Pitt
Las Vegas Invitational
Panthers Claim Fourth Place at Las Vegas Invitational
12/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 7, 2008
LAS VEGAS -- Three University of Pittsburgh wrestlers were in action tonight in the finals of the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Senior Zach Sheaffer and redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman both finished second while junior Jimmy Conroy picked up a fourth place finish.
Pitt improved on its eighth place finish a year ago with its fourth place showing today, accumulating 85.0 points. Nebraska won the overall team title, finishing with 124.5 points while Cornell edged Minnesota for second by two points, tallying 91.0 over the two day span. Purdue (83.0), Michigan (82.5), Boise State (79.5), Cal State Bakersfield (76.0), Indiana (69.0) and Virginia Tech (69.0) rounded out the top 10 teams.
Nauman entered the championship of the 141-pound bracket riding a wave of upsets that included wins over the second, third and sixth seeded wrestlers. His opponent, Corey Jantzen (Harvard), advanced to the finals in similar fashion, with upsets over the first, fourth and eighth seeded wrestlers.
Jantzen struck early with a first-period takedown and increased his lead in the second with a reversal and near fall, taking a 7-0 lead into the final period. With 30 seconds remaining in the match, Nauman was able to maneuver a takedown of his own and followed it with a near fall, bringing the crowd to its feet and cutting the deficit to two at 7-5 with seconds on the clock. Inches from defeat, Jantzen reversed and secured the 141-pound title, tacking on a riding time point to bring the final score to 10-5.
The third place match in the 133-pound bracket was a quarterfinal rematch, pitting Conroy against Jayson Ness (Minnesota). Ness, the defending national champion at 125 and No. 1 ranked wrestler according to the latest USA Today/Intermat/NWCA poll was an 11-2 winner over Conroy in their first matchup Friday morning. Ness wasted no time, taking down Conroy less than a minute into the match to go up 2-0. With just under two minutes to go in the first period, Ness was able to convert his takedown into a fall, defeating Conroy for the second time in as many days.
Sheaffer, ranked No. 6 in the latest polls entered his second straight tournament finals appearance with an 11-0 record. His opponent in the championship match was eighth seeded Mitch Monteiro (Cal State Bakersfield). After a scoreless first period, Monteiro escaped to open the second, taking a 1-0 lead. In the top position to start the third period, Monteiro increased his lead to 3-0 with a two point near fall, the first non-escape points scored against Sheaffer this season. Sheaffer's attempted shots as the third period came to an end as Monteiro was able to elude any trouble. Riding time favored Monteiro, bringing the match to a close at 4-0.
Also placing for the Panthers was freshman Zac Thomusseit at 184 pounds. Thomusseit was a 3-2 winner over EWL rival Lance Bryson (West Virginia), advancing to the consolation semifinals. In the semifinals, Thomusseit fell 17-1 to Anthony Biondo (Michigan), setting up a seventh place match with Jordan Blanton (Illinois). Blanton and Thomusseit battled for seven hard-fought minutes, with Blanton earning the 7-5 decision in the end.
Pitt will be off for nearly two weeks before picking up action at home, Dec. 19 when they host No. 17 ranked Northwestern University. Match time at the Fitzgerald Field House for the Panthers and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m.
