PITT'S DREW HEADLEE TAKES FIFTH AT LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
12/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 2, 2006
PRIMM, Nev. - The Pitt wrestling team had three competitors in today's semifinals of the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Keith Gavin, Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher each competed this morning with Headlee placing fifth and Gavin and Kocher advancing into tonight's third and fourth-place matches.
Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) entered the tournament undefeated and as a No. 5 seed. This morning he wrestled the No. 1 seed and defending national champion, Matt Valenti of Penn. Valenti won a 9-5 decision over Headlee, giving him his first loss of the season and sending him into consolations where he faced Missouri's Tyler McCormick. McCormick won an 8-2 decision, putting Headlee into the fifth and sixth-place bout. Headlee finished fifth in the tournament, defeating Buffalo's Mark Budd.
Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) was also a No. 5 seed in the tournament, and he took on Arizona State's Brian Stith, the No. 1 seed and NCAA finalist last season. Kocher controlled the bout throughout, maintaining a lead over Stith until the final seconds when the match was tied. Stith won the sudden victory, 4-2, sending Kocher into consolations. In his next match, Kocher fought to a tough 4-3 victory over Missouri's Mike Chandler, and he'll now compete for third place this evening.
Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), a No. 5 seed, took on the No. 1 seed and national champion Ben Askren of Missouri. Askren won with a fall at the 2:16 mark, putting Gavin in consolations. In his next match, Gavin won a 7-2 decision over Rider's Doug Umbehauer. Gavin defeated Umbehauer earlier this season in Pitt's dual match with an 8-6 decision. He'll wrestle this evening for third place as well.
At the conclusion of this evening's matches, the Panthers will begin preparing for their dual match against Lehigh next Saturday at 1 p.m. Updates will continue to be available at www.pittsburghpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
