Wrestlers Defeat Upper Iowa To Place Seventh at National Duals,
Reasy & Corcetti Post Undefeated Records
01/13/08...Head Coach Pat Pecora's #5 seeded Mountain Cat wrestlers posted a 3-2 record, including an impressive 34-14 win over #7 Upper Iowa University on Sunday to place seventh at the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals at Upper Iowa University. Brandon Reasy (133 lbs.) (New Enterprise, Pa.), ranked #2 in the nation, went 5-0, including a win over top-ranked Shane Perkey of the University of Indianapolis, to give hime 99 career wins, and #3 Mike Corcetti (184 lbs.) (Export, Pa.) went 4-0 at the tournament to lead Pitt Johnstown.
Head Coach Pat Pecora's team came out in Sunday's Seventh Place match against Upper Iowa and built a 15-0 lead after the first three bouts on its way to a 34-14 win. Junior Scott Morgan (125 lbs.) (North Huntingdon, Pa.) defeated #5 Tyler Mumbulo, 10-9, to start the match. Reasy earned a forfeit at 133 lbs., before #6 Shane Valko (141 lbs.) (Windber, Pa.) pinned Layne Greedy at 4:33. Upper Iowa scored major decision wins at 149 and 157 lbs. to cut the Mountain Cat lead to 15-8. Pitt Johnstown responded with four straight victories. Kyle Keane (Clearfield, Pa.) won by decision at 165 lbs., and #4 Albert Miles (Canonsburg, Pa.) scored a fall over #5 Brady Hakeman at 1:33 to raise the lead to 24-8. Corcetti followed with a 17-0 techincal fall over Stephen Swart at 5:24, before Patrick Walsh (197 lbs.) (Leesport, Pa.) matched Corcetti with a technical fall of his own, 17-0 at 5:00 over Matt Norton. Upper Iowa set the final score at 34-14 when #3 Dan Goodson pinned Zach Majocha (Upper Burrell, Pa.) at 3:57 in the heavyweight match.
Along with Reasy, who needs just one win to become to 19th Mountain Cat to reach the 100-win plateau, and Corcetti, who went undefeated at the duals, Keane and Walsh were both 4-1, while Valko and Miles both posted 3-2 records.
In Saturday's opening round match, Pitt Johnstown climbed out to an 18-0 advantage in a 37-7 win over the University of Central Missouri. Reasy's fall over Marcus Walker at 4:48 and Valko's pin of Keaton Baker at :19 was sandwiched between decision wins by #3 Derrek Bosso at 125 lbs. and Adam Whetstone (Claysburg, Pa.) at 149 lbs. Central Missouri scored a major decision win at 157 lbs., before Keane and Miles won by major decision to increase the lead to 26-4. Corcetti won a 16-0 technical fall over Jeremy Hudson, and Walsh won by forfeit at 197 lbs. to give Pitt Johnstown a 37-4 lead. With the match also decided, the Mules picked up a 3-2 decision win at heavyweight to set the final score at 37-7.
#4 Minnesota State-Mankato jumped out to a 16-3 lead after five bouts en route to a 24-13 victory over the #5-seeded Mountain Cat wrestlers in the Quarterfinals, despite Keane upsetting #2-ranked Andy Pickar at 165 lbs. After #3 Derrek Bosso (Pequea, Pa.) suffered a 13-2 loss to #6 Caleb Hulse at 125 lbs., Reasy cut lead lead to 4-3 with a 5-2 decision over John Putman at 133 lbs. Minnesota State-Mankato followed with a 5-2 decision by #7 Travis Elg over #6 Valko at 141 lbs., before Tommy Abbot pinned Whetstone at :37 into the 149-lb bout. The Mavericks made it 16-3 when Jason Rhoten, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 157 lbs., defeated Mazen Kholi (Allentown, Pa.), 6-2. Keane answered with a 1-0 upset over Pickar at 165 lbs, but #3 Tim Matheson dealt #4 Miles a 5-2 loss at 174 lbs. Corcetti and sophomore Walsh followed with a decision and a major decision to cut the lead to 19-13 with the heavyweight bout left. However, #2 Brady Wilson scored a 15-0 technical fall of Majocha to set the final score at, 24-13 and focring Pitt Johnstown into the consolation bracket.
In the second round of the consolations, Pitt Johnstown responded from the loss to Minnesota State-mankato with an impressive 30-9 win over #11 Indianapolis highlighted by #2 Reasy's, 7-2 decision over #1-ranked Shane Perkey at 133 lbs. Junior Kholi recorded a fall over David Walpole at 2:37 at 157 lbs. and Miles pinned Kevin Flinn at 2:57 at 174 lbs. to lead the Mountain Cats. Junior Morgan (125 lbs.), Keane and Walsh all posted major decision wins to help Pitt Johnstown advance to the third round of the consolations.
With the right to wrestle for fifth place, Pitt Johnstown trailed Western State, 4-3 after two bouts. Valko scored a 13-5 major decision over Kyle Francis at 141 lbs. to give the Mountain Cats the lead. However, Pitt Johnstown was deducted one team point for bench misconduct, making the score, 9-4. The teams battled back and forth all the way to the heavyweight match. With the Mountain Cats trailing, 17-13, Pitt Johnstown needed at least a major decision from Majocha at heavyweight. Majocha pulled off an 8-3 win, but it wasn't enough and Pitt Johnstown suffered a 17-16 loss, forcing the Mountain Cats into the seventh place match.
The Mountain Cats return home to host Anderson (SC) University on Friday and Gannon University on Saturday. Both matches will start at 7:00 p.m. in the Sports Center.