"Overall, we didn't perform like I felt we could have," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "This was not our best effort. We're capable of more, but we did have some good performances. [Justin] Nestor, [Kyle] Deliere, [Sean] Richmond and other guys won without this being their best day which is something you have to learn to do."
Clarion forfeited the first match of the evening, giving Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) a win and Pitt an early 6-0 lead.
At 133 pounds, Pitt true freshman Brandon Skonieczky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) competed in his first collegiate dual meet when he faced Clarion's Matt Myers. In the first period, Myers gained a 2-0 lead on a takedown. The wrestlers were scoreless in the second period, but Meyers gained momentum in the third, earning three points for an escape and takedown. Skonieczky retaliated with an escape and gained a point for riding time. Myers, however, was able to get the 5-2 decision to put clarion on the scoreboard. Pitt still maintained the lead 6-3.
Pitt's Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) wrestled Clarion's Greg Lewis in the 141-pound match. Tarquinio's takedown in the first period put him ahead 2-0 heading into the second where he earned another point on an escape. Lewis came back in the third, scoring two points on a takedown, but Tarquinio won the bout with a 3-2 decision, keeping Pitt in the lead 9-3.
Wrestling at 149 pounds was Pitt's Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) against Clarion's Derrick Smith. In the first period, Smith scored the first two points on a takedown, but Ecklof fought back with an escape and takedown to earn the lead. An escape by Smith tied the score at the end of the first period. Smith's escape in the second gave him a 4-3 lead entering the final period. Ecklof score two points on a reversal in the third, and Smith came back with an escape to tie the score and send the match into overtime. After several overtimes, each wrestler scored two points on escapes, but a point for riding time ultimately gave Ecklof the 8-7 victory. His win increased Pitt's lead to 12-3.
The match at 157 pounds was between Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) and Clarion's Lucas Christopher. Richmond scored two points on a takedown in the first period for an early lead. In the second, he stayed ahead with an escape and takedown while holding Christopher to only one point from an escape. In the final period, the match became increasingly exciting for Richmond. Scoring six points from takedowns, he won a 12-4 major decision moving the Pitt lead to 16-3.
At 165 pounds, Pitt's Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) faced Clarion's Logan Downes. Nestor took the lead with a two-point takedown in the first. The match was scoreless in the second. Nestor gained some momentum in the final period, scoring five more points for the 7-0 decision, making the team score 19-3.
Pitt's Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) wrestled Clarion's Dave Gardner at 174 pounds. Gardener was the first to score, earning two points on a takedown in the first period. Padezan fought back with an escape in the second. With a reversal in the final period, Gardner was able to pull ahead to a 4-2 win. Clarion advanced to six team points.
The 184-pound bout was exciting for the Panthers as redshirt freshman Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) earned the only pin of the night over Clarion's Dominic Ross. Deliere scored on a takedown in the first period, but his fall at the 1:26 mark, moved Pitt's lead to 25-6.
Clarion forfeited their second match of the night at 197 pounds, giving Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) an automatic win. The Panthers advanced to 31-6.
In the final match of the night, Pitt's Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) took on Clarion's A.J. Brooks at heavyweight. The two were scoreless in the first period, but Thomas scored on an escape early in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Brooks came back with an escape in the third to tie the score, and a takedown gave him enough of a lead to win a 3-2 decision. The final score of the match was 31-9.
The Panthers will battle at the Fitzgerald Field House again this week when they face Lock Haven on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.
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