"This win was satisfying, certainly," head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. "But I'm the same person whether we win or we lose. It was just neat for our guys. We had such a great atmosphere and we are putting a good product out. I was told by Steve Pederson and Chancellor Nordenberg that they are lighting the Victory Lights on the Cathedral tonight and I am really touched by that.
"We have been close so many times so it was nice to get this one," Stotlemyer continued. "We really out-wrestled them tonight though. We were aggressive and went after them. I have to give credit to our lead-off guy (Anthony Zanetta). He went up against one of the top guys in the country and it wasn't that close. He just creates momentum for this team every time he steps on the mat."
Stottlemyer, in his 31st season, brought Pitt its first EWL regular season or tournament title in the 35th year of the league. The Panthers also won their sixth league match of the season for a school record and their only undefeated conference mark.
Pitt's win over the Fighting Scots is also the first since the 1998 season, breaking an 11-match losing streak.
The Panthers looked to be in control, starting off the night winning the first five matches and taking a commanding 15-0 lead. Freshman Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) defeated the No. 7 wrestler at 125, 4-1, to take the early lead.
Senior Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) couldn't have asked for a better end to his collegiate career at Fitzgerald Field House as he closed out the 133 weight class with a 4-2 decision over Kyle Fluke.
At 141, sophomore Tyler Nauman (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), who finished his dual season with an undefeated 18-0, had another strong performance with a 7-2 decision over Joel Webster. Nauman's 18 dual wins also ties the most in a season with Nick Mengerink's 18-0 record in 1997-98.
Senior Eric Albright (York, Pa./Red Lion Area/Virginia) followed that up with a hard-fought 4-3 decision at 149 over Torsten Gillespie. Donnie Tasser (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) sealed the match with a last-second decision, 7-6, over Johnny Greisheimer in the 157 weight class.
At 197, sophomore Matt Wilps (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) added to the tally with a 4-2 decision over Shawn Fendone, which set up an all-star battle in the heavyweight. Seventh-ranked Ryan Tomei (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) matched up with No. 20 Chris Birchler with the score set at 18-13 in the final match of the night. Tomei needed to avoid a technical fall or a pin to seal the win for the Panthers. The junior looked strong from start to finish, taking the 7-3 decision and leading Pitt to the 21-13 team win.
The Panthers will have a break until the EWL tournament, held March 7 in Morgantown, W.Va. at the WVU Coliseum.
Results:
125 - #19 Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. vs. #7 Eric Morrill (Edinboro) (4-1)
133 - #28 Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) dec. vs. Kyle Fluke (Edinboro) (4-2)
141 - #16 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. vs. Joel Webster (Edinboro) (7-2)
149 - #30 Eric Albright (Pitt) dec. vs. Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) (4-3)
157 - Donnie Tasser (Pitt) dec. vs. Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro) (7-6)
165 -#2 Jarrod King (Edinboro) MD vs. Adam Counterman (Pitt) (12-2)
174 - Phil Moricone (Edinboro) FALL vs. David Sullivan (Pitt) (4:15)
184 - Pat Bradshaw (Edinboro) dec. vs. #25 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) (3-2)
197 - #19 Matt Wilps (Pitt) dec. vs. Shawn Fendone (Edinboro) (4-2)
285 - #7 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) dec. vs. #20 Chris Birchler (Edinboro) (7-3)
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