WVU and Pitt Fight to Tie
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (February 7, 2009) – Fifth-year senior
heavyweight Dustin Rogers, ranked No. 18 nationally, upset No.8-ranked
Zach Sheaffer, 3-2, but it was not enough as the West Virginia
University wrestling team tied Pitt, 15-15, on Saturday evening at the
Fitzgerald Field House. WVU remains undefeated in Eastern Wrestling
League (EWL) action, 3-0-1, and moves to 6-4-1 overall. Pitt moves to
3-0-1 in league play and 3-6-1 overall.
"That's really a significant win in a tough situation for Dustin
and he showed a lot of poise all the way through to do it,” Coach Craig
Turnbull said. “He's gaining a lot of confidence in himself and he's
being rewarded for it and his hard work. This is the right time of the
year for him to start showing that degree of confidence."
Rogers, who is now 2-1 all-time against Sheaffer, went into the
third period behind, 1-0. After earning a quick escape point, Rogers
landed the victory via a takedown with only five seconds remaining in
the match. The Corning, Calif., native is now 4-0 in league play and 4-3
against ranked opponents this season.
"It was unfortunate for us to end in a tie,” Turnbull added. “I
think we outworked them at most weights. We were the more aggressive
team. They were very fortunate at 141 pounds where I feel Colin
(Johnston) had secured a takedown to go into overtime. At 184 pounds, I
felt Lance (Bryson) was significantly the aggressor. He charted about 15
takedown attempts to one and the call at the end with very little time
on the clock was controversial."
The Mountaineers first got on the scoreboard when fifth-year
senior David Jauregui (149) scored an 8-6 decision over Mark Powell.
Jauregui, ranked 19th nationally, registered a takedown in both the
first and second periods, but went into the third session trailing, 5-4.
After earning an escape, the Santa Ana, Calif., native posted a takedown
with 1:34 remaining and accrued 1:27 in riding time to seal his ninth
overall victory.
Redshirt-freshman Ryan Goodman (157) added three more points to
the Mountaineers’ total in the next bout. Although both Goodman and
Pitt’s Phil Sorrentino earned escape points, it was Goodman’s 1:23 of
riding time in the second period that gave him the 2-1 edge.
Redshirt-junior Donnie Jones’ match at 165 pounds was next on
the slate and despite facing a formidable opponent in Ethan Headlee, who
came into the match with a 21-11 overall record, Jones continued to
dominate his league competition. After a period of scoreless action,
Jones scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the second period to go
into the third session up 2-1. The Slickville, Pa., native added another
takedown in the final period for the 4-2 victory, tying the team score
at nine apiece.
The Mountaineers pulled ahead with fifth-year senior Kurt
Brenner’s win at 174 pounds, the squad’s fourth straight victory. Ranked
No. 12 nationally, Brenner never trailed Pitt’s Dave Sullivan. Brenner
recorded four takedowns, two of which came in the final period, and
accumulated 1:36 in riding time for the 10-5 decision.
"I want to credit something that gets hidden in there is Grant's
(Lowther) last second takedown, taking a major away and allowing Dustin
again to wrestle for the tie,” Turnbull commented.
WVU is unbeaten in its last five matches (4-0-1) and is 6-4-1
against Pitt since 2000.
WVU will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 14, to finish its
non-conference portion of the schedule with a home match against Ohio.
The contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum.
WVU 15 Pitt 15
125: Chris Albright (PITT) DEC Kyle Turnbull (WVU), 7-2
133: #17 Jimmy Conroy (PITT) DEC Grant Lowther (WVU), 10-4
141: #13 Tyler Nauman (PITT) DEC Colin Johnston (WVU), 7-5
149: #19 David Jauregui (WVU) DEC Mark Powell (PITT), 8-6
157: Ryan Goodman (WVU) DEC Phil Sorrentino (PITT), 2-1
165: Donnie Jones (WVU) DEC Ethan Headlee (PITT), 4-2
174: #12 Kurt Brenner (WVU) DEC Dave Sullivan (PITT), 10-5
184: Zac Thomusseit (PITT) DEC Lance Bryson (WVU), 3-2
197: A.J. Hunte (PITT) DEC Matt Ryan (WVU), 5-2
HWT: #18 Dustin Rogers (WVU) DEC #8Zach Sheaffer (PITT), 3-2
Return to the WV-Mat front page