University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Penn State
Pitt Downs Rutgers, Renews Rivalry with Penn State
12/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 12, 2009
PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team opened their dual match season at home with a thrilling night, defeating Rutgers 21-18, and tying in-state rival Penn State, 19-19 here at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Panthers (6-1-1) entered the final match against Rutgers down 18-15, needing a bonus-point win from redshirt junior Ryan Tomei. Tomei delivered, rolling up eighth-ranked Dominick Russo just over a minute into the second period, giving Pitt a 21-18 win. The win marked the first over Rutgers since the 1996-96 season and gives Pitt the 3-0-1 edge in the all-time series.
Freshman Anthony Zanetta kicked off the night with a 7-4 decision at 125, scoring a takedown and two back points in the third period to clinch the win and give the Panthers the early 3-0 lead. Redshirt sophomore and 13th-ranked Tyler Nauman evened the score at 6-6 with an 8-7 decision over No. 19 Trevor Melde. Nauman’s decision followed a Rutgers pin in the 133-pound match.
Redshirt senior Eric Albright’s first-period pin over No. 19 David Greenwald at 149 put Pitt back in front, 12-6. The Scarlet Knights didn’t give up however, reeling off three straight decisions to reclaim the lead at 15-12. A Zac Thomusseit decision at 184 knotted the match at 15-15 with two to go. Lamar Brown was able to score a takedown during sudden victory over Matt Wilps, giving Rutgers the 18-15 lead and setting the stage for Tomei’s last minute heroics.
The Panthers and Nittany Lions met on the mat for the first time since the 2004-05 season when Penn State was ranked No. 16 and Pitt No. 25.
Pitt wasted no time in renewing the rivalry, building a 9-0 lead with three straight decisions to open up the match. Zanetta earned his second win of the night, using an 8-3 jumpstart after the first period to upset No. 7 Brad Pataky, 15-9. Conroy was a 7-3 winner over Bryan Pearsall at 133 while Nauman avenged his only loss of the season, dropping Colby Pisani 5-2 at 141. Pisani handed a 9-3 loss at the Penn State Open last week.
Penn State’s middle weights answered the call immediately with five straight wins, including three via the bonus-point variety. Sixth-ranked Frank Molinaro was a 12-4 winner over Albright at 149 while No. 3 Cyler Sanderson, brother of PSU head coach Cael Sanderson, won by tech fall, 26-11 over Mark Powell at 157 pounds. At 165, No. 9 Dan Vallimont was a 16-5 over Karl DeCiantis, bringing the score to 12-9. A 3-1 decision by Justin Ortega at 174 was followed by a 13-4 major decision at 184 from No. 14 David Erwin.
The Panthers closed the gap to 19-5 after the Nittany Lions forfeited the 197 bout. Tomei was again called upon to lead the Panthers. Taking a 3-0 lead into the third period with riding time locked, Tomei began his assault on Brandan Herlihy, tallying three takedowns, the last coming with six seconds on the clock to earn the 10-1 major decision, giving Pitt the 19-19 tie with the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions.
Pitt is off until the end of the month when they make their trek to Evanston, Ill. to compete at the Midlands Championships. Action at the two-day event starts on Dec. 29.
No. 24 Pitt 21, Rutgers 18
125 – Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. vs. Joseph Langel (Rutgers) (7-4)
133 – No. 18 Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) FALL vs. Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) (6:53)
141 – No. 13 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. vs. No. 19 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) (8-7)
149 – Eric Albright (Pitt) FALL vs. No. 19 David Greenwald (Rutgers) (2:06)
157 – Cullen Isenberg (Rutgers) dec. vs. Mark Powell (Pitt) (2-1)
165 – Gregory Zannetti (Rutgers) dec. vs. Karl DeCiantis (Pitt) (6-4)
174 – Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) dec. vs. David Sullivan (Pitt) (3-2)
184 – Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. vs. Daniel Seidenberg (Rutgers) (8-3)
197 – Lamar Brown dec. (Rutgers) dec. vs. No. 18 Matt Wilps (Pitt) (3-1, SV)
285 – No. 12 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) FALL vs. No. 8 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) (4:02)
No. 24 Pitt 19, No. 14 Penn State 19
125 – Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. vs. No. 7 Brad Pataky (PSU) (15-9)
133 – Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) dec. vs. Bryan Pearsall (PSU) (7-3)
141 – No. 13 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. vs. Colby Pisani (PSU) (5-2)
149 – No. 6 Frank Molinaro (PSU) MD vs. Eric Albright (Pitt) (12-4)
157 – No. 3 Cyler Sanderson (PSU) TF4 vs. Mark Powell (Pitt) (26-11)
165 – No. 9 Dan Vallimont (PSU) MD vs. Karl DeCiantis (Pitt) (16-5)
174 – Justin Ortega (PSU) dec. vs. David Sullivan (Pitt) (3-1)
184 – No. 14 David Erwin (PSU) MD vs. Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) (13-4)
197 – No. 18 Matt Wilps (Pitt) wins by forfeit
285 – No. 12 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) MD vs. Brendan Herlihy (PSU) (10-1)
Players Mentioned
