Pitt
Ohio State
Pitt Struggles in 30-3 Match Against Ohio State
1/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 5, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Panthers were hoping to bring home their first dual victory of the season, but their efforts proved unsuccessful as they lost a tough 30-3 match to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Now 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) conference, the Panthers understand the need for improvement despite having such a young roster.
"Our effort needs to be better," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "We need to work on being more consistent. We're capable of a lot more."
Stottlemyer, however, was happy with true freshman Brad Gentzle's win at 125 pounds. Gentzle faced his opponent earlier this season when he was pinned at the Las Vegas Invitational, but he learned from the experience and came back to put Pitt on the scoreboard.
The match started at 197 pounds where Ohio State's Corey Morrison got an early 7-1 lead in the first period over Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland). Both wrestlers scored in the second to make it 8-2, but Morrison added three more in the final period to win by an 11-2 major decision, putting Ohio State at a 4-0 lead.
At heavyweight, both Pitt's Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) and Ohio State's Kirk Nail went scoreless in the first period. Nail was able to get on the board in the second adding four points, and even though Thomas came back with an escape in the third period, Nail took the match 4-1. Ohio State was now at a 7-0 lead.
The 125-pound bout was Pitt's only success of the evening as Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) defeated Ohio State's Nathan Costello with an 11-5 decision. Gentzle started off by scoring four points in the first period for two takedowns. Costello gained one point on an escape. The second period went the same way with Gentzle having two takedowns and Costello with an escape, making it 8-3 going into the final period. Gentle scored with two escapes, giving him the win at 11-5. He gained Pitt's only points of the evening, though Ohio State was still in the lead 7-3.
At 133 pounds, Pitt's Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) faced Ohio State's Reece Humphrey. In the first period, Humphrey gained the lead with a two-point takedown. Both wrestlers were scoreless in the second, and Humphrey came back with a takedown in the third to win by a 5-0 decision. His victory put Ohio State in the lead 10-3.
Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) wrestled in his first dual meet at 141 pounds against Ohio State's T.J. Enright. Enright started off with a 5-1 lead in the first period after a takedown and three-point near fall. Ciampoli gained a point for an escape, and went on to add another one in the second, making the score 5-2 going into the final period. An escape by Enright gave him the win with a 7-2 decision. Ohio State maintained a 13-3 lead.
Freshman Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) wrestled one of the Panthers' tougher matches of the evening against J. Jaggers at 149 pounds. Ecklof was the first to score with a takedown in the first, but Jaggers retaliated with an escape and a takedown, giving him a 3-2 lead. Ecklof pulled ahead in the second with a reversal and takedown to have a 6-5 lead entering the third period. Jaggers scored with an escape. Ecklof then scored with a takedown, but Jaggers scored on both an escape and a takedown to win the match 9-8 and put Ohio State up to a 16-3 lead.
At 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) lost a tough 20-4 match to Ohio State's Steve Sommer. Sommer was the only one to score in the first period on a takedown, and he went on to score on three more in the second. Richmond gained some points on two escapes in the second, making the score 9-2 entering the final period. Sommer continued with three more takedowns and a three-point near fall. Richmond scored again on two escapes, but it wasn't enough, giving Sommer the 20-4 tech fall win. Ohio State improved to 21-3.
Senior Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) faced Ohio State's Charlie Clark at 165 pounds. The two went scoreless in all three periods, sending their match into overtime. Clark was the only one to score with a takedown, giving him a 2-0 victory over Nestor. Ohio State moved to 24-3 in the match.
Wrestling for at 174 pounds was Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) against Ohio State's Nathaniel Augustson. Augustson scored with a takedown in the first, and Padezan came back with an escape. Padezan then tied the match at 2-2 with an escape in the second. Augustson's reversal in the third period gave him a 4-2 lead and the win, putting Ohio State at 27-3.
The final bout of the evening was between Pitt's Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Ohio State's Alex Picazo at 184 pounds. Picazo started out in the lead with a takedown, and Deliere scored on an escape in the first period. The two went scoreless in the second before things picked up in the third. Picazo gained points from three takedowns and an escape while Deliere had two escapes. Picazo's 10-3 victory gave Ohio State a 30-3 win.
The Panthers' next competition is this weekend when they face local teams Slippery Rock and Duquesne. The matches are set for 4 p.m. in the Fitzgerald Field House.
197: Corey Morrison (Ohio State) maj. dec. Mike Heist (Pitt), 11-2 [4-0 Ohio State]
HWT: Kirk Nail (Ohio State) dec. Lou Thomas (Pitt), 4-1 [7-0 Ohio State]
125: Brad Gentzle (Pitt) dec. Nathan Costello (Ohio State), 11-5 [7-3 Ohio State]
133: Reece Humphrey (Ohio State) dec. Mike Ciotti (Pitt), 5-0 [10-3 Ohio State]
141: T.J. Enright (Ohio State) dec. Joe Ciampoli (Pitt), 7-2 [13-3 Ohio State]
149: J. Jaggers (Ohio State) dec. Joey Ecklof (Pitt), 9-8 [16-3 Ohio State]
157: Steve Sommer (Ohio State) tech. fall Sean Richmond (Pitt), 20-4 [21-3 Ohio State]
165: Charlie Clark (Ohio State) dec. Justin Nestor (Pitt), 2-0 sv [24-3 Ohio State]
174: Nathaniel Augustson (Ohio State) dec. Nick Padezan (Pitt), 4-2 [27-3 Ohio State]
184: Alex Picazo (Ohio State) dec. Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 10-3 [30-3 Ohio State]
