NO. 23 PITT WRESTLING ROUTS LOCK HAVEN, 33-6, IN EWL OPENER

PITTSBURGH – Looking to defend as the EWL dual champion, the Pitt wrestling team cruised to a 33-6 victory over host Lock Haven on Friday night. The Panthers won the final eight bouts of the dual, including three by fall.

Pitt improves to (8-5) overall and (1-0) in EWL action. Lock Haven drops to (4-6) on the season and (0-1) in the EWL.

The Bald Eagles took the opening two matches with one point decisions to lead the contest by seven. The Panthers were docked a penalty point after the 125-bout.

In a showcase matchup, redshirt junior Tyler Nauman (141) put the Panthers on the board with a 12-10 decision over Matt Bonson. Nauman improved to 16-2 on the season and handed Bonson just his second defeat in 18 matches.

The Panthers pulled to within one point when redshirt freshman Dane Johnson (149) claimed a 10-4 decision over Owen Wilkinson.

Redshirt sophomore Donnie Tasser (157) gave the Panthers their first lead of the evening with a 9-0 major decision. Tasser capitalized on several shots while defending his ground for the shutout.

With the momentum clearly in the Panthers favor, redshirt junior Ethan Headlee (165) picked up his 20th win of the year and team-leading eighth fall, pinning Dylan Caprio at the 2:23 mark. Headlee was in control in the first period when he forced the pin on the outer edge of the circle.

Senior Andy Vaughan (174) continued his undefeated dual season with a 7-2 decision. Vaughan stands at 5-0 in dual action after winning all four of his matches at the Pitt duals this past Sunday.

Pitt sealed the match in the eighth bout when freshman Max Thomusseit (184) notched his third fall of the season over the Bald Eagles’ Dylan Caldwell at 6:06. Thomusseit joined Headlee in earning his 20th victory of the season.

With junior Zac Thomusseit out of the lineup, senior Phil Sorrentino (197) claimed his first win of the season with a 2-1 tiebreak decision. Sorrentino missed the first-half of the season due to injury, but made a spirited return at the Pitt duals. With the match locked up at 1-1, Sorrentino started on top in the extra session and held his ground. The senior then earned the deciding point with an escape in the second half of the tiebreaker and held on for the win.

In the final match of the night, redshirt senior Ryan Tomei (285) capped a dominating night for the Panthers with his sixth fall of the season at 1:16 into the first period. The win put Tomei in a four-way tie for first place in wins by a Panther this season, joining Zac Thomusseit along with Headlee and Max Thomusseit with 20 wins each.

The Panthers will travel to State College, Pa. for a top-25 clash against in-state rival Penn State on Friday, Jan. 21. The scheduled match time is 6 p.m. and the contest will air live on the BIG TEN network.

Pitt 33, Lock Haven 6
125: Nick Hyatt (LH) dec. Anthony Zanetta (P), 5-4 (3- (-1) Lock Haven
133: John Trumbetti (LH) dec. Shelton Mack (P), 5-4 6- (-1) Lock Haven
141: No. 9 Tyler Nauman (P) dec. Matt Bonson (LH), 12-10 6-2 Lock Haven
149: Dane Johnson (P) dec. Owen Wilkinson (LH) 10-4? 6-5 Lock Haven
157: Donnie Tasser (P) maj. dec. Seth Creasy (LH), 9-0 9-6 Pitt
165: Ethan Headlee (P) WBF (2:23) Dylan Caprio (LH) 15-6 Pitt
174: Andy Vaughan (P) dec. Michael Khoury (LH), 7-2 18-6 Pitt
184: Max Thomusseit (P) WBF (6:06) Derek Caldwell (LH) 24-6 Pitt
197: Phil Sorrentino (P) dec. Jacob Bachman (LH), 2-1 TB1 27-6 Pitt
285: No. 4 Ryan Tomei (P) WBF (1:16) Henry Turner (LH) 33-6 Pitt