Panthers Represent Well at NCAA Wrestling Championships
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 22, 1999
PENN STATE, Pa. - The Pittsburgh wrestling team was represented by a school record-tying seven competitors at the 1999 NCAA Wrestling Championships hosted by Penn State (March 18-20). The Panthers finished 37th (tied) overall.
Junior Mike Ziska (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) had the best showing for Pittsburgh as he was one match away from becoming an All-American. At 157 pounds, Ziska won the first two rounds with wins over George Mason's Mark Weader (7-4) and Wisconsin's Cory Wallman (2-1 TB). He then faced fifth-seeded Bryan Snyder of Nebraska in the quarterfinals round and lost a close decision, 6-5. Ziska finished the tournament with an 8-3 loss to sixth-seeded Jamie Heidt of Iowa in the consolation quarterfinals.
Seniors Chad Jesko (Dunbar, Pa./Connellsville) and Brian Pardini (Upper St. Clair, Pa./Upper St. Clair), junior heavyweight Matt Mueller (North Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue- Medford) and sophomore Shawn Amistade (Washington, Pa./Trinity) all finished the tournament with records of 1-2. Jesko defeated a familiar foe in Slippery Rock's Chris Elliot, 6-0, in the first round at 149 pounds before falling to second-seeded Reggie Wright of Oklahoma State, 6-4, in the second. In the second round of the consolations, Jesko came back to tie Oklahoma's 12th-seeded Jared Frayer, 7-7, with a takedown late in the third period, but Frayer escaped with one second left, scoring the winning point.
Pittsburgh's 165-pounder Pardini fell to 10th-seeded Rick Springman of Penn, 9-0, and then defeated Northwestern's Drew Pariano, 6-0. He was eliminated in the consolation second round after being pinned by Penn State's Alex Leykikh.
Mueller was pinned by Illinois' fifth-seeded Karl Roesler in the first round. He won a 7-0 decision over Michigan's Matt Brink but was eliminated by Edinboro's A.J. Johnson, 7-4, in consolations.
Amistade defeated Maryland's Brandon York, 4-2, at 133 pounds, before falling to Iowa State's Cody Sanderson (3-1), the eventual national runner-up. He was then defeated by Minnesota's Bart Golyer, 2-1.
Sophomore Nick Mengerink (Upper Sanduskey, Ohio/Carey) faced the eventual 174-pound national champion in Penn State's Glenn Pritzlaff and was defeated, 9-3, after a first-round bye. He lost a 4-2 decision to Oklahoma's Michael Barger, 4-2, in the second round of consolations.
Freshman 197-pounder Dan Stine (Queensbury, Pa./Queensbury) was eliminated in the second round of competition.