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Oklahoma Bound: Pitt Finishes Third in EWL Conference Championships
March 5, 2006
EDINBORO, Pa. - For the third season in a row, Pitt finished third in the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Conference Championships, this year with a score of 97 points. Seniors Mike Ciotti, Ronald Tarquinio and Justin Nestor were Pitt's three wrestlers competing for a championship title while three other teammates earned NCAA bids earlier today. "Team-wise, I think we did a really good job," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "We have wrestled hard throughout the tournament. Our two guys [Brad Gentzle and Mike Heist], in particular, really earned their way to nationals. They beat people who had defeated them earlier this season, and they didn't give up. I tip my hat to the effort they put forth, and I think they certainly exceeded some of the expectations people had." Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) was the first of the Panthers to wrestle in the championship finals. He faced No. 1 Shawn Bunch of Edinboro. In the first period, Bunch got to an early lead with a takedown. Ciotti fought back with an escape, but Bunch scored on a takedown to lead 4-1 going into the second period. Bunch had two cautions early in the second period while Ciotti had one. Bunch was the first to score again with one point on an escape, giving him a 5-1 lead. In the final period, Ciotti scored two points on escapes while Bunch scored two on takedowns and earned a point for riding time for a 10-3 victory and his fourth conference championship title. Ciotti placed second overall, earning his first NCAA berth. He's compiled a record of 16-9 on the season, 9-3 dual record and 7-6 tournament record. At 141 pounds, Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) was attempting to capture his second conference title as he faced West Virginia's Brandon Rader. Tarquinio built some momentum early in the first period, scoring four points from two takedowns. Rader went on to score a point on an escape. Tarquinio, with a 4-1 lead going into the second, scored an escape point, but Rader came back with a takedown to narrow the score to 5-3 in favor of Pitt. Tarquinio scored on another escape, but Rader earned two for a takedown. Going into the final period, Tarquinio held on to a narrow 6-5 lead. Rader tied the match at six, scoring on an escape in the third. Rader scored a takedown to take the lead in the match for the first time. He went on to score on another takedown to capture the 141-pound title by a 10-6 decision. Tarquinio now stands at 19-9 overall this season with a 13-5 tournament record. He currently ranks fifth among Pitt's all-time win leaders with 117 career wins.
The last championship finalist for Pitt this season, Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) made history, defeating West Virginia's Larry Hall for the conference title. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first period, but Nestor scored two points on a reversal in the second to get on the scoreboard. He kept Hall scoreless for the rest of the period to move ahead with a 2-0 lead. Nestor held his lead in the final period, taking the bout 2-0. He is now Pitt's 25th EWL Conference Champion and the fourth Panther to capture a league title in the last three years. Nestor currently ranks sixth among Pitt's all-time win leaders with 116 career wins. He also ranks second among Pitt's all-time pin leaders with 34. With today's finishes, Tarquinio and Nestor join nine other Panthers to become the only four-time NCAA qualifiers. The last four-time qualifier was assistant coach Carl Fronhofer, who made appearances from 2000-03. For the second year in a row, Pitt had all ten of its wrestlers become EWL placewinners, with five Panthers in the top three. Ciotti, Tarquinio and Nestor, along with Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) and Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) are automatic qualifiers because of their tournament finishes. Freshman Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) will also make the trip to Oklahoma City, having been elected by the coaches as a wild card bid. FSN Pittsburgh will air today's finals via a tape delay on Sunday, March 12, at 2 p.m., and Tuesday, March 14, at 2:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for next weekend in Oklahoma City, Okla. Pitt's EWL Placewinners: |
 
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