Pitt
Keystone Classic
Three Panthers Win Championships at Keystone Classic
11/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 24, 2008
PITTSBURGH -- Zach Sheaffer, Jimmy Conroy and Matt Wilps each posted 4-0 records on the day, helping lead the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team to a second place finish at the annual Keystone Classic hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at The Palestra. Pitt finished with 135 team points, three and a half points behind the host Quakers.
The No. 1 seeded Conroy opened up action in the 133-pound bracket with two straight major decisions. Eli Harris (Brown) was a 14-3 victim in the first round while Michael Baxter (Mercyhurst) fell 15-4 in the second, setting up a semifinal match with fourth seeded Bryan Ortenzio (Penn). A 9-3 decision over Ortenzio made for an all-Pitt final, with Conroy meeting third seeded Brad Gentzle. Gentzle, wrestling unattached on the day, advanced to the finals with decisions over Alex Radsky (Davidson), Michael Bowman (VMI) and No. 2 seed Jasen Borshoff (American). Gentzle, however, took second place after a medical forfeit before the match.
Freshman Tyler Nauman stormed into the finals of the 141-pound bracket with a series of bonus-point wins. After a first-round bye, the No. 1 seeded Nauman tallied pins over Ross Baldwin (Brown) and Marty Borowsky (Penn) before a 13-2 major decision over Fred Rodgers (Rider) in the semifinals. In the finals, Nauman dropped a 5-2 decision to the sixth seed, Matt Mariacher (American), finishing the day with a 3-1 record.
Senior Mark Powell posted a 4-2 record in the 149-pound bracket, taking fourth place. After opening with a 12-2 major decision over Nick Pitas (American), Powell advanced to the semifinals with two straight decisions, falling to the No. 1 seed, Cesar Grajales (Penn) 4-1. Powell picked up a 7-4 decision over Brett McCurdy (Penn) to advance to the third place match where he was downed 5-3 by Mike Roberts (Boston).
At 165, sophomore Ethan Headlee went 4-1 on the day, taking third place. Headlee collected three bonus-point wins, including a tech fall in the first round over Tyler Mullen (Davidson) and a first period fall in the second round over Nathan Iseman (VMI). After a 5-3 loss to Jason Lapham (Rider), Headlee advanced to the third place match where he picked up his second fall of the day, this time over Kyle Blevins (Appalachian State).
Redshirt junior David Sullivan picked up three wins on the day in the 174-pound bracket, claiming fourth place. Sullivan started the day with a tech fall over Pat Carter (Mercyhurst) and a 6-2 decision over No. 3 seed Hunter Meys (Boston) before dropping a 6-2 decision to Austin Trotman (Appalachian State) in the semifinals. In the consolations, he earned a 15-1 major decision over Kyle Raber (Mercyhurst) before falling to Meys, 4-1 in the third place match.
After an opening round loss in the 184-pound class, freshman Andy Vaughan picked up three wins to finish in fifth place. Vaughan earned two decisions, including a 4-3 win over teammate Brock Mantella who competed unattached on the day.
Freshman Matt Wilps knocked off both the third and fourth seeded wrestlers in the 197-pound bracket en route to a 4-3 decision in the championships match over John Hall (Boston). He started the day with an 8-4 decision over Malachy Morris (Brown) and followed it up with a 6-4 win over No. 4 Trevor Gallo (Mercyhurst). In the semifinals, Wilps was a 9-3 winner over Tyler Smith (Rider).
Sheaffer, Pitt's senior heavyweight went on a bonus-point bonanza, tallying four straight falls on his way to the title. He made quick work in his first round bout with Charlie Wolff (Davidson), earning the fall in 59 seconds. Kenny Bluska (Mercyhurst) was the second casualty on the day, falling in the second period. In the semifinals, Sheaffer pinned Leon Barrow (VMI) to set up a finals date with home favorite Trey McLean (Penn). McLean, however, was no match for the seventh ranked wrestler in the country according to the latest USA Today/Intermat/NWCA poll, falling late in the second period to give Sheaffer his sixth win of the year.
Pitt will take a two-week hiatus before heading west for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 5-6. Last year, the Panthers amassed 68.5 points and finished in a tie for eighth place in the prestigious tournament.
