Dec. 31, 2010

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt wrestling team finished fifth overall Thursday at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Six Panthers posted top-eight finishes as the team scored 82.5 points.

In addition, Matt Wilps, who wrestled unattached, claimed the 197 title.

Redshirt junior Tyler Nauman (141) and junior Zac Thomusseit (197) each claimed third place finishes.

For the second consecutive year, redshirt senior Ryan Tomei (285) and sophomore Anthony Zanetta (125) posted top-eight finishes at Midlands with finishes of fourth and sixth, respectively.

Redshirt junior Ethan Headlee (165) and redshirt sophomore Donnie Tasser (157) rounded out the six Panthers who placed. Headlee finished seventh while Tasser took eighth overall.

Wilps’ success highlighted Pitt’s performance, although his first-place finish did not count towards the Panthers team score. Wilps entered the tournament on his own as NCAA rules prohibit a wrestler from competing for a team if he wishes to redshirt the season.

After posting a 3-0 record on day one, Wilps notched a 10-2 major decision over No. 3 Joe Kennedy of Lehigh before claiming the title with 5-4 decision over No. 4 Byron Tate of Wartburg.

Thomusseit gave the Panthers two of the top three finishes at 197 after recording an undefeated 3-0 record in day two. Thomusseit knocked off No. 11 Andy Johnson of Nebraska, 6-3, followed by a 3-1 decision over No. 2 Luke Lofthouse of Iowa. In the third place final bout, Thomusseit avenged his only defeat of the tournament, by defeating Nathan Patrick, 3-1 in a tiebreaker.

Nauman (141) posted two straight wins after dropping his opening match of the day in the semifinals against eventual champion Boris Novachkov of Cal Poly. Nauman rebounded with an 8-6 decision over No. 4 Mark Ballweg of Iowa before finishing the tournament with a fall over Chris Druin of Iowa State in the third place bout.

Tomei dropped a close 2-1 decision to No. 6 Jarod Trice of Central Michigan in the semifinals, but bounced back with a 5-3 sudden victory over John Helgerson of Wartburg to catapult him into the third place match. Tomei was stymied by No. 4 Ryan Flores, who picked up the third place victory.

Despite entering the tournament with limited action this season, Zanetta improved from last year’s eighth place finish with a six place showing in 2010. His championship aspirations were thwarted in the semifinals by eventual champion Brandon Precin of host Northwestern. Precin later garnered the tournament’s “Champion of Champions” award.

Competing for the first time this season at 165, Headlee was able to take advantage of his quickness and technique in his first match of the day, recording a fall before finishing the tournament with a 4-2 decision in the seventh place final.

Tasser dominated his opening match of day two with a 22-5 tech fall that guaranteed him a top-8 finish. Although Tasser was unable to pick up another victory, his strong showing gave the Panthers valuable points that led to the team’s fifth place showing.

A tape delay of the tournament will air on the Big-Ten network on Saturday Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Panthers will head home in preparation for the Pitt Duals which will be held at the Fitzgerald Field House on Sunday, Jan. 9. Action begins at 9 a.m. when the Panthers take on Drexel.

Final Bracket Results

Final Team Standings

2010 Midlands Final Summary

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