PITTSBURGH - The score certainly doesn't tell the story of the Pitt wrestling team's final home match of the season. Up against a tough, undefeated Edinboro team, the Panthers wrestled hard but fell by a 29-4 margin to the Fighting Scots. With the loss, Pitt moved its record to 4-9 overall and 2-4 in the EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) while Edinboro continued its perfect record and moved to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the league.
"They're just a really good team," Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer said following the match. "We wrestled hard, and I was pleased with that. Edinboro is a just good, powerful team."
Many of the matches were close, but it was senior Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) who came through with a big win in his final match at the Fitzgerald Field House. With Pitt down 7-0 before he wrestled, Tarquinio's win put the Panthers back in the battle with the Fighting Scots, narrowing the margin to 7-4.
Wrestling in the 141 pound weight class, No. 6 Tarquinio defeated Edinboro's Rick McLaughlin by a major decision score of 10-2. After the first period, the score was close with Tarquinio leading by two. During the second period, Tarquinio earned an escape point, follow by another takedown to move the score to 5-0. McLaughlin earned two points on two escapes in the final period, but Tarquinio racked up another five to secure a victory on his senior day and continue the success he has found this year.
"It felt really good to get that win today," Tarquinio said about his match. "The last couple of wins I have had will give me great momentum going into the postseason."
Many Panthers came just points away from adding to the team's score. Edinboro controlled much of the riding time throughout the evening, contributing to the small point difference in some of the matches.
Starting the night off was Pitt freshman Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) who lost a close decision to Ediboro's Ricky Deubel by a score of 4-2. Gentzle only trailed by two after earning two takedown points in the second period and was closing in on his opponent, but Deubel held strong and with an escape and the riding time point pulling ahead to a two-point victory.
At 133 pounds, Pitt senior Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) faced No. 1 Shawn Bunch of Edinboro. Ciotti was able to hold Bunch to only a 2-0 lead in the first period, as Edinboro's top wrestler scored only on a takedown. Bunch, however, gained momentum in the second period, gaining points on two takedowns and point for Pitt's stalling. With a score of 7-2, the match entered its final period. Bunch scored on a series of takedowns while Ciotti scored on two escapes, giving Bunch the major decision with with a score of 15-4.
The bout at 149 pounds was between Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and Edinboro's Gregor Gillespie. The two met earlier this year at the Southern Scuffle where Gillespie came away with the win. Tonight's match was much closer, though Gillespie was still able to gain the victory. He got on the board with five points in the first period from a takedown and near fall. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the second, and Gillespie's point for riding time in the final period gave him the 6-0 decision.
Falling in another close match was freshman Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) who lost to Matt Hill in the 157-pound weight class. Neither wrestler scored in the first period, but it was Hill who earned three points in the second period on a takedown and an escape. Richmond gained an escape point of his own in the third period, but was held off by Hill who earned the final match point in riding time, beating Richmond by a score of 4-1 and moving the total match score to 13-4 in Edinboro's favor.
The story continued that way for the Panthers in the following match as well with Deonte Penn defeating senior Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./State College) by a slim margin of 3-1. Penn earned two takedown points in the first period, while neither wrestler scored in the second. With a small lead, Nestor earned point for Edinboro's stalling in the third period to narrow the gap even more. Riding time played into the match once again, as Penn earned the final point and the close victory, moving the total score to 16-4.
Edinboro took the next two matches in the 174 and 184 pound weight classes. But it was back to another close decision in the 197-pound match. Junior Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) led his match against Edinboro's Joe Fendone until the final period. After two rounds, it was Heist who was ahead by a score of 2-1. Fendone came back to tie the match up in the final period with an escape and then captured yet another close victory for the Fighting Scots with the riding-time point.
The Panthers will have a week off as they prepare for the upcoming EWL Championships to be held at Edinboro from March 4-5. Several Pitt wrestlers could likely earn top seeds in the tournament.
125: Ricky Deubel (E) dec. Brad Gentzle (Pitt), 4-2 [3-0, Edinboro]
133: Shawn Bunch (E) maj. dec. Mike Ciotti (Pitt), 15-4 [7-0, Edinboro]
141: Ronald Tarquinio (Pitt) maj. dec. Rick McLaughlin (E), 10-3 [7-4, Edinboro]
149: Gregor Gillespie (E) dec. Joey Ecklof (Pitt), 6-0 [10-4, Edinboro]
157: Matt Hill (E) dec. Sean Richmond (Pitt), 4-1 [13-4, Edinboro]
165: Deonte Penn (E) dec. Justin Nestor (Pitt), 3-1 [16-4, Edinboro]
174: Eric Ring (E) dec. Nick Padezan (Pitt), 5-0 [19-4, Edinboro]
184: Alex Clemson (E) maj. dec. Kyle Deliere (Pitt), 17-5 [23-4, Edinboro]
197: Joe Fendone (E) dec. Mike Heist (Pitt), 3-2 [26-4, Edinboro]
285: Jeremy Mosley (E) dec. Lou Thomas (Pitt), 5-2 [29-4, Edinboro]
