"We had a pretty good performance to say the least tonight," said Stottlemyer. "We really should have won the 10th match as [Alex] Munoz got out to a great start but just couldn't finish."
Sheaffer, now 17-4 on the year, escaped just three seconds into the second frame and held on in the third, riding the 18th ranked heavyweight in the country for two straight minutes, capping Pitt's biggest win since last season's 42-0 shutout of Findlay.
Entering the third period scoreless, freshman Chris Albright was able to rack up two takedowns within a minute span and survive a late reversal as time ran out in the 125-pound match. Albright's 4-3 decision put Pitt (3-5, 3-0 EWL) on top 3-0.
Junior Jimmy Conroy broke the floodgates open in the first period with two takedowns and a near fall, building a 6-2 advantage which included 1:16 of riding time. In the bottom position to start the second, Conroy wasted no time in escaping and tallying his third takedown of the match, increasing his lead to 9-2. Three more back points and another takedown in the third period gave the 17th ranked 133-pounder a 15-4 major decision and Pitt a 7-0 lead.
"We had some really good performances tonight from Ethan [Headlee], [Tyler] Nauman, Jimmy [Conroy] and [Zach] Sheaffer. Those four guys are really stepping up in a leadership role for this team."
Despite falling behind 2-0 just 20 seconds into the first period of the 141-pound match, redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman bounced back and earned his team-leading ninth fall of the year with 13 seconds remaining in the first period. Nauman's fall was his 22nd win of the year, another team-high for the Middletown, Pa. native.
Senior Mark Powell put Pitt on top 16-0 with his 3-1 decision in a nine and a half minute marathon match at 149 pounds. Powell and Antonio Nicholson traded escape points in the second and third periods before forcing overtime. With 22 seconds left in the second sudden victory period, Powell was able to maneuver his way into a takedown, ending the longest match of the year for any Pitt wrestler.
Cleveland State was finally able to stop the Pitt offensive in the 157-pound match. A late takedown by Corey Carlo knotted the match up at four and called for a second straight sudden victory ending. Just eight seconds in, Carlo secured a takedown, winning 6-4 over freshman Alex Munoz.
Sophomore Ethan Headlee continues to chase Nauman for the team lead in wins and pins. Less than 20 seconds into the second period and working from the top position, Headlee recorded his 21st win and eighth fall of the season over Rob Michaels in the 165-pound bout, putting the Panthers up 22-3.
It was all Pitt in the 174-pound match as redshirt A.J. Brentzel poured it on in his first start of the 2008-09 season. A flurry of scoring in both the first and second periods gave Brentzel a comfortable 9-3 lead with over three minutes of riding time heading into the final stanza. He added another takedown as time ran out, running away with a 14-3 major decision.
Freshman Zac Thomusseit made it two dual wins in a row with his 7-0 shutout over J.T. Miller in the 184-pound contest. Thomusseit tallied a takedown in each period and tacked on a riding time point for the decision.
The Panthers continue action this weekend with their third match in six days as they travel to Kent, Ohio for a Saturday night dual with the 24th ranked Golden Eagles. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
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