EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Pittsburgh wrestling team opened the 2003-04 season at the Michigan State Open on Saturday and Sunday and came away with five placewinners, including two second-place finishes.

True freshman Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) and sophomore Francis Iorfido (Johnsonburg, Pa./Johnsonburg) placed second at 125 and 174 pounds, respectively.

Headlee was competing for the first time as a Panther and quickly earned his first victory with a fall at the 3:05 mark over Northern Illinois' Dave Aranda. Headlee won his second match over the No. 8 seed, Luke Smith of Central Michigan, by a 1-0 decision.

In the quarterfinals, the Panthers' 125-pounder scored a 3-2 upset decision over the No. 1 seed, Tom Clum of Wisconsin. Clum was ranked sixth in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News and seventh by InterMat. Headlee didn't stop there as he pulled off a 3-2 victory over Roberto Torres of Northern Illinois in the semifinals before dropping the championship match to Mark Moos of Michigan, seeded No. 3 at the tournament and ranked 13th by InterMat, by a score of 11-2. Headlee finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and two wins over seeded wrestlers.

Iorfido was competing at 174 pounds for the first time after wrestling at 165 in his freshman year. That didn't stop him from winning five matches before injury defaulting in the finals. Iorfido defeated Christian Sinnott of Central Michigan in a first-round pigtails match, 9-4, before pinning Dan Bedoy of Purdue at the 5:46 mark of the third period to advance to the second round.

After a 4-0 decision win over Dennis Summers, an unattached wrestler, Iorfido topped Ed Willis of Ohio University, 6-1 in overtime, to advance to the semifinals. An upset of Michigan State's Anton Hall by a 7-5 decision pitted Iorfido against Jake Herbert of Northwestern in the finals, but Iorfido was injured in the match prior and couldn't wrestle. His second-place finish was higher than Ralph DeNisco of Wisconsin, ranked ninth by InterMat, and Mitch Hancock of Central Michigan, ranked 17th and 19th by the two polls.

Other placewinners for the Panthers included 141-pounder Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny), who finished 4-2 and placed fourth. Included in his four victories was a 3-1 win over the No. 4 seed and 12th-ranked wrestler in the nation, Andy Simmons of Michigan State.

Freshman Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) was also 4-2 at 149 pounds, placing seventh with a forfeit win over No. 2 Erik Norgaard of Columbia. Kocher's two losses were to the No. 1 and 4 seeds by a total of three points. Kocher lost to 16th-ranked Josh Wooton of Northern Illinois by a 3-2 score in the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) finished third in the 157-pound weight class, getting wins over No. 2 Jake Percival of Ohio by forfeit and a 3-1 overtime decision over No. 4 Ty Morgan of Central Michigan, who had defeated Nestor earlier in the quarterfinals. Nestor placed higher than Mike Tolar of Kent State, ranked 20th in the country by Amateur Wrestling News, and Jake Percival of Ohio, ranked third and fourth by the two polls.

Senior heavyweight Travis Shirley (West Middlesex, Pa./Kennedy Christian) finished with a 4-2 record but did not place. His two losses were to the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds in the weight class.

Pittsburgh will open the dual meet season on Nov. 19 at No. 2 Lehigh.