2).

Hundenski returns at 152 after winning a WPIAL title and placing sixth in the PIAA. Reaghard has won WPIAL titles at 152 and 171 and is competing at 160. Gaffney is the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion at 215.

The top three finishers in each weight class advance to the PIAA tournament March 11-13 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

Class AA regional
Geoff Alexander, Matthew Cunningham and Tyrone’s A.J. Schopp are the headliners at the PIAA Class AA Southwest Region tournament that begins Friday at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown, Pa. All three are two-time region champions.

Alexander (28-3), a Shady Side Academy junior, has moved to 119 after winning region titles at 103 and 112. He is a three-time WPIAL champion and two-time PIAA placewinner.

Cunningham (41-4), a Shady Side Academy senior, has won region titles at 152 and 160 and is at 171. He is a four-time WPIAL champion and two-time PIAA placewinner.

Schopp, a senior, is a three-time region finalist and two-time champion who has moved to 135. He is also a three-time PIAA placewinner and two-time finalist.

Shady Side Academy senior Frank Martellotti (43-1 at 130) and Burrell’s Travis McKillop (39-4 at 152) are also returning region champions.

Martellotti is a three-time PIAA placewinner and two-time region finalist entered at 130. McKillop won a region title at 119 in 2008, placed fourth at 135 last year.

The top five finishers in each weight class advance to the PIAA tournament.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10060/1039372-364.stm#ixzz0h2YkIaTF

Sunday, February 28, 2010
By David Assad, Tri-State Sports & News Servive

Brashear seniors Jonathan Hannah and Damian Link claimed their fourth City League championship Saturday afternoon at Carrick with pins in their respective title matches. They are the fourth and fifth wrestlers in the 21-year history of the City League tournament to win four championships and the first from Brashear.

Top-seeded Hanna (28-7) pinned Peabody’s Darius Moore (12-13) 1 minute, 40 seconds into the 119-pound final. Link (18-9), the No. 3 seed at 130, pinned No. 1 seed Michael Wortham (10-4) of Schenley at 4:51.

Brashear won the team title for a second consecutive year, beating Perry, 150-132.5.

Brashear had two other repeat champions in senior Wayne Murphy (145) and sophomore Nyama Godwin (103). Godwin (32-1) pinned Joseph Hockett of Westinghouse in 1:48. Murphy (26-5) pinned Jermaine Gray of Peabody in 5:31.

Brashear had a fifth champion when sophomore Douglas Sauer (20-13) pinned James Delijaah of Oliver in 40 seconds.

Other top seeds who won titles were Allderdice’s Ean Disilvio (135), Carrick’s Rodney Culberson (140), Langley’s Danny Scholz (152), Oliver’s Devante Tiller (171), Perry’s Josh Visokey (215) and Peabody’s Carlos Saunders (285).

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10059/1039242-364.stm#ixzz0h2X94sZc

Feb. 19, 2010
PITTSBURGH -

In dramatic fashion in front of over 1,900 fans on Senior Night, the Pitt wrestling team (17-1-1, 6-0 EWL) claimed their first-ever Eastern Wrestling League title Friday night in a 21-13 victory over rival Edinboro (8-6, 4-1 EWL) at Fitzgerald Field House.

“This win was satisfying, certainly,” head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “But I’m the same person whether we win or we lose. It was just neat for our guys. We had such a great atmosphere and we are putting a good product out. I was told by Steve Pederson and Chancellor Nordenberg that they are lighting the Victory Lights on the Cathedral tonight and I am really touched by that.

“We have been close so many times so it was nice to get this one,” Stotlemyer continued. “We really out-wrestled them tonight though. We were aggressive and went after them. I have to give credit to our lead-off guy (Anthony Zanetta). He went up against one of the top guys in the country and it wasn’t that close. He just creates momentum for this team every time he steps on the mat.”

Stottlemyer, in his 31st season, brought Pitt its first EWL regular season or tournament title in the 35th year of the league. The Panthers also won their sixth league match of the season for a school record and their only undefeated conference mark.

Pitt’s win over the Fighting Scots is also the first since the 1998 season, breaking an 11-match losing streak.

The Panthers looked to be in control, starting off the night winning the first five matches and taking a commanding 15-0 lead. Freshman Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) defeated the No. 7 wrestler at 125, 4-1, to take the early lead.

Senior Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) couldn’t have asked for a better end to his collegiate career at Fitzgerald Field House as he closed out the 133 weight class with a 4-2 decision over Kyle Fluke.

At 141, sophomore Tyler Nauman (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), who finished his dual season with an undefeated 18-0, had another strong performance with a 7-2 decision over Joel Webster. Nauman’s 18 dual wins also ties the most in a season with Nick Mengerink’s 18-0 record in 1997-98.

Senior Eric Albright (York, Pa./Red Lion Area/Virginia) followed that up with a hard-fought 4-3 decision at 149 over Torsten Gillespie. Donnie Tasser (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) sealed the match with a last-second decision, 7-6, over Johnny Greisheimer in the 157 weight class.

At 197, sophomore Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) added to the tally with a 4-2 decision over Shawn Fendone, which set up an all-star battle in the heavyweight. Seventh-ranked Ryan Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) matched up with No. 20 Chris Birchler with the score set at 18-13 in the final match of the night. Tomei needed to avoid a technical fall or a pin to seal the win for the Panthers. The junior looked strong from start to finish, taking the 7-3 decision and leading Pitt to the 21-13 team win.

The Panthers will have a break until the EWL tournament, held March 7 in Morgantown, W.Va. at the WVU Coliseum.

#18 Pitt 21, #25 Edinboro 13
125 – #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. vs. #7 Eric Morrill (Edinboro) (4-1)
133 – #28 Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) dec. vs. Kyle Fluke (Edinboro) (4-2)
141 – #16 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. vs. Joel Webster (Edinboro) (7-2)
149 – #30 Eric Albright (Pitt) dec. vs. Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) (4-3)
157 – Donnie Tasser (Pitt) dec. vs. Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro) (7-6)
165 -#2 Jarrod King (Edinboro) MD vs. Adam Counterman (Pitt) (12-2)
174 – Phil Moricone (Edinboro) FALL vs. David Sullivan (Pitt) (4:15)
184 – Pat Bradshaw (Edinboro) dec. vs. #25 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) (3-2)
197 – #19 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. vs. Shawn Fendone (Edinboro) (4-2)
285 – #7 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) dec. vs. #20 Chris Birchler (Edinboro) (7-3)