Gavin, Kocher Advance to Finals at Midlands
12/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 30, 2007
Evanston, Ill. - Keith Gavin and Matt Kocher will represent the University of Pittsburgh tonight in the finals of the Midlands Wrestling Championships. The Panthers are also currently in seventh place in the team competition with 52.5 points.
Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), the No. 1 seed in the 174-pound bracket, earned a spot in the finals after and 8-3 decision over the No. 5 seed, John Dergo of Illinois. The Panthers' fifth-year senior broke open a tightly contested match with a five-point third period and distanced himself from his opposition. He will continue on and square off against Iowa's Jay Borschel for the Midlands 174-pound title.
Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) stepped to the mat as the No. 3 seed for a semifinal bout against the No. 2-seeded Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State. An All-American last year at 157 pounds, Kocher jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period of action. He would then add two takedowns and an escape in the third, plus a point for riding time to set the match's final score at 10-3.
Ryan Bosso (Pequea, Pa./Penn Manor) and Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) are the other two Panther grapplers who competed today. Bosso claimed seventh-place in the 125-pound class with a 9-2 victory over Tyler Mumbolo of the Peacock Wrestling Club. He finished the tournament with a record of 5-2, giving him a 14-10 mark in tournaments this season.
Sheaffer advanced to the semifinals of the heavyweight consolation bracket with two victories in Sunday's first session. He disposed of Liberty's Patrick Walker by a count of 7-2 to move into the quarterfinals. Sheaffer then took the No.6-seed John Wise of Illinois to overtime before claiming victory with a takedown in the extra frame.
Competition will continue throughout the day at Welsh-Ryan Arena on the campus of Northwestern University. The semifinal and final rounds will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
Panther fans, be sure to log onto www.pittsburghpanthers.com throughout the day for updates from the Midlands.
For complete brackets from the Midlands, please visit the link below:
Midlands Championship Information