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PITT WRESTLING PREPARES FOR EWL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND
Feb. 27, 2007 PITTSBURGH - Pitt's wrestling team will be competing at the 32nd Annual Eastern Wrestling League Championships from March 3 through March 4. Hosted by Cleveland State, the Panthers (7-7, 2-4 EWL) will head to Cleveland, Ohio, to compete at the Woodling Gymnasium. Throughout the season, the Panthers have had three wrestlers that have been ranked every week. Redshirt junior Drew Headlee, 133 pounds, has been consistently ranked in the top thirteen in the NWCA/Intermat poll. At 157 pounds, Matt Kocher has stayed in the top eleven, and teammate Keith Gavin has climbed his way up to second place in the 174-pound weight class. Headlee, Kocher and Gavin have all been to the EWL Championship tournament in previous seasons. Out of the ten wrestlers going to the tournament, eight are veterans. Only two of the Panthers are first time EWL Championship competitors, and only one is a freshman. Six Panthers are all previous NCAA qualifiers that have a lot of experience in tournaments. Overall, the Panthers have been successful at each tournament they have competed in, placing third at the Cornell Body Bar and eleventh at the Las Vegas Invitational. The experience that these wrestlers have gained will help them to prepare for the tough competition that lies ahead. The veterans that will be traveling to Cleveland bring experience to the lineup and will most likely be competing against past opponents. The first time tournament wrestlers will be looking back on their matches this season as they prepare for their first conference tournament. The following is a breakdown of each weight class for the Panthers: Brad Gentzle--125 pounds. Gentzle (Easton, Pa,/Easton) is heading to his second consecutive EWL Championship tournament. He placed third last season and competed in the NCAA Championships. He has gone 2-4 EWL duals and 13-12 overall this season, including two pins and major decisions. Drew Headlee--133 pounds. Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) will be going back to the championship tournament since the 2004-05 season. Headlee has registered five pins this season and four major decisions. His overall record is 20-7, and he is undefeated in EWL dual competitions. Headlee has defeated Edinboro's Rickey Deubel in a 2:32 fall and Kyle Fluke in a 1:20 fall. Joe Ciampoli--141 pounds. Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) will be competing in his first EWL tournament this season. He is currently 12-13 overall and is 3-3 in EWL dual matchups. He has registered three pins and three major decisions on the season and has defeated league opponents Tony Curto (Bloomsburg), Greg Lewis (Clarion) and Zach Kell (Lock Haven). Mark Generalovich--149 pounds. Generalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) will be the only true freshman heading to Cleveland for the tournament. He has defeated EWL opponent Shaun Mitchell (Cleveland State) at the beginning of his freshman campaign for the Panthers. Matt Kocher--157 pounds. Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) will be returning to the EWL Championship tournament for the first time since his freshman campaign. He has defeated six EWL opponents throughout the season and is 3-3 in conference duals. He has registered the highest number of pins on the season for the Panthers with seven, and has recorded four major decisions. Sean Richmond--165 pounds. Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) will be appearing at the league conference championships for the second year in a row. He is heading into the tournament with a 4-1 EWL dual record and is 20-11 overall. He has posted four pins and five major decisions on the season; the most major decisions recorded by a Panther this season. Keith Gavin--174 pounds. Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) traveled to the EWL Championships as a sophomore and will be returning again as a redshirt junior. Currently ranked second in the NWCA/Intermat polls, Gavin is 21-3 overall this season. He is the only Panther who is 6-0 in league dual matches and has registered two pins, four technical falls and four major decisions. Kyle Deliere--184 pounds. Deliere (Cecil, Pa/Canon-McMillan) is making his second consecutive trip to the EWL tournament. He is currently 6-13 overall and 1-4 in conference matches. Deliere has registered two pins on the season. He placed sixth in the championships last season after defeating Bloomsburg's Nate Shirk by a 4-3 decision. Mike Heist--197 pounds. Heist (Orefield, Pa,/Parkland) will be back again to compete in his second EWL tournament. With an overall record of 1-9, Heist finished 0-3 in the league. Zach Sheaffer--285 pounds. Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) is returning to the EWL Championships to reclaim his title from his freshman campaign. Sheaffer, 25-10 overall, is 4-2 against league opponents. He has recorded three pins and four major decisions this season and has defeated EWL opponents Joe Fendone (Edinboro), Mike Spaid (Bloomsburg) and Ben Hepburn (Clarion). The EWL Championships will begin on Saturday, March 3 at the Woodling Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio. Television coverage of the event will be as follows: FSN Pittsburgh (March 11 at 1:30 p.m. & March 16 at 1 p.m.) and CSTV (March 12 at 9 p.m.). PITT IN THE EWL TOURNAMENT
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