A Western Pa. reunion
Local talent litters leader board as 3 WPIAL grads move on in 165 division
WPIAL alums dominate 165pound weight class in NCAA wrestlng tournament.
The 165-pound weight class at the NCAA Division I Wrestling tournament, which began Thursday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, is loaded with WPIAL talent. Three of the eight wrestlers who advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals are from the WPIAL.
Bucknell’s Zach Hartman, Pitt’s Jake Wentzel and Ohio State’s Ethan Smith each posted two wins on the opening day of competition to earn a trip to the semifinals.
Hartman, a Belle Vernon grad and No. 5 seed, posted an 8-6 win in his opener against Gardner-Webb’s Rodrick Mosley, then recorded a 5-0 shutout of West Virginia’s Peyton Hall in the second round.
“I didn’t wrestle as well as I had hoped in my first match, but I regrouped and turned in a much better performance in the second round,” Hartman said. “I’m looking forward to the quarterfinals.”
Hartman’s quarterfinal opponent is Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis, the No. 4 seed and defending NCAA champion. Lewis posted two narrow wins, despite a rotator cuff injury that kept him from competing in the ACC tournament.
“[Lewis] is the defending national champion,” Hartman said. “He may be battling an injury, but I can’t underestimate him. I have to approach this match the same way I approach every match.”
Wentzel, a South Park graduate and No. 3 seed, survived an opening round scare in a 1-0 win over No. 30-seeded Evan Barczak of Drexel. Barczak was awarded a takedown at the buzzer that was waved off after an officials’ review.
“The official thought [Barczak] had both legs when the buzzer sounded but waved off the takedown after an officials’ review,” Pitt coach Keith Gavin said. “That was too close for comfort.”
Wentzel then faced Nebraska’s Peyton Robb and registered a 8-1 victory. His quarterfinal opponent is Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole, the No. 6 seed.
Smith, a Latrobe grad and No. 7 seed, posted a 12-5 victory over Chattanooga’s Andrew Nicholson and a 4-3 win over Oklahoma State’s Travis Wittlake. His quarterfinal opponent is Arizona State’s Anthony Valencia, the No. 2 seed.
Wentzel is one of three Pitt wrestlers who earned semifinal berths. The others were Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi.
Phillippi, a Derry graduate who is seeded No. 5 at 133, recorded wins of 14-3 over Utah Valley’s Ty Smith and 6-1 against North Carolina State’s Jarrett Trombley.
“Micky wrestled well. He did what we thought he could do,” Gavin said. “His next match is a big one. A win in that match and he’s in the semifinals.”
Gavin was referring to Phillippi’s quarterfinal matchup with Iowa’s Austin DeSanto, the No. 4 seed.
Bonaccorsi, a Bethel Park grad and No. 6 seed at 197 pounds, outscored his two opponents 28-5, Stanford’s Nick Stemmet in the first round and Virginia’s Jay Aiello in the second round.
Franklin Regional grads Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer each posted a pair of dominating victories for Iowa.
Lee, a two-time NCAA champ and top seed at 125 pounds, recorded a 17-1 technical fall in the first round against Virginia’s Patrick McCormick, then posted a 15-5 victory over West Virginia’s Killian Cardinale in the second round.
Kemerer, a two-time AllAmerican and top seed at 165 pounds, recorded two technical falls by a combined margin of 40-7 over Michigan State’s Drew Hughes in the opening round and Army’s Benjamin Pasiuk in the second round.
The biggest upset of the day came at 197 pounds, as No. 31 seed Owen Pentz of North Dakota State pinned No. 2 seed Eric Schultz of Nebraska in the first round. He was the only top four seed to lose in the opening round.
Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley, a North Allegheny graduate, also recorded two upsets at 197. Woodley, the No. 26 seed, posted a 5-1 win over Missouri’s Rocky Elam, the No. 7 seed, and 43 over Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey, the No. 10 seed.
Penn State had seven of its nine entries advance to the quarterfinals, including Aaron Brooks, the top seed at 184, and two No. 2 seeds, Roman BravoYoung at 133 and Nick Lee at 141.