Pitt Wrestling Set for First Two Dual Meets
11/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 12, 2011
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team will compete in its first two dual meets of the season this weekend when it travels to eastern Pennsylvania for matches at Lehigh and Drexel. The Panthers, ranked 18th nationally by InterMat Wrestling, square off with the sixth-ranked Mountain Hawks on Saturday, Nov. 12, and take on the Dragons on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The match with Lehigh could feature numerous rematches from last week's competition at the Buffalo Open, most notably a second showdown between Pitt's seventh-ranked Matt Wilps and No. 9 Joe Kennedy at 197 pounds. Wilps edged Kennedy 2-1 in overtime during the semifinals.
Three Panther wrestlers met Mountain Hawk opponents in the finals at Buffalo. Pitt All-American Tyler Nauman cruised to a 9-3 win over Kyle Rosser at 149, Donnie Tasser fell to Eric Hess at 157 and Andy Vaughan dropped a decision to No. 2 Robert Hamlin at 184.
Lehigh is coached by Pat Santoro, a two-time national champion and four-time All-American at Pitt from 1985-89. He competed under the tutelage of current Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer, who has guided the program for the past 33 seasons.
Pitt will make the short trip from Lehigh to Philadelphia for a non-conference match with Drexel the following afternoon. The Dragons have two nationally-ranked wrestlers in No. 17 Joe Booth (165) and No. 17 Kyle Frey (285). The Panthers are unbeaten (4-0) all-time versus the Dragons.
Another one of Stottlemyer's All-American wrestlers is on the Drexel coaching staff. Former Pitt heavyweight Zack Sheaffer is an assistant with the Dragons. Sheaffer won over 100 matches for the Panthers and placed eighth in the nation in 2009.
Pitt enters the weekend on a nice winning streak after notching victories in its final five dual meets last season,
Lehigh is just the first of many tough opponents on the Panthers' schedule this season. Their non-conference slate also includes No. 2 Penn State, No. 8 Michigan and No. 11 Ohio State. Edinboro, the final EWL opponent of the season for Pitt, comes in at No. 24.
The match with Michigan is the home opener for Pitt. The Panthers will host the Wolverines at the Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.