Pitt
Kent State
Pitt Falls to Kent State 25-16
1/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 29, 2006
PITTSBURGH - After a close league match up last Thursday, the Panthers returned home this weekend to face the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Panthers were able to secure wins in some of their light and middle weight bouts, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Flashes came back to win the last three of the night, putting Pitt's record at 2-7 and 0-2 in conference competition.
"There were some good efforts out there," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "We have improved since the beginning of the season, and even though we didn't win, we were in the hunt today." He pointed out solid efforts from seniors Mike Ciotti, Ronald Tarquinio and Justin Nestor who all brought the team wins. Stottlemyer was pleased to see another win out of freshman Joey Ecklof, and he felt that even the wrestlers that lost their individual matches stayed tough throughout and turned in good performances.
The match started with a forfeit by Pitt at heavyweight. Kent State's Jermail Porter's victory gave them a 6-0 lead. At 125 pounds, Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) faced Kent State's Chad Sportelli. A tough match up for the Panther true freshman, Sportelli recently won MAC Conference Wrestler of the Week. Gentzle, however, was the first to score with a two-point takedown, giving him a 2-1 lead entering the second period. Sportelli responded with an escape and a takedown, but Gentzle fought back with an escape and scored a penalty point for an illegal hold by Sportelli. Another takedown gave Kent State a 6-4 lead heading info the final period. Sportelli pinned Gentzle at the 5:22 mark, moving the Golden Flashes to 12-0 on the match.
Pitt's Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) took on Kent State's Drew Opfer at 133 pounds. Ciotti scored first with a two-point takedown in the first period, but a reversal and near fall gave Opfer a 5-2 lead going into the second. Ciotti fought back with a reversal to narrow Opfer's lead by one point entering the third period. A near fall and points against Kent State for stalling gave Ciotti a 7-5 decision, putting Pitt on the scoreboard with 3 points. Ciotti now holds a 7-2 dual record for Pitt, the best on the team.
Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) kept the momentum going for the Panthers as he wrestled Kent State's Kyle Chonko at 141 pounds. Tarquinio took a 5-0 lead in the first period after a takedown and near fall, and his escape and takedown in the second moved him to an 8-0 lead. He went on to score ten more points in the final period for an 18-0 technical fall at the 6:05 mark. His win narrowed Kent State's lead to 12-8. This was Tarquinio's second tech fall on the season and the seventh of his career. He now moves to a 15-7 overall record.
Wrestling at 149 pound was Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) against Kent State's Jason Spencer. Ecklof gained a 4-1 lead in the first period with two takedowns, and he maintained his lead in the second, moving to 11-2 entering the third period. Spencer fought back in the third and gained points for an escape and takedown, but it wasn't enough as Ecklof won with a 15-5 major decision, tying the team score at 12 points. This major decision marked Ecklof's third in his freshman campaign, and he now has a 7-2 dual record with a 13-7 overall record.
At 157 pounds was Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) taking on Kent State's Kurt Gross. Gross took a 2-0 lead in the first period with a takedown, and an escape in the second advanced him to 3-0. The two battled in the third with Gross gaining three from an escape and takedown and Richmond coming back with an escape. Gross won a 9-3 decision to move the Golden Flashes back into the lead 15-12.
Pitt's Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) wrestled Kent State's Jason McGee in the 165-pound bout, and he left the Golden Flashes scoreless on his way to a 9-0 major decision. Nestor's takedown in the first period gave him a 2-0 lead, and a reversal in the second moved him to 4-0. A takedown, penalty point against Kent State, point for stalling on Kent State and a point for riding time gave him the win, Putting Pitt in the lead for the first time by a score of 16-15. This was Nestor's third major decision of the season and 14th of his career. He now stands at 20-7 overall with a 6-3 dual record.
The 174-pound match was between Pitt's Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) and Kent State's Aaron Miller. Miller took the lead with a takedown in the first and two more in the second to make the score 6-1, going into the final period. A reversal and a point for riding time gave him the 9-1 victory over Padezan. Kent State moved back into the lead, 19-16.
Freshman Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) faced Kent State's Alex Camargo at 184 pounds. Deliere was the first to score with a two-point takedown, but an escape and takedown by Carmargo gave him a 3-2 lead after the first period. In the second, Deliere scored two more with escapes and Carmargo scored two on a takedown to make the score 5-4 entering the third period. Carmargo gained some momentum in the final period, scoring on three takedowns and holding Deliere to two escapes, giving him a 12-6 decision and keeping the Golden Flashes in the lead 22-16.
The final bout was at 197 pounds between Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) and Kent State's Ardian Ramadani. Heist scored on two escapes in the first period, but Ramadani's two takedowns gave him a 4-2 lead. Hesti came back with an escape in the second, and Ramadani responded with a takedown to make the score 6-3. In the final period, Ramadani score on another takedown and earned a point for riding time to give him a 9-3 win. The Golden Flashes won the match 25-16.
Pitt will going on the road next week as they enter their final four conference matches of the season. They'll take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday, February 3, at 8 p.m.
HWT: Jermail Porter (KSU) wins by forfeit [6-0, Kent State]
125: Chad Sportelli (KSU) WBF Brad Gentzle (Pitt) [12-0, Kent State]
133: Mike Ciotti (Pitt) dec. Drew Opfer (KSU), 7-5 [12-3, Kent State]
141: Ronald Tarquinio (Pitt) tech. fall Kyle Chonko (KSU), 18-0; 6:05 [12-8, Kent State]
149: Joey Ecklof (Pitt) maj. dec. Jason Spencer (KSU), 15-5 [12-12]
157: Kurt Gross (KSU) dec. Sean Richmond (Pitt), 9-3 [15-12, Kent State]
165: Justin Nestor (Pitt) maj. dec. Jason McGee (KSU), 9-0 [16-15, Pitt]
174: Aaron Miller (KSU) maj. dec. Nick Padezan (Pitt), 9-1 [19-16, Kent State]
184: Alex Camargo (KSU) dec. Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 12-6 [22-16, Kent State]
197: Ardian Ramadani (KSU) dec. Mike Heist (Pitt), 9-3 [25-16, Kent State]
